The Sunday News
Charles, Dube
CLOPAS marries Shamiso through the colonial era, the time when we encounter the abuse of blacks through stringent colonial rules. For example, the tranquillity in Clopas’ house is disturbed by loud tapping at the door. Who is tapping the door? Two policemen, in old uniforms and boots, with batons.
These are enforcing one of the white man’s rules. They are checking if the black bachelors are not breaking the rule of living with their wives or girlfriends in single quarters.
The fact that they are shabbily dressed clearly shows that they are not better than their black counterparts, but, it is a question of divide and rule. They have airs because they work for the colonial master whom they feel is superior to the blacks hence they are better and can instil fear to their fellows. The first policeman sternly asks for some form of identity from Clopas.
“Spekshen! Speckshen!”
Clopas admits that the woman he is staying with is his wife. The police officer advises him that he is not supposed to live with his wife in the bachelor’s quarters. He reminds Clopas that he knows the white man’s rules. This makes it clear that the authority behind that rule is the white man. Police officers are carrying out the abusive duty on fellow blacks on behalf of the white man. The difference between a traditional marriage and modern form of marriage is highlighted.
The police officers want proof of marriage between Clopas and Shamiso by demanding to see a marriage certificate, but Clopas tells them that he does not have it yet. But, he has already paid part of his lobola mentioning some traditional payments he has made. In a traditional set up all what Clopas had paid legitimised his stay with Shamiso under one roof. He says his go-between lives down the street and can vouch for him. The police officers stop Clopas on his tracks telling him that they were not there to hear about his nonsensical traditions.
They tell him that the white man has no time to listen to all that rhetoric. It is a fact that the white man has no time for that because he does not understand African traditions and marriage cultures. All is alien to him but, he forces blacks to follow his way of marriage. However, Clopas is determined to follow the traditional way of marriage saying he will get the certificate as soon as he delivers “mombe youmai.”
There is an element of corruption shown when these police officers visit Clopas’ quarters. They are attracted to the big bream they see and one officer is heard saying two people cannot eat such a big fish alone — Shamiso interrupts asking if she could serve them some. But, she gets a scolding for asking that question as the police officer protects their office that they do not go about begging for food. The subject quickly changes to business as he searches if there are children hidden under the bed.
Clopas hesitantly informs the police officers that they have no children as yet. At the mention of that one officer explains that they are married, but, have no children. He suspects that maybe Shamiso eloped to Clopas and infers that Clopas could be impotent. He warns that if the white man knows about that, they could be locked up first thing on the following day. The police officer demands to see Clopas’ identification particulars which he hands over and he is asked to say the number by heart.
This was part of the abuse perpetrated by whites on the blacks during the colonial era. The officers are surprised when they hear that Clopas works at the district commissioner’s office (DC). They immediately want to know what Clopas does there.
Clopas claims to do everything and he helps people get birth certificates. At the mention of birth certificates the officer is excited changing mood affably. He talks of the queues being too long. He tells Clopas that he has his late brother’s son whose parents died but they do not know how to get him a birth certificate.
The police officer is hesitant in mentioning the birth certificate because he is trying to influence Clopas to help him get the birth certificate clandestinely. The queues are too long so he wants to jump the queue through Clopas’ facilitation. It becomes clear that Clopas is a corrupt government official who bends rules to assists his friends. Remember when he saw Shamiso for the first time, he made her jump the queue and get first preference from the DC.
Unfortunately on that day the DC refused to assist Shamiso’s sister. Today he tells the police officer to come to the office anytime and he can help. He makes it appear easy to get the birth certificate by saying, “Just ask for Clopas Wandai J Tichafa”. The police officer is happy about that. He falls for Clopas’ corrupt whims. There is power drawing one police officer to have a taste of the fresh fish prepared by Shamiso, but, one of them stands by ethics that as police officers they are not liable to begging for food.
Clopas’ work station and position has worked to his favour. He has survived eviction from the bachelor’s quarters because he works at the DC’s office and can help the police officer get a birth certificate for his late brother’s son without going through the hassles of a very long queue. This might appear a soft kind of corruption. But corruption is corruption, no matter the level or degree of commission. Some liken it to cancer which once it sets in destroys the whole fabric or body.
The officers are not respected by the community they operate in because they are enforcing diabolic colonial rules on their own people. When the police officers leave Clopas mocks them. He scoffs at the little pay they are getting, four pounds ten. He declares that the township they live in is half full of married people and those officers only want to cause trouble. But, Clopas gets a reality check from Shamiso:
“But that’s exactly what you do at your work, Shumba, harassing your own people. You black boys are pushed around by white people then you push around your own black brothers and sisters.”
This is very true as we witnessed Clopas harassing black people at his work place at the DC’s office. He seems to have forgotten that when the police officers harass him at his home.
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