Chimurenga music legend Thomas Mapfumo, 72, has slammed government officials for seeking treatment in other countries accusing them of not having faith in the local health system which continues to deteriorate under their watch.
The outspoken musician, who has been exiled in Oregon in the United States of America since 2004, said poor people were suffering due to the government’s failure to invest in local hospitals.
“Wese mutungamiri arwara taakutumira kunze. Vapfumi ndovaakupona varombo vachifa. Ko zvipatara zvedu tadii kuvaka? Tinosvika kupi tichipambara? (Every leader who falls ill is airlifted to a foreign country. The rich are the ones surviving while the poor die. Why can’t we build our own hospitals? For how long will we continue suffering like this?),” queried Mapfumo on his Twitter account.
Mapfumo, who has been an outspoken musician for years, added that the poor state of local hospitals was a symptom of a wider deterioration of the country’s economy.
“Taimbovewo vanhu vanoremekedzwa ne dzimwe nyika. Taidya tichiguta. City transport, ma roads, hospitals kwese. Nhasi tinochema nhamo (We used to be a respectable country compared to other countries. We used to get sufficient food, we had reliable city transport, good roads and hospitals everywhere, but now we are suffering),” said the Mamvemve hit-maker.
From his Oregon base, the 72-year-old music star has repeatedly expressed his views on the country’s political situation in his mother tongue Shona via his Twitter account
Recently, he fired barbs at the Command Agriculture initiated by government at the start of last year.
The programme, which President Robert Mugabe claims was conceptualised by First Lady Grace Mugabe and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has, however, triggered tiffs between Higher Education minister Jonathan Moyo and some senior government officials that include Mnangagwa and Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa.
In a series of tweets written in Shona, Mukanya, as the Chimurenga music star is popularly known by his fans, poked fun at the discord that has been created in government by the programme.
“Ndinotoshama kuti vacho vemahofisi emudenga vaakuda kumarana nekuudzana nezveiyo Command Agriculture iyi apo tirikutongopinda muchirongwa (It is shocking that senior government officials are at each other’s throats over the Command Agriculture programme even though it has just started),” Mapfumo wrote.
In a related development, the veteran singer derided Mugabe’s $1 million donation to the African Union.
“Makorokoto kuna VaMugabe. Vabvisa $1 million ku Africa Union. Dai vaita a similar sacrifice at home tivake migwagwa, ngatiziveiwo vedu vemumba (Congratulations to Mugabe for donating $1 million to the African Union but he should make a similar sacrifice at home so that we can build roads. Charity begins at home,” he tweeted.