The ManicaPost
Shame Isak
JUST like many Zimbabweans who were caught by surprise by the sudden death of Major-General Eliah Bandama on July 11, 2014, I am one person who was equally shocked at this sad development. I was with a friend in his car when he received the sad news on his phone from a friend. I could tell by his reaction that something was not right. He just managed to say ‘‘General Bandama is dead’’.
We sat there for some moments trying to come to terms with what we had just heard. We both knew Maj-Gen Bandama, my friend being a former military doctor and apparently they (Maj-Gen Bandama and he) happened to come from the same home area of Chipinge and they also shared boundaries on their farms in the same area.
What Dr Tatira could only say was that Maj-Gen Bandama had developed his farm very well and looked like he still had so much to offer to this nation. Maj-Gen Bandama was one of the few top security men I have managed to meet and talk to and among those I had the privilege to meet, Maj-Gen Bandama won my heart and admiration. Being such a top soldier, it was very easy for him to carry himself around in a way that would tell everyone: “Now, here comes the general,” but he was never like that.
The 3 Brigade Commander would talk to strangers like he knew them before and he would make sure you are as comfortable as possible in his presence. I must say the man had a liberating presence and he was charismatic. Security men are known to always put on serious faces, but Maj-Gen Bandama was just something else.
He would crack jokes and laugh on the street. I remember the other day along Herbert Chitepo Street, there he was chatting to one of Mutare’s top civil servants when this female constable from ZRP saw him and in her excitement she just decided to greet him.
Maj-Gen Bandama stopped all that he was doing and responded to her salutation and the young lady started asking questions. To my surprise, the top military officer had time to answer every question the young police officer asked and the young lady only left when she felt she had been answered and satisfied; that’s when she ‘‘dismissed’’ her superior.
From the way he would interact with people you could tell that the man loved his job and he loved the people. He did not allow his rank to alienate him from the people he helped liberate. It’s so surprising to hear some misguided opposition politicians attacking the military as if it is an institution made up of evil people.
If our military can produce exemplary officers like Maj-Gen Bandama, then it is a good military. In fact, Maj-Gen Bandama would make you want to join the army because of the way he represented the institution.
Mr Tendai Chitowa, the former secretary-general of Buffaloes FC, spoke highly of Maj-Gen Bandama even before he passed on. He said that while his resignation was irreversible, the man he knew would be disappointed most was the 3 Brigade Commander because they had a very cordial working relationship and the General was very supportive.
Unbeknown to Tendai and everyone else, sadly the man would leave us a few weeks later. A Registered General Nurse (RGN) formerly with the army, a Mr Gondo, spoke highly of the Commander saying that the man was accommodating and always ready to give advice even to ailing soldiers admitted in their hospitals.
Such was the influence of Maj-Gen Bandama. To borrow a phrase from one commentator of the just-ended World Cup final pitting Germany and Argentina, Maj-Gen Bandama was an honourable man indeed. Your passing on is really a sad loss not only to your family but to the entire nation. You were an exemplary leader. That promotion even stalked you unto death speaks volumes about your person and professionalism.
Go well, soldier, Go well, Commander, we will surely miss you!
Shame Isaki is a political analyst, business management consultant and preacher and can be contacted on 0773 018 662 or 0714 694 784 and e-mail: [email protected]
