HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR PRESIDENT | Bret Muvhet
Birthdays are happy events, think of the birth of your siblings, your own children, nephews, nieces, friends from school having kids, all in all a very happy event and worthy of a celebration.
In 2015, Our President had his birthday bash in Vic falls, at the cost of over $1million. 7 cakes were on display, most the size of a single bed. 1 elephant, 2 buffaloes, 2 sables, 5 impalas were taken from the parks as food. A lion was shot and mounted for his excellency. A professor in G40 donated 20 cows, a former physically LARGE minister of mines donated 20 cows plus $40,000 cash and potraits of the one were bought by the deputy presidents for $6800 each at the fund raising dinners.
That was 2015.
This years celebration is being held in Masvingo, at Mucheke Stadium on Feb 28. As far as funding goes the usual suspects will be fleeced as follows; Masvingo province has been told to raise $100 000. The other 9 provinces $30000 each and then a national task team was told to raise $400000. That’s just under $700 000. Where does this money come from?
Teachers complaining they are “asked” to contribute $5 each.  Businesses will be encouraged to donate various amounts in exchange for being allowed to operate. Struggling parastatals will be asked to provide free transport, and meat will be taken for the national parks where instead of hunters paying to hunt them, they will be shot for the feast.
We at Brett MuVet, are not the birthday police. We are not here to dampen what would be an otherwise happy event. However a few things need to be said and lucky enough Pfidza and myself are willing to say it.
At a time when our country is struggling financially, is it really wise to spend this amount and put these resources towards one birthday party? Let’s give a few examples as to what this amount of $800 000 can do for the
country;
– The amount is roughly 10% of the entire budget allocated to the ministry
of lands and resettlement. It is also roughly 15% of the budget for the
energy and power development ministry.  It is also 8% of the entire budget
allocated to the woman and gender ministry.
– We could put up 266 boreholes that’s 5 in each District.
– It could pay for 97 teachers salaries for an entire year.
– It could purchase 9 state of the art Ambulances.
Like we have said, we are not against people celebrating birthdays. However when one becomes a leader, or in this case a president, then you need to consider that you are in a senior position and you can use that to influence things either for the bad or the good.
Ask yourselves, as a father, would you ever sit in front of your kids and eat cake while they eat mazhange? Would you as a mother use the last money in your bank account to buy a new dress instead of paying for your daughters school fees?
A person who would have his countries best interests at heart, would realize that it would be better to stay at home, have a low key celebration with immediate family and rather use the resources and effort to better the country. Common sense is a better quality to have than to blindly follow rules laws and Traditions that have been set up by a junta
for its own benefit.
What is even more disturbing is the way we are hearing opposition leaders crying foul, all saying that the $800 000 should have been used for other issues when they themselves live in $3million dollar state built and owned mansions, others took 2 mecedes benzs in their time in the GNU and still others gladly spent thousands on 1st class travel and hotels instead of
trying to save the nation money. You see this is not just a presidential sickness. It is a leadership sickness. A sickness of leaders thinking they are above us all and because of their position they are entitled to the best of the best no matter the consequences to the country and its citizens.
Only you, the citizens of Zimbabwe can stop this outrageous behavior. You who are in different parties, you can USE COMMON SENSE and stop this abuse of power.
And lastly, remember Louis XIV of france he also used to publically celebrate his birthday nationally….. The Guillotine followed. We can always live in hope.