‘Insensitive’ birthday party for Mugabe slammed

By Alex Bell
18 February 2010

A lavish all night celebration for Robert Mugabe’s 86th birthday is being slammed as ‘insensitive’, as the country’s civil servants remain on strike over the government’s refusal to increase its wage bill.

The event to mark Mugabe’s birthday on Sunday will be celebrated next week in Chinoyi with an extravagant overnight gala featuring local and international musicians. According to retired army general Anywhere Mutambidzi - the information ministry official organising the event - the gala will start at 6pm on February 26th and end at 6am the following morning.

“The gala will feature all major local, as well as some foreign musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa,” Mutambidzi told the state broadcaster the ZBC. It’s not known what the budget for the celebration is or who is footing the bill.

Last year, state media reported that ZANU PF supporters had raised US$250 000 for Mugabe’s birthday, which was marked by a week’s worth of events which included a banquet, a gala dinner, a public feast and a concert.

Mugabe opponents have criticised these latest party plans, as they come at a time when civil servants are on strike over poor pay and when an estimated nine out of every ten Zimbabweans are unemployed. Simba Makoni, former Finance Minister in the ZANU PF led government and current interim leader of the MKD political party, expressed concern that the party might be paid for with state funds.

“If they use state funds for a private citizen’s birthday when basic services are starved of funding, it would be the worst degree of insensitivity and disregard for the needs of the people of Zimbabwe,” Makoni told the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

Civil servants went on strike almost two weeks ago over the unity government’s refusal to increase its wage bill, as promised last year. The strike has mainly affected public schools, hospitals, government departments and the courts. The trial of senior MDC official Roy Bennett for example was postponed last week because court officials were on strike.

Civil servants unions, including the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), want wages increased from the current US$150 to US$630 and have rejected a 10 percent offer from the government.

PTUZ President Takavafira Zhou said the plan for a lavish party in the middle of the strike “clearly shows that the leaders’ priorities are not proper or in line with the country’s interests.” Zhou called the situation ‘unfortunate’ explaining that civil servants are still suffering while the government interests lie elsewhere.

“It is unfortunate that there is more interest in planning a party for Mugabe than there is for dealing with this crisis of a national strike,” Zhou said.

Zhou added that civil servants will be petitioning the ministers of Finance, Tendai Biti and Public Service, Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, on Friday, over the government’s “failure to address our grievances.” Zhou warned that there will be a new ultimatum set for March 5 for the government to meet civil servants demands “or else things will get even worse than they are now.”

Meanwhile UK based protest group the Vigil is having another mock birthday party for Mugabe this weekend at their weekly Saturday gathering outside the Zimbabwe embassy in London. The group has been protesting outside the embassy every Saturday for more than seven years, in support of demands for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean human rights activist Fungayi Mabhunu, wearing a Mugabe mask, will be make an appearance at Saturday’s ‘party’ to receive ‘presents’ and birthday cards signed by Vigil supporters. One of the presents includes the slight easing of targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime announced by the European Union this week, which the Vigil has slammed as unacceptable. Mabhunu as Mugabe will be accompanied by Josephine Zhuga, playing the role of Mugabe’s wife Grace.

Vigil coordinator Rose Benton told SW Radio Africa the ‘gala’ organised in Zimbabwe for Mugabe “is so typical of ZANU PF’s insincerity to a nation of suffering people.” Benton explained the group’s position on the EU’s decision to ease the targeted sanctions by removing the names of some individuals and nine companies, saying “now is not the time for sanctions to be eased.”