PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s former advisor Christopher Mutsvangwa has launched a scathing attack on UK-based academic and biographer Blessing Miles Tendi over his criticism of the recently published biography.
The book, authored by former MDC secretary of policy Eddie Cross titled A life of Sacrifice was launched at State House Thursday and chronicles Mnangagwa’s life.
Tendi on his twitter criticised the book alleging it has several omissions and falsehoods.
“Of historical falsehoods and silences: 1. Mnangagwa was not a member of the Crocodile Gang. 2. Silence on the 1980’s Gukurahundi. 3. Silence on the DRC War. 4. Silence on the death of Solomon Mujuru. 5. The 2017 military coup is referred to as a “military assisted transition”.
His remarks jolted the razor tongued Mutsvangwa to get into his usual unforgiving vitriolic.
“Blessing Miles Tendi, you are free to write oceans of ink and forests of paper on selected topics of your choice on any historical event. What you cannot do is compel Eddie Cross to write about what he independently thinks,” Mutsvangwa said.
“You simply are just not his brain box. His grey matter is not your real estate. Neither is his writing hand your narcissist pen.”
The former ambassador castigates the Oxford University lecturer for his own ‘errors’ in the Solomon Mujuru biography he wrote last year saying: “You wrote your rag book extolling an illiterate comrade as the epitome of guerrilla valour and prowess in the most glorious military endeavour of modern Africa’s anti-colonial, anti-racist warfare against the self- anointed Masters of the Universe of the West. In your specious tome, you blinded yourself to the modern African military genius that was General Magama Tongogara.
For reasons of pandering to compromised patronage, your eyes only opt to pick out specks on a big screen.”
According to the war veterans leader, Tendi failed to articulate the true story of Chimurenga and the ills that President Mnangagwa went through, dismissing the Associate Professor.
“All said, you can never be a professional photographer to a wedding. Your camera lense will ogle about, registering gatecrashers and scruffy drunkards. Them rather than the folding ceremony and its enthroned bride and groom. Please do spare us your post-event can’t about the Chimurenga-Mvukelo. It will never serve as the substitute of the true historical experience that EDM painfully walked barefoot on smouldering embers.”
Mnangagwa was imprisoned for 10 years by the Rhodesian government and escaped death by a whisker during the detention. He was only saved from the death chambers by the late national hero Father Riberio who told prison wardens then, that the now president of Zimbabwe was under-age.
The controversial book has since sold about 50 380 copies.
