Twitter Reacts to Viral Photos of Zimbabwean Minister of Finance's Trash Bin Opening Ceremony
Zimbabweans on twitter call photos of Minister Patrick Chinamasa's bin opening ceremony in Rusape "disrespectful."
It's almost election time in Zimbabwe and politics are getting a little trashy.
Zim twitter exploded today after photos of the Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa at a bin opening ceremony in the Northeastern town of Rusape went viral. In the photos, Chinamasa is wearing a brown suit with a falling flower lapel, and he is smiling widely while cutting a bright green ribbon stretched over a large bin. The gesture is so underwhelming, it is a spectacle.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="4a7a5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="NYIJX51529439309"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1009046166586167302" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">THE SILLY SEASON CONTINUES......
Hon Patrick Chinamasa officially opens a “BIN” in Rusape🙈
THE HEIGHT WE HAVE FAL… https://t.co/qC6GEoCSRZ</div> — Shingi Munyeza (@Shingi Munyeza)<a href="https://twitter.com/ShingiMunyeza/statuses/1009046166586167302">1529410327.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>While the weeks leading up to any elections are always filled with photos of politicians at hospitals, schools, railway stations, or rallies, this bin opening ceremony did not fit the usual performance of public service. Minister Chinamasa claimed that the ceremony was part of the move to "help improve waste disposal and management in Rusape," but the public discussion following the ceremony has been less about clean towns and more about empty gestures made by politicians.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="bfe9a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6OZUA81529439309"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1009025157715947520" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">To show that ZANU PF is a rubbish government, the Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa officially open a rubbish b… https://t.co/zcWcp7SYPl</div> — Dr.Pedzisai Ruhanya (@Dr.Pedzisai Ruhanya)<a href="https://twitter.com/PedzisaiRuhanya/statuses/1009025157715947520">1529405319.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>Since laughter is often the best response to politics, most people have responded to the photos with puns and jokes. "'Waste' a Minute: Zim Finance Minister Cuts Ribbon at Bin-Opening Ceremony," read the Eye witness news headline."They Dnt deserve 2b on our ballots but our bins" twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/chikurubi22/status/1009093053246779395" target="_blank">@chirikubi 22</a> posted. The minister was also given new nicknames as many tweets referred to him as "Mr bin" or "Minister Litter."<br></p><p>Those who didn't bother to join in the word play tweeted the photos with simple captions like "Minister of finance opens a rubbish bin." The fact seemed ridiculous enough.</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
checkdfpScripts();
</script></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="fd6f8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09SPSR1529439309"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1009019448873967616" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Former minister of Facebook monitoring who was promoted to minister of finance Patrick Chinamasa officially opening… https://t.co/OQKocaeAbT</div> — #ThisFlag E Mawarire (@#ThisFlag E Mawarire)<a href="https://twitter.com/PastorEvanLive/statuses/1009019448873967616">1529403957.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>While most responses took a humorous approach, many people highlighted how the ceremony was "disrespectful" as a reflection of how politicians do not take citizens seriously. <strong>Evan Mawaire</strong> from the <em>#Thisflag</em> movement <a href="https://twitter.com/PastorEvanLive/status/1009030702770348032" target="_blank">tweeted</a>, "How many SUV's drove out for this? How many top level civil servants were unavailable from work, how much man hours is that? Who was attending the cash & economic crisis whilst he was bin opening?"</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b163b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XIN1BW1529439310"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1009092073436246016" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Let me try to spin this to save my sanity:
That "bin" is actually a UFO that landed KwaRusape and that was releas… https://t.co/dtyleYgkJG</div> — James Chikonamombe (@James Chikonamombe)<a href="https://twitter.com/Zichivhu/statuses/1009092073436246016">1529421272.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3eb54" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RKZLPR1529439310"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1009022765385515014" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Anyone with Minister Chinamasa’s number? I just got a new bin and I would like for him to commission it.🤪😜🤣😂 https://t.co/Pc3Mc1cqTs</div> — Mazvimbakupa (@Mazvimbakupa)<a href="https://twitter.com/Skido14/statuses/1009022765385515014">1529404748.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>This July election has been highly anticipated as it's the first election without the usual candidate former president <strong>Robert Mugabe </strong>on the ballot. However, the bin ceremony was a disappointing gesture from the "revamped" Zanu-Pf party that left humorous tweets as the most appropriate responses.</p>
Keep reading...
Show less
