In a fiery and unapologetic Twitter offload, Professor Jonathan Moyo has returned to the “zete moment” of November 2017—not to romanticize it, but to dismantle what he calls “mindless mockery” and “foolish comparisons” between past political upheaval and current government jitters. Aimed squarely at those invoking his infamous tweet as a prophetic cautionary tale for today’s officials, Moyo draws sharp distinctions between civil servants and politicians, warns against simplistic historical analogies, and insists that today’s political theatre is not a sequel to 2017—but a different script entirely.
Jonathan Moyo Breaks Silence on the ‘Zete Moment’: Slams Coup Comparisons and Twitter Mockery
By [Author Name]
March 31, 2025
Former Zimbabwean cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has fiercely defended his infamous “zete moment” tweet from November 2017, lashing out at what he called “dunderheads and malcontents” who continue to mock him and warn current government officials using his experience as a cautionary tale.
In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Moyo dismissed as “foolish” and “meaningless” recent comparisons between the events of November 2017 and speculation surrounding political developments expected on March 31, 2025. He particularly took issue with jabs aimed at Permanent Secretary for Information, Nick Mangwana, arguing that analogies between his own situation in 2017 and Mangwana’s current position are “like comparing oranges with apples.”
“The ‘zete moment’ tweet, which was posted in these streets from the office at work and not from the bedroom, was propaganda tweeted to give desperate cover for various exit plans that were being considered to jump the border,” Moyo revealed.
According to the former minister, who was part of the Zanu-PF politburo until the 2017 military intervention that ousted President Robert Mugabe, the tweet was a calculated decoy designed to mask his movements at a time when he and other targeted officials were under military surveillance.
Moyo also argued that those invoking his tweet to warn public officials today misunderstand the fundamental difference between political actors and civil servants. He emphasized that Mangwana, as a professional bureaucrat, is bound by a different set of obligations and ethical duties than politicians like himself were in 2017.
“To compare a civil servant like @nickmangwana and a politician like me is not insightful at all… it is utterly foolish, meaningless and futile,” Moyo wrote.
He further rejected the idea that Zimbabwe is poised for a repeat of the 2017 events. Citing the ancient Heraclitean dictum—“no man ever steps in the same river twice”—Moyo argued that history does not simply repeat itself, especially not in the precise and romanticized ways imagined by opposition supporters or political speculators.
Quoting Karl Marx’s The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, he warned that historical repetition often degrades into farce. “An iteration or imitation of November 2017 in 2025 would be a tragedy,” he wrote.
Nonetheless, Moyo acknowledged that states have a duty to prepare for any advertised insurrection or uprising. “The idea must always be to prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he cautioned.
Moyo ended his statement with a jab at those who continue to misread his past: “Many dunderheads and malcontents have a lot to learn about politics. In politics, many things that are said are not what they seem to mean or to be.”
His statement is already sparking strong reactions online, rekindling debates about the legacy of the 2017 coup, the nature of loyalty within government ranks, and whether Zimbabwe’s current political climate mirrors or diverges from its recent past.
As speculation continues to swirl ahead of March 31, Moyo’s intervention has added a new layer of intrigue to a volatile political moment—reminding allies and critics alike that the master strategist is still watching the river, even if he no longer steps in it.