When schools opened for their first term in 1999, my father – who was a grade six teacher – was summoned to the headmaster’s office and was told that, since he had turned 65 years old a few days prior, he was officially retired and could not teach anymore.
Source: Is it easier to be President of Zimbabwe than being a grade 6 teacher? – The Zimbabwean 21.08.2016
I remember being surprised to see him return home, only an hour after he had left for work, looking very dejected.
He had loved teaching – he ate, slept, and talked teaching everyday – and he was very good at his passion.
However, those with the knowhow on these issues have since concluded that – no matter how good and passionate one is at their profession, when they reach 65 years of age, they are too old and can no longer effectively deliver as is expected.
I do not doubt and query these experts’ conclusions, as I think they know better.
However, what endlessly baffles my mind is why it is that a teacher can be regarded as being too old to handle a grade six class at 65 years old, and yet a political party can consider a 92 year old to be fit enough to lead a country.
That just does not make any sense.
Are these people telling us that it is far much easier to be the president of a country than it is to be a grade six teacher?
This is exactly what is happening in Zimbabwe today.
If the very same government that is in charge of the civil service agrees that at 65 years old, someone is now incapable of working efficiently, how on earth do they believe that a 92 year old will be able to effectively run a country?
I do not know much about what a president of a country is expected to do on a day to day basis, but as the head of state and commander in chief of the country’s defence forces, I would expect the person who fills that post to be in the sharpest of minds – and from what we have already established, someone over 65 years of age is considered incapable of such a responsibility.
Surely, leading a country, especially Zimbabwe – which is experiencing one of the worse periods of its history – requires someone who is at their optimum, not their twilight.
A country facing such economic, political, and social turbulence can not be left on auto-pilot, because the leader is now incapable of being on top of the situation.
The country is in a desperate situation that needs someone who is still mentally agile to tackle these vexing problems head-on.
Needless to say, as the situation stands presently, there can never be any hope of any improvement for the lot of the already overburdened and suffering Zimbabweans.
Both the ruling party and Zimbabweans, as a whole, need to take the problems facing the country very seriously, and elect someone who is still on top of their game.
It is not only brazen cruelty to the suffering people of Zimbabwe, but also reckless for anyone to advocate for the continued presidency of a 92 year old – who is now clearly too old for such a mega task – merely because he ‘led’ the country’s ‘liberation’ struggle, and is also its founding ‘father’.
Whatever it is that he is said to have done for this country’s independence – which, ironically, no one else seems to be enjoying – his legacy should be left to the history books.
Similarly, as much as I love and adore my 78 year old mother – and forever grateful to her for bringing me into this world, and nurturing me, with so much love and sacrifice – there are things I appreciate that she is no longer able to do.
That is nature, and is the same road anyone who is blessed enough to reach old age, will inevitably go through.
Just because I acknowledge that she is now too old to do certain things, does not mean that I no longer love and appreciate her.
As such, no matter how some sections of Zimbabwe genuinely adore, and are forever grateful to their leader for whatever role he has played in the country, it is time that they acknowledged that he is now too old to lead an institution as complex as a nation.
They can respect him in other ways, but certainly not by allowing him to continue leading this country.
If they are adamant that he should continue in this role, then that is a serious disservice to this country, and will clearly re-affirm that they do not care at all about the people if this country.
A president should be someone who will be active enough to led in the rival of this economy.
However, such recklessness in supporting someone who is no longer capable of delivering is not helping the country at all, and neither is it helping the president, as his very apparent failures only make him more unpopular.
The year 2018 is just around the corner, and Zimbabweans, especially those from the ruling party have to make the right choice, and elect a leader who is still astute enough to take this country out of the mess that it is in.
This country, and its people are too precious to be toyed around with in this manner, by electing into office someone who is regarded as too old to even teach a grade six class.
° Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist and commentator, writer, and journalist. He writes in his personal capacity, and welcomes any feedback. Please feel free to WhatsApp/call: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com. Follow on Twitter: @Tendai_Mbofana
COMMENTS
An admirable declaration by Mbofana.
Who on earth can see differently?
Black Bobbie Mugobbie has the divine right to steal from the people, and murder as many people as he chooses – for his entire life – he believes this implicitly. He is the Lord of the Manor and the people of Matabeleland that he murdered are lucky not to be alive in his mind. They deserved to die (of course) and Perence Shiri is a lovely man. Any minute now the British Government will call Perence Shiri over for a medal from the RAF for his gallant deeds in Matabeleland? What a wonderful legacy Lord Carrington and Margaret Thatcher have left in Zimbabwe.
Bayonetting pregnant Matabele women, or forcing a son to murder his father – is a Zanu sport, remember – not to mention the more recent Zanu arm amputations known as “short sleeve” and “long sleeve.” Lovely people in Zanu – Her Majesty needs to give them some more Knighthoods?
This is a good point – there is no way a president can be allowed to be this old.
In the constitutional outreach, lots of people said that there should be a maximum age limit for the president with suggestions being 70 or at worst 75.
The Zanu people threw this out as they said it was targeted at Mugabe.
But seriously you cannot expect someone at 94 to be a presidential candidate. It just shows total lack of respect for the people and utter selfishness.
If judges have to retire at 70, I think we don’t need an MP, minister, president or anyone holding public office older than 75. These people should be retired.
This issue of age simply does not apply to ZanuPF. They are the law and the law is do as we say and act or else go elsewhere. Our way or no way. These bandits are that ,simply bandits etc etc.
The legitimacy of this regime must be challenged outside Zimbabwe with the highest courts in those lands demanding this regime to cede power asap. If this was a White government doing these shenanigans I wonder what the world would be saying or baying about. As usual the silence from the world press etc shows us Zimbabweans that Black lives or Africa do not matter at all to them.
Having a mandatory retirement age is a silly idea. People wear out at different rates, and of course a great deal depends on the job.
Here in the UK the retirement age is 65 (I think?) but I worked until I was 72 as my job was not physically demanding.
I will not comment on the bunch of geriatrics trying and failing to run Zimbabwe – I think for most of them senility set in a very long time ago. Reading the same speech twice does NOT indicate a sharp mind!
YouTube – American Renaissance – Prof Phillippe Rushton – Latest research on race. Worth listening to and will put things in perspective.