By Shyleen Mtandwa| Civil society organisations have ignored Pastor Evan Mawarire at their own peril.

Zimbabwe could have realized political change last year if the civil society had joined #Thisflag social movement leader Mawarire, when he mobilized for peaceful demonstrations against President Robert Mugabe’s regime, Bella Matambanadzo a civil society expert has said.

Mawarire led a massive protest which paralyzed business in Harare on July 6 last year.

He led protests calling for the stepping down of President Mugabe, who stands accused of causing the untold suffering of Zimbabweans.

Addressing the civil society community, at a HIVOS stakeholders meeting in Harare this week, Matambanadzo, a civil society expert, blamed CSOs for ignoring protests which were initiated by social movements.

“Civil society missed the opportunity in 2016 by not collaborating with harsh tag movements a development which could have changed the country’s politics,” she said.

Matambanadzo said members of the civil society were “jealousy” of the emergency of social movements which they viewed as competitors in the struggle for democracy which most of them had been in for years.

“In my view, maybe the civil society thought that it (social movements) was a new thing on the bloc instead of celebrating and joining the new revolution or maybe they panicked and did not know how to respond to the new forces,” she said.