By Nomazulu Thata| Activism has multiple dimensions and interpretations: Every individual defines for herself/ himself what one wants to achieve at the end of the day. On Bulawayo 24 media there was an article written by Mandla Ndlovu insinuating flagrant and daylight fabrication about the “connection and the friendship” between Chamisa and Hichilema. In his style we all know best, Nomusa Garikai picked it up espousing the article and spinning it out in hot political verbosity and air to get traction and attention of the frontline states and beyond. They are again informed by activist Nomusa about the “terroristic” intentions of the newly elected President Hakainde Hichilema and his friend Nelson Chamisa.
It is either personal hatred against Chamisa and Hichilema that has driven Nomusa Garikai to write a reckless article peddling falsehood he knows will attract attention to Zanu PF to react: Or is Garikai so envious about these two politicians who are apparently friends. Both suspicions are not far from the truth. A genuine political activist would have challenged the contents of the article by Mandla Ndlovu as figment of his hallucinations and dismiss it with contempt it deserves. Nomusa Garikai’s article, however, is meant to feed Zanu PF with a different narrative about Hichilema’s success presidential victory: an action meant to fuel Zanu to systematically injure Chamisa and Hichilema. According to my definition of activism, that is not genuine activism. In Shona we say: “huroi” in Ndebele “ubuthakathi” to think and act in the manner Nomusa has done.
Nomusa Garikai’s sudden spin of his activism is intended to harm he is otherwise an above average and politically enlightened persona about SADC regional politics and its challenges. Has his activism turned suddenly to inexcusable hatred for Chamisa especially? His article is saying loudly: Zanu, look closely into the “relationship” between Chamisa and Hichilema, they are planning something in the continent of Africa. He is putting Chamisa in a situation that will hurt him personally together with Hichilema. Garikai knows the monster Zanu PF and how it will pick this message up and dwell on it in the style we know best. We talk about satanic verses! Be it Chamisa or Hichilema have the capacity to destabilize Africa.
In Ndebele we say, you do not need to carry around harmful herbs to be labelled a witch; harmful thoughts that one harbours about the other could be witchy. When has Nomusa started talking the language of “western sponsored Chamisa and Hichilema”? This is meant to deliver Chamisa and Hichilema on the spotlight of Zanu done deliberately to attract Zanu attention to react on both Chamisa and Hichilema. Politics is indeed a dirty game: but when even activists who are supposed to be vanguards of positive change start to insinuate and begin to be peddling falsehood to people and politicians whom they oppose, then it defeats the purpose of activism altogether.
I happen to know Nomusa Garikai his real name; an active blogger that wants to cover his activism is several names, which is also good in the way he chooses. He has penned more than 500 articles most of which are repetitive in their content: I do not how many times he has written articles and recycled them with the same message and content: hundred times? Seeing his articles without reading it, we can already predict what has been written; The MDC leaders have failed to implement even one democratic reform in five years, FIVE YEARS, of the GNU. Writes Nomusa Garikai. This has become his daily song and prayer for years and curiously he is so full of it!
How the MDC-Tsvangirai failed to implement one single reform in their GNU has been the song sung to us permanently we cannot even breath because of this one fact; by the way it is a fact: the question is, saying it a thousand times will solve what? Repetition of a fact of 2009 is going to change what in 2021? Will his repetition of the same meant to reverse time or the calendar to 2009 – 2013 and as according to his wishes, MDC-T starts to negotiate genuine reforms with Zanu PF that will usher and guarantee free and fair elections in future?
Wilbert Mukori or Nomusa Garikai or Patrick Guramatunhu does not listen to advice from anyone: He thinks this repetition is right course of activism. Mention to anyone the name Nomusa Garikai or Wilbert Mukori, the reaction is the same. People out there are fed-up of the same message coming from him.
Curiously, Nomusa Garikai’s articles quotes Albert Einstein’s famous statement a thousand times. If you do something repeatedly expect different results are clear symptoms of insanity. Strangely he does not realize that this statement can apply to him equally. To continuously pound on a narrative repeatedly: MDC forfeited reforms during the GNU period of 2009 to 1013 is symptomatic madness: There is no rational: several people have commented on this fact but because Nomusa Garikai has pedestalized himself so high, will not take advice from simpletons. He thinks his political bar is beyond reach: Such people are dangerous. People of the mould of Nomusa Garikai, given power to rule will be despots and at the same breath justify their despotic rule intelligently.
“The opposition MDC-Alliance and the recently elected UPND of Zambia, have reportedly developed a plan to annihilate all long-standing ruling parties, especially former Liberation Movements in Africa by 2030 a senior MDC Alliance official from Harare who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity said.” Nomusa Garikai repeats this statement with hidden intentions bent to fuel a narrative and to spin falsehood into facts. This is the recklessness of activism without proper direction that is grounded on ideology but instead fuelled with hatred to anyone who opposes his views. The powerful messages that activists have in societies cannot be wished away. In that vein Nomusa knows the power of his articles and how they influence even governments. To say he cannot be blamed because Mnangagwa Zanu have already bagged Chamisa and Hichilema as targets to eliminate is wholly irresponsible and perfidious. Nomusa Garikai equally wants the two politicians eliminated: the purpose of his article.
The young man Chamisa could be our son. We dislike his politics and hence we critique him to lay bare his political shortcomings as means to reviews his political trajectory for the betterment of the party. We do not criticize him to deliver him to murderous party Zanu that pries on the blood of the innocent people. I wrote passionately about the intensions of Zanu to incarcerate President Chamisa having declared him a terrorist. Curiously, we never read one article from Nomusa Garikai condemning Zanu regime for labelling Chamisa a terrorist. Was Nomusa Garikai okay with Zanu accusing Chamisa of terrorism which he is not?
I believe in the sanctity of life that is precious. Much as I am anti-Chamisa politically, I least want to see him harmed by Zanu PF who have no respect for life. I am bringing home the message that activism must have positive meaning and direction. We must ask questions constantly; what we want to achieve at the end of the day. Activism should not be seen to give fuel to situations harmful to the people intended to liberate. True activism demands from us to standing back and reflecting the cause and effect of our political conviction.
It is easy for us activists to lose focus when we personalize issues frustratingly when we do not get the intended results we want. Activism has never been about political end results but about shedding light to politics that will be taken on board by politicians, and they orient their political trajectories with the critiques we shall have highlighted.
I hope Nomusa Garikai, or Patrick Guramatunhu or Wilbert Mukori will learn to take advice from lesser mortals. You are not alpha and omega in the scheme of things. You have been in the trenches of activism for long hence it is easy to pedestalize yourself as the only voice in the room. You are advised to lean back: take a break. Continue to critique Chamisa but do not affect critiques that is detrimental to him personally. At the end of the day Chamisa is our son. How would I feel if someone picked on my Nqobizitha, wrote an article detrimental to his person? Empathy should be our signature in activism; if not, then better leave activism altogether: Quitting and resigning from political activism is better than to turn into a counter revolutionary. We ask President Hakainde Hichilema to watch his back carefully. He can be assassinated by hidden forces building up against him in the region and beyond. Ba Hakainde Hichilema tili kabotu chitondimwe: Please be careful. Your fight for democracy successfully is an envy to many who are not happy about your rise to power. Be careful: watch your back: Lungu may not harm you but despots in the region may do. Do not be afraid to create democratic space for millions in SADC region: To be careful is not synonymous to be fearful of enemies. I am sending this article to Lusaka Times so that President Hakainde Hichilema can get this information somehow or other. Giving this caution, Zambian secret service may be aware of. Please guard your newly found Zambian democracy jealously