O. Vengeyi, The Bible in the Service of Pan-AfricanismExo. 4:29-31), old people in ZANU PF are derogatorily and derisively
called zvichembere nezvidhara zve ZANU PF and the youth are called ma
Green bomber, thugs, militia, while war veterans are called mazi war
veteran and dismissed as dull, uneducated and clueless on matters of
democracy and human rights, yet they fought for the liberation of the
country, to bring about democracy, against the same people who are
celebrated today as champions and lecturers of democracy. This is the
sad reality in almost all African states, leading President Museveni’s to
say, ‘what always amazes me is the ability of Africans to hate themselves
and love their enemies’, the West.^42
For Mahoso, the same war veterans dismissed as unintelligent and old
men and women in the rural areas are the wise elders, the very people
that God speaks to first, so that they would communicate to the rest of
Zimbabwe, in the same way God spoke to the elders of Israel
(Num.11:16-17; Exo. 4:29-31) to speak to the Israelites about independ-
ence and deliverance from Egypt slavery, not the so called ‘fighters for
democracy’, puppets of the West. History, for Mahoso has recorded that
the West sponsors puppets for their selfish economic interests and are
not concerned about human rights. Mahoso asks, ‘if they cared about
human rights how would the British and Israel create Idi Amini Dada of
Uganda and how would the great champion of freedom and democracy,
the United States of America support Mobutu Sese Seko?’^43
Thus associating dictatorship to old age as is the tendency in Zimbabwe
is for Mahoso, as well as pan-African scholars, a futile exercise devoid of
historical facts behind imperialist hostility and violence against leaders
and countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia’.^44 Former South Afri-
can President Thabo Mbeki, who himself as Mahoso, is pan-African and
on many instances profusely cites the Bible to support his ideas,^45 car-
ries the same sentiments about the West’s vested interests, in Cote d’
Ivoire and Libya.^46 Mahoso sees the same attempt in Zimbabwe, where
(^42) Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, ‘Africans: Surviving at
the Mercy of Others? The African Executive. 13-20 July 2011.
(^43) Mahoso, ‘Racist Media, African Leadership’.
(^44) Mahoso, ‘Denigration of African Elders’.
(^45) Cf. Gerald O. West, ‘Thabo Mbeki’s Bible: The Role of Religion in the South African
public realm after liberation’. Bulletin for Old Testament Studies in Africa. 01 March
2008.
(^46) Thabo Mbeki, ‘What the world got wrong in Cote d Ivoire’. Foreign Policy. 29 April