Zimbabwean activist Linda Masarira came under national attack after she was reported to have said Ndebele people are cowards and cry babies. The whole country turned on their hero, accusing her of tribalism and hatred, with some calling for her to be arrested again and sent back to prison. For Linda Masarira, within 12 hours she had fallen from grace and moved from national hero to national villain.
For me personally I watched the whole saga unfold in utter disbelief.
Just two months ago Zimbabwe almost stoned me for writing about Linda Masarira. I was abused with the most vulgar language imaginable. Linda had just come out of her 3 months jail incarceration. The whole nation was bowing down to her and worshiping her. She had become an overnight heroine. However when she came out of jail I saw another side to her, and in my book she was far from being a hero.
I chose to go with my instinct and I wrote what I saw in her, a woman with misguided priorities. I saw a woman who was clearly neglecting her children so she could be hailed a national hero. I was told to leave Linda alone and touch her not. Some said I was not even half the woman Linda was, she was a national treasure I was told.
This is when I realized I can’t keep feeding my precious jewels to pigs. My bible tells me not to throw my pearls to swine for they will indeed turn to bite you. I decided to take my writing elsewhere where it’s appreciated and within a few weeks of being abused over Linda, I was blogging for the Huffington Post. I have also received support as a blogger from Ghana and other African countries who understand democracy.
Now yesterday as the Linda scandal unfolded, I received a message from a Zimbabwean journalist who said to me I had been vindicated for my initial assessment of Linda Masarira. Within the same hour I heard an iconic Zimbabwean activist Nomazulu Thata debating with Linda on ZimEye radio about her recent tribalism storm. Nomazulu told Linda straight to her face that Jean Gasho was right about you. Go home and look after your two year old baby, she said. Politics is not for you.
Today Zimbabwe has stripped Linda off her hero status within seconds. This tells me more about you the citizens of Zimbabwe than it does about your fallen hero Linda. Now you are telling her that staying in Chikurubi prison doesn’t make her a hero. Where you not the ones who made Linda a hero and even gave her an award for just being jailed for sleeping in the streets? Now I am reading comments from the same people saying Linda belongs in jail.
What a dysfunctional country.
As a country you persecute anyone who tells you the truth. You lack critical thinkers and have denied yourself the ability to use your brains freely when it comes to political matters. You refuse to be freed from bondage. You are like the Israelites in the times of Jeremiah the prophet.
Now that you have moved from Evan Mawarire and Linda, all your eyes are now fixed on Patson Dzamara. And oh boy, didn’t Patson make the most of the fall of Linda? He was quick to issue an apology on behalf of Linda when Linda herself has refused to apologize and denies any wrong doing.
Why then did Patson say sorry? To maximize Linda’s fall from grace. He wants to come out of this shinning like a diamond when he is no different to them all. During a time when Zimbabwe is facing one of the greatest tribal tensions, Patson wants to have the Shonas and Ndebeles on his side.
In my opinion, Patson Dzamara faked his own abduction. Yes I said it and am not afraid to. One day Zimbabwe will again have to wake up to what this man is doing. A man who can fake his own abduction and burn his own car is now the hope of Zimbabwe. Like seriously. He’s even getting awards for it. Anyone who speaks against Dzamara is stoned by his gullible supporters. As we speak people are even donating money to buy him another car. Even my 8 year old son laughs at this drama.
And it gets worse, Evan Mawarire has just been named the most influential Zimbabwean of 2016. It almost sounds like some sort of sick twisted joke. Six months ago I was again abused by Zimbabwe after I wrote about Evan Mawarire on how he blatantly lied to the people of Zimbabwe and used them for personal gain. My inbox was flooded with vulgar and threats. A few months later the same people who abused me in support of Mawarire have now turned against him
Now being an activist in Zimbabwe is some sort of trend. Its now a quick way to make money, get donations and seek refuge outside the country at the expense of suffering Zimbabweans. Get yourself arrested and you will certainly be awarded something and called a hero. Even Fadzayi Mahere managed to earn that hero status last month by getting herself arrested unnecessarily.
All these so called activists have no plan or strategy to remove the current ruling party from power. All they are doing is causing more damage to Zimbabwe and diverting people from the real problems by getting Facebook likes, useless awards and “Well done” comments at the expense of the suffering people .“Evan Mawarire has caused more damage to Zimbabwe than any so called positive influence he ever brought, he is the biggest enemy of Zimbabwe”, my Ghanaian husband said that.
Just last week Ghana voted in a new President Nana Akufo Addo. They were simply fed up with the current president and chose change. The new President came from a political opposition party, not a silly citizen movement without a strategy. Zimbabwe please watch and learn. Activists are not going to change Zimbabwe, a political party with a strategy will.
Let this Linda Masarira scandal be a wake up call to you Zimbabweans. It’s time to stop hero worshiping these “activists”. You are making a mockery of your own country.
In the mean time please leave President Robert Mugabe alone. Until you mature as a people and stop the circus and drama, you are not ready for change. Mugabe is what you deserve. God ordained him to be your president till you repent and come to your senses.
As long as you are still awarding these activists with hero statuses, Mugabe is not going anywhere. So please let him be. Mugabe is not your problem, you and your so called “activists” are.