Zimpapers Logo

Dr Mangudya

RADAR 

Someone could not believe their eyes when they read a certain story in our paper yesterday. The person confessed that he felt as though he was dreaming and needed somebody to wake him up.The story that bewildered this dear comrade is one in which, as we reported in our paper yesterday, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya was set to meet one Promise Mkwananzi and a Fadzayi Mahere, both known to be fronting some shadowy outfit called Tajamuka.

Of course we have had, and heard, about the same creature for a couple of moons now.

Essentially, it is a pressure group — if that is the most decent description of a soup of individuals that purport to oppose Government.

We are not sure if the organisation is constituted and formalised in the law.

It does not need to, though.

It serves it better to be that kind of nondescript rag-tag group of small time vigilantes who jump at any and every opportunity to make themselves relevant, especially in identifying with the opposition.

The sporadic nature of their activities, and indeed purported grievances, added to the erratic nature of the individuals associated with the outfit, personified in Mkwananzi himself, shows just how and why anything appearing under the banner of the so-called Tajamuka cannot and should not be taken seriously.

Just a bit of background to add to that.

The so-called Tajamuka/Sesijikile (We have rebelled) came about a few months ago when Mkwananzi sensed a vacuum following the failure of a “sleep-in” campaign by some activists in Africa Unity Square.

The latter campaign was meant to last 16 days of “Occupy Africa Unity Square” but went nowhere beyond the eighth or ninth day as power struggles rocked the outfit.

Mkwananzi, a former MDC-T youth leader, grouped with others mainly from MDC-T to conduct small demonstrations of individuals never numbering more than 10 in Africa Unity Square.

When the idea of “Occupy Africa Unity Square” became boring, Mkwananzi and his band would sporadically address street crowds and try to incite people queuing at banks to demonstrate.

Nobody took them seriously and people looked on disinterestedly.

Later, Mkwananzi would jump at the demonstrations that took place in Beitbridge over import controls: you may have seen them with their #Tajamuka-emblazoned T-shirts.

That was in June.

In August when there was a nationwide strike by civil servants, which civil society unions had long announced following failure by Government to pay salaries on time, the Tajamuka movement — this time along with one Evan Mawarire— bizarrely claimed ownership of the action.

They even promised another shutdown at the end of the same month, only nobody heeded the call.

It is also crucial to add that Evan Mawarire, who is also referred to as a pastor, would push his luck too far and tried to do a #UNShutDown where he was paid to rally thousands of Zimbabweans to demonstrate at the UN HQ in New York during the UN General Assembly meeting in US.

As is now known, that ended up in embarrassing grief and Mawarire was forced to retreat with his tail tucked in between his legs.

Worse for him, this past month, British authorities denied him a visa to address at Chatham House.

Suffice it to say Evan Mawarire, who at some point gave his supporters — opposition supporters — multiple orgasms and was even touted as a potential leader leading him to be feted in South Africa and America, is now a sorry, forgotten thing.

Yet Mawarire could be said to have had a following, even disillusioned remnants thereof today.

Not Mkwananzi.

Not #Tajamuka as an organisation.

Perhaps as a slogan, yes, of disparate and disorganised groups that have a constitutional right to oppose or be unhappy with Government.

Tajamuka is not even an idea, least of all a revolutionary one.

All Mkwananzi has done is get drunk with anti-Government sentiment, which hails from his MDC days, and follow whatever wind that blows against zanu-pf; pilfer the idea as his own or amplify his role in it. Money is a key incentive for his anger.

The days of social media and useless mainstream media have allowed these otherwise nonentities to claim larger-than-life personas.

On the ground, their persons and personalities do not amount to anything of substance.

Oh, dear John!

It is in this light that you find Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya’s meeting with Mkwananzi baffling if not tragically misdirected.

Assuming that the good Governor maintains an open door policy, we thought he had done wonderfully well to engage various sectors of society.

We recall he even met Mawarire at some point.

He still has some more explanations to do in the coming days to various constituencies.

Now to imagine that he can waste time on someone like Mkwananzi!

The Governor should know that while meeting citizens of all shades and hue — which he may call stakeholders — is desirable, there is a real and present danger of falling in the trap of opportunists who actually take advantage of such meetings as badges of honour in their little political projects.

Such is the meeting with Mkwananzi and Tajamuka which, and we promise the Governor, will add absolutely zero value to his work and understanding of the national psyche.

We have also noted with bewilderment how officials are increasingly living in awe of the so-called social media whose wars are launched by some invisible warriors.

While it is true that social media are a powerful tool to measure national sentiment, it should also not be lost to us that most of the time it is the traditionally anti-Government locals and Diaspora opposition activists that dominate these spaces.

That is a fact.

And these are the same people who brew storm after storm of ant-Government sentiment.

During election time the same rally for opposition and most of the time the virtual war is lost as real people assert themselves and aspirations.

Social media is overrated.

Social media is the same huge cloak that the dwarfish like Mkwananzi wear.

The Governor should know better.

Or, if he didn’t know, we hope he has been schooled enough not to waste time and resources — including tea and biscuits — entertaining clowns like Mkwananzi.

We could as well “jamuka” at the governor himself . . .