Knives out for fashion designer

Standard Style
IT appears as if fashion designer James Pande is finding it hard to do away with politics as his recent appeal to Econet boss Strive Masiyiwa to bring to the table President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has created a storm on social media with a Zanu PF national youth leader admonishing him for raising the issue in the media.

IT appears as if fashion designer James Pande is finding it hard to do away with politics as his recent appeal to Econet boss Strive Masiyiwa to bring to the table President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has created a storm on social media with a Zanu PF national youth leader admonishing him for raising the issue in the media.

By Style Reporter

Pande, who is a trained graphic designer, rose to fame after he designed a clothing label that had former president Robert Mugabe’s signature and later went on to do the Magamba fashion label in honour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga for their role in the ouster of the nonagerian leader last year.

He was recently reported in the media as having opted out of politics.

But it is his recent comments that appeared in The Standard Style recently that have caused a political storm as Zanu PF youth league national secretary for administration Tendai Chirau blasted Pande on his Facebook page for not following party protocol by raising the issue through the media, a statement that inferred that Pande was still an active Zanu PF youth member.

However, in response, Pande said Chirau should be politically mature as his call for dialogue did not mean the two parties should unite politically, as it was not a secret that Mnangagwa had won the elections.

“Am I proposing any power-sharing arrangement or it’s about going forward as one people?” he shot back.

“The message is loud and clear and the president got a similar message of unity from the ZCC [Zimbabwe Council of Churches] leadership over the weekend, which explains that the retired political activist and street hustler is not offside. by the way, (I have) been there, done that, what are you doing today? Aluta Cdes.”

Reacting to a post by Tafadzwa Mugwadi who said Zanu PF would never take instructions from the streets, Pande said he was not part of the praise and worship team who would become irrelevant once peace prevails in Zimbabwe.

“I can’t make money if ED and Chamisa are fighting, but to the praise and worshippers’ team they become irrelevant when there is peace. So, I cannot sing from that hymn book. We are young people and we are not fighting,” he said.

Pande received support from one Binda Bass Central, who said Chirau should not use party loyalty as blackmail, but allow freedom of expression. He likened Chirau to Didymus Mutasa who viewed anyone not Zanu PF as an enemy.

Binda Bass Central added that sometimes protocol frustrates and delays processes and youths expected people like Chirau to be saying this.