I did threaten to hit back at those people who predicted my assignment at Town House - I thought this will be a different way to remember my road to my current station than to talk about, water roads vendors and litter . On a TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN BASIS - right? The first and most sustained one is that warrior of a preacher based in Brighton UK for the past few years. She is the one who got it all going with her phone calls for the better part of 2012 asking me to pray for a big desk and a big office in front of me. She would force the dismissive Ben to accept that it wasnt her voice speaking - so I had to believe. I had no plans to run for civic or political office. On New Years Day 2013 came the decisive stroke - very specific - unpacking the Brighton message of 2012. What was supposed to be New Years for 3 couples was spoilt by the outbourst from the lady of the house - Why dont you become mayor of Harare?. Out of the blue!! I have only known you for 2 hours. But I can describe the person who should be mayor of Harare. Someone from the corporate world, from the right political party, from the northern suburbs, acceptable accross all races all cultures and all levels of society! She turns to my wife and says Madam, am I not describing your husband who I have only just met?. She goes on - If this man refuses to be mayor of Harare this city will have a mayor from Kambuzuma and some key sectors would not accept a mayor from a less affluent area. Guess what - fast forward 8 months - we chose the deputy mayor a couple of weeks before the mayor and...... my very able deputy is the councillor for Kambuzuma! Fran and I were delayed - more like detained really - until 5pm by which time I had accepted going for councillor only .....and no more. Further delayed - until after 8.30pm at which time we had shaken hands - beaten! I had accepted to run for mayor. The most decisive half-day in my life had ended. I present my nomination forms for the party primary election on 18th January 2013. In that same week 2 things happen - as I am lobbying for nomination a party official at lowly branch level, a bricklayer, asks me for a favour - why dont you become Your Worship? - Hallo??? On 27th January 2013 a day after my birthday I am in church at St Pauls Anglican in Marlborough. My priest is preaching and PREACHING ME - I sent him an sms straight after the service telling him exactly that it wasnt him preaching - I nicknamed him prophet from that day. He described ME - my family and professional circumstances in unmistakable accuracy and went into the very same predictions. Yes Rev. I am the one who took care of the orphaned girl and put her through expensive private schools. Yes I am the one who was was prepared to send her to any university in the world. Yes she fell pregnant. True I lost contact with her. True I never followed up on the pregnancy, birth, baby . Yes Anglicans come to church but have no faith they dont believe, true. Yes, they would be shocked that one of their own a very ordinary one - you repeated ordinary one, would be asked to take on a particular office. Then a few months later I am on flight to Victoria Falls to attend a conference of the Institute of Personnel Management. Never before had I seen even one member of the Apostolic sect - the ones who don white robes - on any flight in my life. There were easily 50 them on the flight. In hushed noises they started praying before the flight took off - fear? protection? NO! Their leader tells this very spiritual group that they have been shown the man who would be elected mayor of the city and he was on the flight and that they should pray from him! No direct contact with me. Next day - day 1 of my conference - I dash out into town to do a quick banking transaction. In short I get kidnapped from the food court by 2 middle-aged men who I immediately identified to be from the sect that was on the flight with us the day before. It was an imperative - We have been asked to come and take you! We have to pray for you, follow us, dont refuse. I am taken to a roadside spot, shaking - a bundle of nerves. There were hundreds of these people in their white robes - me the odd-man out. Buses and lots of cars. I am welcomed by the leader and thanked for my humilty in accepting to be called. He asks me who Gabriel Bernard is....... I accept that it is indeeed me but I use Bernard as the first name. He retorts defiantly You are the Gabriel!. He explains that their only wish was to pray for me and they are not asking me to join their church, if I didnt mind. He asks me to take my shoes and socks off and to roll up my sleeves before he announces that there is something which is about to happen which would see my pictures and voice in newspapers, radio and TV. They go into deep loud prayers - hapless me on my knees and now covered in a clean white cloth. I am warmly dismissed with the assurances that the prayers have been done. I am reminded that I belong to the red chariot and it is the red chariot which will carry me forward/up. Bright red is my party colour! I am asked therefore asked to identify a red car to take me back into town from the many cars in the park. I do that and a young man comes to drive me back to my hotel as I recover. This is a real experience.....not a dream. I took his number......I have visited many different churches since being elected.......I surely owe you guys a visit in your open vleis! I secure my primary election with a 75% win and we are at a party rally and we are being presented to party faithfuls as councillor candidates. The only known mayoral aspirant is also presented and soon after he addresses the crowd the eventual front runner, a spritely prominent lawyer, addresses the crowd. Drama .... a dusty young man in his 20s rises from the ground in devine defiance walks up to the top table, one knee on the ground, to my huge embarrassment greets me Your Worship!. I am sitting next to an MP, also a lawyer for that matter. In shock she quizzes Your Worship???. I am numb........she gathers herself and closes the matter with one word in regained composure.....Receive! In the legal confusion surrounding the election of mayors........within the family emerged a pastor who also started talking to God amazing connectivity........her conviction was remarkable. Its not over until God says its over and God will not stop what he started was her war-cry. The Sunday before the eventual election back in church out in Marlborough a lay preacher another top lawyer picks on the bible story of the healing of the bleeding woman to deal with you man, no matter what CVs are presented it will happen! When GOD says Thou art loosed, thou art loosed, they will pick on you and everybody will be surprised.........Thou Art Loosed! I never asked to be mayor I followed instructions..... a year later in arguably one of the most difficult positions in the affairs of our country I look forward to giving it my best in this 8-days-week job. I look forward to a better second year in office. It could have been given to many more able men or women........I am humbled. Long post, hey!
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 06:38:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015