HARARE – MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has condemned Zanu PF MPs who failed to observe a moment of silence for war hero Dumiso Dabengwa in Parliament on Tuesday.

MDC chief whip Prosper Mutseyami raised a point of order in the National Assembly, observing: “I see in the House it is just business as usual and we have not noted the passing on of the Black Russian, Hon. Dumiso Dabengwa.

“Are we not recognising that hero so that we give him a moment of silence in appreciation of what he did?”

Mutseyami was heckled by some Zanu PF MPs, but MDC MPs stood up to recognise a minute of silence before the Deputy Speaker Tsitsi Gezi ordered them to take their seats.

ZAPU leader and former cabinet minister Dabengwa died on May 23 from liver disease.

Chamisa referred to the incident on Twitter Wednesday.

“Some MPs’ refusal to honour Cde DD in parliament yesterday sends signals of a country in turmoil. Zimbabwe is so deeply polarised by divisive and bitter partisanship,” Chamisa said.

“We hurt and hate each other so badly on account of politics leaving us with deep wounds. We must love, unite, heal and build!”

Norton MP Temba Mliswa (Independent) was the other MP who raised a point of order on Dabengwa, saying as a former MP the ZAPU leader deserved recognition.

Mliswa said: “My father was ZAPU, he was in Zambia, we grew up with him, Simon Khaya Moyo and (Ambrose) Mutinhiri. This is a serious issue which deserves that, not only was he a war veteran but he was a Member of this House too.

“He was a Member of this House of Assembly and all of us will die one day. It is only important that when one of us dies, even if you do not recognise his hero status but let us recognise that one of our parliamentarians is no more.”

Mliswa said failure to recognise Dabengwa would lead to a tribal rift, and “will create problems which are unforeseen.”

“The aspect of the tribal card will be raised and we do not want that… We are putting the President [Emmerson Mnangagwa] in a very difficult situation. He was a Member of this House and why can we not give him the respect that he deserves?”

Gezi told the MPs that “we do not observe a minute of silence on national heroes if they are not Members of Parliament.”

Dabengwa will be laid to rest at his rural home in Ntabazinduna on Saturday.

Dabengwa, who quit Zanu PF to revive ZAPU in 2008, said he did not want to be buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare. He endorsed Chamisa in the July 2018 elections.