Mutasa speaks on family

via Mutasa speaks on family – DailyNews Live 3 August 2015

HARARE – Our Chief Writer Fungi Kwaramba interviewed Former State Security minister Didymus Mutasa about his health, family and regrets at 80 years. Below are the excerpts of the interview.

Q: Cde Mutasa congratulations on your 80th birthday, isn’t it now time for you to retire from politics?

A: Thank you very much. No I don’t think I should retire from anything, I should actually take more responsibilities now more than ever before.

I feel much wiser and quite interestingly concerned about our people’s welfare and any other issues that the country should be concerned about.

I feel for instance that we should be thinking about how our suffering people are going to get to next year when things are this bad.

Q: I see you are spotting a beard these days, why?

A: I am going back to my youth days except that it is whiter while at that time it was nice and black. But I feel this white beard is not bad.

Q: Do you have siblings?

A: No they all passed away and I am left alone, I look after a lot of people including my sisters’ children.

Q: How many children do you have?

A: (muses) I have married quite a number of times and I have quite a number of children. My first wife gave me three children and I think those are the best known. Then I married my present wife Gertrude, we have two children together. I also have Sabina with whom I have one child and Sarudzai with whom I have three boys including the last one who is four years old.

Q: Do you think things should have been done differently after Independence?

A: I am looking back at our constitution. I liked the constitution we had at independence when we had a titular president and a prime minister.

Looking at the present chaos, with our two houses we should have made the Upper House the house of chiefs and let them use that house to discuss issues of concern to the country and they would choose one of their own as President of the country. We missed out on that.

Q: What is your favourite food?

A: I have none. I have left food issues to my wives. They cook what they want and I eat whatever they cook.

Q: What about music?

A: Again I have none really that I feel special about, but there was music that was played by Jim Reeves, he is my favourite musician but you don’t find that music anymore.

Q: They were rumours that you had collapsed and died, do you suffer from any ailment?

A: I am still fit as you can see. People say I have collapsed and I am dead but since I came back from India with my wife my health is good. I can run as fast as my four-year-old boy.

Q: You have friends buried at the Heroes Acre are you attending Heroes day this year?

A: Unfortunately no, I didn’t go to Independence Day celebrations because I don’t feel I have any friends within the current administration who I can mark the day with, if I want I can have my own celebrations with Mai (Joice) Mujuru, Rugare Gumbo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti and the best place will be in private. I can’t bear a day with fake people.

Q: Are you worried about not being buried at the Heroes Acre?

A: I don’t mind. I have been taken out of the heroes realm but that is not what I am after, I will be very happy to be buried at my roots in Madzangwe with my forefathers, that is my wish.

Q: Where is People First?

A: It is getting off the ground slowly and it is usually difficult when you are starting, but now it is all over the country especially in Matabeleland. So many people are behind us.

Q: Themba Mliswa, your nephew, says Mai Mujuru is scared and holding back the struggle. Is she the best candidate to lead People First?

A: There are no doubts about her, we recently met her and endorsed her as our leader, for quite a number of reasons.

All of us in People First must apologise not only to the people we have misruled but to the entire world, you don’t run a government like we did up to 2014, I mean you break your own constitution into pieces, good heavens, we can’t repeat that, Mai Mujuru would never do that.

Q: How are you surviving outside politics, do you run any business?

A: I don’t have any businesses.

Q: What about the many properties you are said to have like houses in Rusape.

A: The Rusape house they are talking about I bought with my money, they are persecuting me now through (Manicaland province minister) Mandi Chimene. When I bought it they didn’t give me the receipt or title deeds of that house.

Q: But you were the godfather of Rusape, who could dare you when you were still minister?

A: You must have heard such things from very ignorant people, you will be told that this is the only minister to whose house we would go, do they do that to a person they fear. I was never a godfather, I was a man of the people.

Q: Bhasikiti recently took a lady who was following him to the police, do you feel safe here?

A: (pointing) At that corner there, there is always a car parked purposelessly.

Those people are from CIO, wasting meagre resources chasing shadows. They should not station anyone there, I want them to come in and we will give them tea or a hot meal because we are hospitable, but they make people stay in the mountains watching me, why?

Q: So you are being watched?

A: I don’t care; they have been watching me since the sham congress.

Q: Are you not afraid?

A: Not a bit, they can do anything and the moment that happens the world would know.