Dr Mzee: The man who only hated Satan
HE was an epitome of humility, a man of immeasurable wisdom and at most the genesis of servant leadership in independent Zimbabwe who respected not only authority and hierarchy but social relations despite his position as the second in charge in the corridors of national power, at least according to one of his political mentees Cde Lovemore Matuke.
He was a humble carpenter with the amazing ability to join together planks into one solid piece of furniture and could not have failed to bring together all the people of Zimbabwe regardless of tribe into one coherent body.
A veteran freedom fighter, a father figure and a cultural icon, are just a few of the superlatives that are apt in describing the celebrated life of a true son of the soil, the late Vice-President of Zimbabwe Dr Simon Vengai Muzenda.
The late Dr Muzenda who departed to the great beyond on 20 September 2003 was a larger than life character whose contribution to the nation’s body politic was immense and earned himself the moniker Soul of the Nation at his death.
Cde Matuke who lived with Dr Muzenda for 14 years described him as a visionary with an exceptional ability of seeing beyond what the ordinary person saw, saying any defiance to what he would have advised was always regrettable and met with dire consequences.
“Before his death he told the former President Mugabe that President Mnangagwa was to succeed him as Vice-President in line with their wartime agreement in Mozambique but somehow Mugabe defied his word. So some of us who have lived with him knew exactly what he had wanted and we were not shocked by the unsettling events in the country’s body politic. We were just scratching our noses with the little finger remembering what the Soul of the Nation had said about the country’s leadership after him,” said
Cde Matuke.
According to Cde Matuke, the late VicePresident was a selfless, dedicated, loyal and humble figure whose stature not only symbolised the wholeness of the nation that he fought for but the unity and solidness of the country Zimbabwe.
Dr Muzenda or simply Dr Mzee as he was affectionately known, became a father not only to his family but to the family of Zimbabwe and he dedicated his entire life to be a servant of the people.
He said despite occupying one of the politically revered offices in the country, Dr Muzenda remained so much connected to the grassroots and identified so well with the villagers even to the point of sitting at various village beer drinking gatherings.
“He was a very good listener who would give his ear without measure
to the people’s problems and would always make sure that he does his best to ensure that they were resolved timeously,” said Cde Matuke.
His vision and his love for his culture and tradition made people believe that he was somehow a traditional healer or spirit medium but contrary to the belief, Dr Mzee was only a son of the soil who remained true to his traditional beliefs but was neither a traditional healer nor a herbalist. He was a Christian who was baptised in the Roman Catholic Church and remained there until the time of his death.
“I also used to believe that the old man was a spirit medium, that he had some supernatural instincts but I later realised he was neither a prophet nor a spirit medium but had a natural gift of seeing beyond what ordinary people could see. It made him unique and prophetic.
“Despite his position he would go to his rural home and attend village head gatherings where he would raise his hand and if picked participate like any other villager. He submitted so much to traditional authority and would lower himself to suit every level he finds himself in. I remember at one time he sent me home to remove my suit when we were going to meet the community. He was a
servant leader, the same as President Mnangagwa, the two seem to have been cut from the same cloth. He would go and shovel sand with other villagers whenever there was community work in his rural area, and would do traditional dances, recite poems and sing traditional songs when the occasions called for that,” said Cde Matuke, adding it was his wit, charisma and spirituality than academic qualifications that defined him politically.
He said he was what he was now because of the late Vice-President although he admitted he would never get to his level. He said Dr Mzee was paying fees for over 40 children at various educational institutions in the community and had initiated so many economic empowering projects.
Sunday News also spoke to the late nationalist’s son Tongai who said he still felt the irreplaceable void that was created by death when it robbed them of their father. He said their father had become a parent, leader, teacher, friend and a role model.
“He was admired by many because of his humility. To show that he appreciated his role as a national leader he would pay fees for the community first and at times let us be threatened with expulsion from school before he pays for us. He wouldn’t allow us to take pride in being kids of a senior politician. He actually instilled a serious
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