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By Elvis Dumba
Banket – Dendera Music crooner Suluman Chimbetu on Sunday complained over harassment at the hands of Zimbabwe National Army members in Banket.
The “Batai munhu” hit-maker who was en-route to Hurungwe for a ZANU PF by-elections campaign launch told the ruling party supporters at Banket Sports Club attending the party’s Zvimba Inter-district meeting about his ordeal.
Chimbetu who was in the company of DJ Oskid and DJ Levels said he was not happy with the harassment.
“I’m not happy with what I went through here. These undisciplined soldiers harassed me and I don’t know why they wanted to force me to cut the grass at this premise. Is this a barrack where people want to show each other their powers? I’m not happy with those guys I saw outside calling themselves colonels,” he said.
Chimbetu who did some Accapella renditions of some of his and his late father’s songs said the security personnel should know how to interact with the public.
“We are in a free Zimbabwe so the security people, no matter who you are, should know how to interact with the people as we also have our own positions.”
Chimbetu said he gets emotional every time he passes through Chinhoyi Provincial Heroes Acre where his late father Simon Chimbetu is interred.
“I always cry when I see or pass through Chinhoyi Provincial Heroes Acre where my father lies with other people who sacrificed their lives that we can be free and not be harassed in a free country,” he said before he broke into some of his songs.
Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Elphios Makotore said he was not aware of the incident when contacted for a comment.
Chimbetu and crew were allegedly stopped by some soldiers who are currently based at Banket Sports Club after they refused to park their vehicle where other vehicles were parked and wanted to proceed and park where meeting was being held. After the meeting, Chimbetu had to be reprimanded for attempting to step over a flower bed fence and was directed to use the exit path which he finally obliged to, grudgingly.
