TENDAI BITI MOURNS "BRILLIANT" CHINDORI CHININGA Wananji,there was gasps and cries of pain when our brilliant pastor at St Luke s church in Greendale,Baba Gwese, made reference to the unnecessary death of Honourable Chindori on19 June 2013. This a death that has pained ,shocked and angered many Zimbabweans . I say to Mrs Chindori Chininga and your children,very sorry and the whole of Zimbabwe is with you. What kind of a country have we become that violence and murder have become normal vehicles of dispute resolution. What kind of a country have we become that differences of opinion are treason and we can not celebrate the harmony of our divergence nor the sparkling shades of our differences. What kind of people are we that we play gods with other people s lives .As if they are simple black and white peaces on a chess board of death. And we measure our existence through regular episodes of harvesting the dissenters or those perceived to be threats to us. Have we become a vampire nation that must regularly and ferociously feed off the blood of its people. What kind of people have we become that ,death is just another headline and we have normalised the abnormal.We discard our pain and guilt like diapers . We drink or fornicate to hide our fear ,impotence and guilt. I knew Chindori in 2000 when the MDC had its first ever group of MPs in parliament.He hold at the time the powerful combined ministry of energy and mining. Unlike many other Zanu ministers we found Chindori humble engaging and demobilised.I use the term demobilised for at that time Zanu ministers were terriers angry at our unexpected huge presence in parliament.Pachedu ,Roy Bennet got bitten by the angriest of the bull dogs and spend fifteen unnecessary cruel months in prison. In those days Chindori brought into parliament a new revolutionary energy bill that repealed the old Electricity Act and unbundled the old Zesa into the four successor companies that exist to date. The Bill was not an easy one.It was at this time that we consulted a lot and some of discussions were in fact incorporated into the Bill s second reading amendments. When I joined Government in 2009 we had frequent interactions in his new role as chairperson of the Mines Portifolio committee.It was this role ,alas that in my view is the causa of the current pain. I know that that that committee tried to peek and peep in many pots of corruption with heavy handed response from the powers that be.The issue of diamonds and opaque diamond revenue being the center of the storm.Chindori s committee was not even allowed to set foot in Chiadzwa for some time. I had many discussions with him in this period and on many question time sessions of parliament he would ask me leading questions on diamonds to expose the common cause shanenigans in this area of national shame. In April this year he came to me and advised that he was tired of Mr ...stealing our diamonds and wanted to make an indepth study.He asked for figures on diamond revenue and I immediately from the top of my head narrated the details on theft of our diamonds. I then advised that ,if he was to present a report to PARLY he must summon me to his committee .He advised that parliament s beuracracy would not allow them to have this kind of inquiry.I then advised him to write to the ministry of finance formally to request the relevant information. On 20 May 2013 at 2;18 pm he send me the following text ' Minister as per your advice an official letter was sent to your perm Sec requesting for revenue information fromall diamond mines in Chiadzwa and what finally came to treasury company by company.A copy of the letter was put in your Parl peagon hole for your information.We want to present the report this week' On 17 June 2013 at 1;21 pm I received the following text from him. 'Hi Minister Send me your e mail address.I want to send you a report' Almost instantly at 1;33 pm I send him my e mail address viz dotito45 ETC. He responded instantly in a text ,I hardly read ,which on rereading after his departure I find ominous and cryptic; 'Thats a good e mail address.Wondered about Dotito in your words all the time.Thanks Minister keep on doing a good job for nation.Hopefully I will meet you in next parliament if all goes well' Alas my friend it was never meant to be.Maybe we will meet in another parliament,not this earthly one. Rest in peace Chindori.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:06:36 +0000
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