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Hopewell Chin’ono

@daddyhope • 889,240 subscribers

Award winning Journalist| Film Maker |2 Time African Journalist of The Year | Nieman Fellow| #100MostInfluentialAfricans 2022 | Email [email protected]

Shorts

This is the moment Zambia’s opposition leader, Brian Mundubile, who has accused Zambian strongman Hakainde Hichilema of rigging the 13 August presidential election, was arrested by police alongside fellow opposition figure Makebi Zulu. On Monday, Hichilema shut down the courts, preventing Mundubile from physically filing a petition challenging the disputed election result. His regime also killed a former Cabinet minister last week, just hours after the opposition protested the suspension of vote counting and the announcement of results. Mundubile subsequently sought refuge at the United Nations compound in Lusaka, where he remained until his arrest today. Hichilema told his rival to take his grievances to court, then shut down the courts, deployed soldiers to block access and arrested him. This is not democracy, it is authoritarianism. This leaves South Africa, Botswana Lesotho, Malawi and Namibia as the only remaining democracies in mainland Southern Africa where elections are conducted freely and fairly and the will of the people is respected, and those aggrieved have access to courts.

This is the moment Zambia’s opposition leader, Brian Mundubile, who has accused Zambian strongman Hakainde Hichilema of rigging the 13 August presidential election, was arrested by police alongside fellow opposition figure Makebi Zulu. On Monday, Hichilema shut down the courts, preventing Mundubile from physically filing a petition challenging the disputed election result. His regime also killed a former Cabinet minister last week, just hours after the opposition protested the suspension of vote counting and the announcement of results. Mundubile subsequently sought refuge at the United Nations compound in Lusaka, where he remained until his arrest today. Hichilema told his rival to take his grievances to court, then shut down the courts, deployed soldiers to block access and arrested him. This is not democracy, it is authoritarianism. This leaves South Africa, Botswana Lesotho, Malawi and Namibia as the only remaining democracies in mainland Southern Africa where elections are conducted freely and fairly and the will of the people is respected, and those aggrieved have access to courts.

92,637 views

Zambian election 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Zambian election 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

174,528 views

I am deeply saddened to hear that a boat carrying 90 people capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe today. The boat, owned by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), a government agency, was on Lake Kariba when it capsized. The head of RIDA is quoted as saying that the situation is “not sounding good at all,” although some people have been rescued. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was on the boat and with their families during this extremely difficult and anxious time. I am hoping and praying for the best, particularly for the safe rescue of those who are still unaccounted for.

I am deeply saddened to hear that a boat carrying 90 people capsized on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe today. The boat, owned by the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), a government agency, was on Lake Kariba when it capsized. The head of RIDA is quoted as saying that the situation is “not sounding good at all,” although some people have been rescued. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was on the boat and with their families during this extremely difficult and anxious time. I am hoping and praying for the best, particularly for the safe rescue of those who are still unaccounted for.

131,702 views

This one jinxed Bafana Bafana with his “to come back soon” nonsense!💔💔💔

This one jinxed Bafana Bafana with his “to come back soon” nonsense!💔💔💔

112,648 views

Cyril Ramaphosa has secured South Africa a pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that echoes Nelson Mandela’s doctrine that “your enemies are not our enemies,” affirming an independent foreign policy rooted in national interest.

Cyril Ramaphosa has secured South Africa a pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that echoes Nelson Mandela’s doctrine that “your enemies are not our enemies,” affirming an independent foreign policy rooted in national interest.

238,906 views

Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency in its capital city, Harare amid a deadly outbreak of the medieval disease, cholera. What you are seeing below is raw sewage flowing in the streets of Harare due to an unserviced old sewage system left by the colonial government. This is what happens when political leadership fails a country and focuses its energises on looting public funds and plundering the country’s natural resources. This level of total collapse is not only tragic, but it is now bringing diseases for Zimbabweans, yet their public health system is totally collapsed! The most painful thing is that part of Rhodesia’s propaganda predicted this, imagine working so hard to prove Ian Smith right. Yet you see the ruling political elites in designer suits and being driven in the latest black Mercedes cars yet sewage is flowing in the streets like this! For telling you this self evident truth, I will be called a Western puppet and whole trailer load of insults. The insults don’t matter in the face of this truth, like George Orwell said, “….perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency in its capital city, Harare amid a deadly outbreak of the medieval disease, cholera. What you are seeing below is raw sewage flowing in the streets of Harare due to an unserviced old sewage system left by the colonial government. This is what happens when political leadership fails a country and focuses its energises on looting public funds and plundering the country’s natural resources. This level of total collapse is not only tragic, but it is now bringing diseases for Zimbabweans, yet their public health system is totally collapsed! The most painful thing is that part of Rhodesia’s propaganda predicted this, imagine working so hard to prove Ian Smith right. Yet you see the ruling political elites in designer suits and being driven in the latest black Mercedes cars yet sewage is flowing in the streets like this! For telling you this self evident truth, I will be called a Western puppet and whole trailer load of insults. The insults don’t matter in the face of this truth, like George Orwell said, “….perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

1,298,165 views

I hear there was a blanket blackout across Zimbabwe this evening. What did you experience? Which area are you in, how long did the outage last, and has power been restored? What has been your experience?

I hear there was a blanket blackout across Zimbabwe this evening. What did you experience? Which area are you in, how long did the outage last, and has power been restored? What has been your experience?

85,853 views

The Zimbabwean Senate has voted in favour of the controversial Constitution Amendment Bill (No. 3) by 75 votes to 4, with one abstention. The opposition CCC, which has 27 senators in the 80-member chamber, voted alongside ZANUPF. The bill seeks to extend the presidential term from five years to seven years, provide for the future election of a president by Parliament rather than through a direct popular vote, and make a number of other far reaching constitutional changes. The vote means that the bill now awaits the signature of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa before becoming law. Its passage marks one of the most significant constitutional changes in Zimbabwe’s recent history and is likely to remain the subject of intense political, legal and constitutional debate. The bill also seeks to allow Mnangagwa to influence the selection of his successor and potentially block his deputy, General Constantino Chiwenga, from succeeding him. If and when Mnangagwa signs it into law and there is no significant resistance from within ZANUPF, the military or broader society, it will signal a major setback to Chiwenga’s presidential ambitions, short of an intervention that changes the political landscape. More importantly, it will represent a further consolidation of ZANUPF’s hold on power and diminish the prospects of Zimbabwe having a president from outside the ruling party in the foreseeable future. The self evident story is how Mnangagwa has been assisted by influential business interests, including wealthy individuals aligned with ZANUPF, who may have more to lose from a Chiwenga presidency than from the continuation of the current political order. The only developments that could realistically halt this process would be a military intervention and a sustained national uprising. At present, however, all of these possibilities appear distant from political reality.

The Zimbabwean Senate has voted in favour of the controversial Constitution Amendment Bill (No. 3) by 75 votes to 4, with one abstention. The opposition CCC, which has 27 senators in the 80-member chamber, voted alongside ZANUPF. The bill seeks to extend the presidential term from five years to seven years, provide for the future election of a president by Parliament rather than through a direct popular vote, and make a number of other far reaching constitutional changes. The vote means that the bill now awaits the signature of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa before becoming law. Its passage marks one of the most significant constitutional changes in Zimbabwe’s recent history and is likely to remain the subject of intense political, legal and constitutional debate. The bill also seeks to allow Mnangagwa to influence the selection of his successor and potentially block his deputy, General Constantino Chiwenga, from succeeding him. If and when Mnangagwa signs it into law and there is no significant resistance from within ZANUPF, the military or broader society, it will signal a major setback to Chiwenga’s presidential ambitions, short of an intervention that changes the political landscape. More importantly, it will represent a further consolidation of ZANUPF’s hold on power and diminish the prospects of Zimbabwe having a president from outside the ruling party in the foreseeable future. The self evident story is how Mnangagwa has been assisted by influential business interests, including wealthy individuals aligned with ZANUPF, who may have more to lose from a Chiwenga presidency than from the continuation of the current political order. The only developments that could realistically halt this process would be a military intervention and a sustained national uprising. At present, however, all of these possibilities appear distant from political reality.

99,129 views

An 85-year-old man fell while dancing at a political rally. The obvious question would be; What was an 85-year-old doing at a political rally when he should be retired and spending time with his grandchildren? Then the answer comes in a whisper: “It was Jacob Zuma.” 🤣🤣🤣 Suddenly, everything makes sense, as the saying goes, a good dancer knows when to leave the stage.

An 85-year-old man fell while dancing at a political rally. The obvious question would be; What was an 85-year-old doing at a political rally when he should be retired and spending time with his grandchildren? Then the answer comes in a whisper: “It was Jacob Zuma.” 🤣🤣🤣 Suddenly, everything makes sense, as the saying goes, a good dancer knows when to leave the stage.

57,863 views

#BreakingNews Seventy Zimbabwean MPs from different parts of the country are currently at the Mabelreign District Office in Harare, receiving pieces of land as a bribe not to vote against Emmerson Mnangagwa in an impeachment vote. These MPs are from both the ruling ZANUPF party and the purported opposition, CCC. The land they are receiving is also part of the payment they were promised in exchange for supporting Mnangagwa’s bid to extend his term of office to 2030. The land is being taken from greenways in Ward 16 in Mabelreign and in Westgate. The allocation of this land was done by Mnangagwa’s 2030 supporter and trumpet, the Local Government Minister, Daniel Garwe. Media houses—rush there now, they are still at the Mabelreign District Office. * Greenways are strips of natural land, within urban or suburban areas, that are preserved for environmental and recreational purposes. They include parks, walking paths, cycling trails, or undeveloped natural corridors like woodlands or wetlands. They help manage stormwater, protect biodiversity, reduce urban heat, and provide communities with access to green space. When governments seize or allocate greenways for development—especially for political favours—it must spark public outrage because it destroys communal, environmental, and recreational assets.

#BreakingNews Seventy Zimbabwean MPs from different parts of the country are currently at the Mabelreign District Office in Harare, receiving pieces of land as a bribe not to vote against Emmerson Mnangagwa in an impeachment vote. These MPs are from both the ruling ZANUPF party and the purported opposition, CCC. The land they are receiving is also part of the payment they were promised in exchange for supporting Mnangagwa’s bid to extend his term of office to 2030. The land is being taken from greenways in Ward 16 in Mabelreign and in Westgate. The allocation of this land was done by Mnangagwa’s 2030 supporter and trumpet, the Local Government Minister, Daniel Garwe. Media houses—rush there now, they are still at the Mabelreign District Office. * Greenways are strips of natural land, within urban or suburban areas, that are preserved for environmental and recreational purposes. They include parks, walking paths, cycling trails, or undeveloped natural corridors like woodlands or wetlands. They help manage stormwater, protect biodiversity, reduce urban heat, and provide communities with access to green space. When governments seize or allocate greenways for development—especially for political favours—it must spark public outrage because it destroys communal, environmental, and recreational assets.

292,598 views

My dear brother, when serious investors come into a country looking to do business, they look at basic things, very basic things. In Zimbabwe, people in the capital city, barely 100 metres from the president’s office, are walking over raw sewage. There is no clean drinking water in many homes in Harare. Boreholes are now the main source of water, even in affluent suburbs like Chisipite, where shopping centres rely on boreholes because the government has failed to provide reliable running water. Hospitals do not have basic medication, sometimes not even painkillers. For years, the country has gone without a single fully functional radiotherapy cancer treatment machine in public hospitals. People diagnosed with cancer are often left with little hope unless they can afford treatment outside the country. Around 2,500 women die every year while giving birth in Zimbabwe. Roads are filled with potholes. The country cannot consistently provide 24-hour electricity from January to December. Public funds are routinely looted. Corruption is rife. The Constitution is violated. There is no meaningful rule of law. Those are the things serious business people like Aliko Dangote look at before they invest in a country. They ask themselves important questions. How will workers live? Will they have access to clean water? Will they have access to healthcare? Will contracts be respected? If there is a dispute, will the courts rule fairly and independently? These things matter. So when some people try to reduce this discussion to propaganda and slogans, they are ignoring the very issues that destroyed our country in the first place. We need honesty with each other. A country whose biggest referral hospital still relies on a single maternity theatre built in 1977 cannot honestly be described as a highly promising investment destination. Our judiciary is captured. Institutions are weak. Corruption has become normalised. The world already knows these realities. We cannot pretend on social media that we are something we are not. Zimbabwe is struggling because of governance failures, corruption and policy inconsistency. That reputation cannot be washed away with propaganda. If we do not want that label, then we must fix the country instead of trying to market dysfunction as success.

My dear brother, when serious investors come into a country looking to do business, they look at basic things, very basic things. In Zimbabwe, people in the capital city, barely 100 metres from the president’s office, are walking over raw sewage. There is no clean drinking water in many homes in Harare. Boreholes are now the main source of water, even in affluent suburbs like Chisipite, where shopping centres rely on boreholes because the government has failed to provide reliable running water. Hospitals do not have basic medication, sometimes not even painkillers. For years, the country has gone without a single fully functional radiotherapy cancer treatment machine in public hospitals. People diagnosed with cancer are often left with little hope unless they can afford treatment outside the country. Around 2,500 women die every year while giving birth in Zimbabwe. Roads are filled with potholes. The country cannot consistently provide 24-hour electricity from January to December. Public funds are routinely looted. Corruption is rife. The Constitution is violated. There is no meaningful rule of law. Those are the things serious business people like Aliko Dangote look at before they invest in a country. They ask themselves important questions. How will workers live? Will they have access to clean water? Will they have access to healthcare? Will contracts be respected? If there is a dispute, will the courts rule fairly and independently? These things matter. So when some people try to reduce this discussion to propaganda and slogans, they are ignoring the very issues that destroyed our country in the first place. We need honesty with each other. A country whose biggest referral hospital still relies on a single maternity theatre built in 1977 cannot honestly be described as a highly promising investment destination. Our judiciary is captured. Institutions are weak. Corruption has become normalised. The world already knows these realities. We cannot pretend on social media that we are something we are not. Zimbabwe is struggling because of governance failures, corruption and policy inconsistency. That reputation cannot be washed away with propaganda. If we do not want that label, then we must fix the country instead of trying to market dysfunction as success.

49,215 views

This is the president of South Sudan in East Africa. His name is Salva Kiir Mayardit. The future of that country rests on this man’s shoulders. I hope you now understand why many African countries have become basket cases. Future generations will wonder what went wrong with our continent to allow this kind of leadership crisis and institutional decay to take root and persist for so long.

This is the president of South Sudan in East Africa. His name is Salva Kiir Mayardit. The future of that country rests on this man’s shoulders. I hope you now understand why many African countries have become basket cases. Future generations will wonder what went wrong with our continent to allow this kind of leadership crisis and institutional decay to take root and persist for so long.

79,284 views

#SourGrapes After losing the parliamentary election race to the opposition, ZANUPF Chinhoyi candidate Thomas Chidzomba has locked a borehole he sunk whilst campaigning. He was beaten by CCC's Leslie Mhangwa.

#SourGrapes After losing the parliamentary election race to the opposition, ZANUPF Chinhoyi candidate Thomas Chidzomba has locked a borehole he sunk whilst campaigning. He was beaten by CCC's Leslie Mhangwa.

300,694 views

This vandalism at Zimbabwe’s new Mbudzi Interchange is a perfect example of what Dr Solomon Guramatunhu always reminds us — that Zimbabwean leaders are a reflection of Zimbabwean society and the Zimbabwean mindset. Our leaders do not fall from the sky; they come from our communities. What we are seeing here is no different from a leader who loots public funds. Public funds are meant for the public good. When ZANUPF loots national resources, it is not different from the Zimbabwean citizen who goes to an interchange and steals cables. Both acts are theft, both are sabotage of the common good, and both expose a destructive mindset that holds the whole nation back. It is exactly the same behaviour that South Africans have been complaining about us for years, when some Zimbabweans vandalise public infrastructure and steal cables across the Limpopo. We are quick to call that xenophobia, but what then do we call it when we are destroying our own country with the same reckless disregard? We all know that in Zimbabwean homes, from the poor to the affluent, there are lithium batteries stolen from mobile phone towers in South Africa and sold cheaply in Zimbabwe. When South Africans complain about this, we dismiss them as being xenophobic. Here is an example of us doing the same thing in our own country. We are destroying and stealing from ourselves. When the lights fail, the interchange will be plunged into darkness, and people will be mugged and killed because there is no lighting. This is wrong. We cannot build a better country with the same hands that destroy it. It can’t!!!!

This vandalism at Zimbabwe’s new Mbudzi Interchange is a perfect example of what Dr Solomon Guramatunhu always reminds us — that Zimbabwean leaders are a reflection of Zimbabwean society and the Zimbabwean mindset. Our leaders do not fall from the sky; they come from our communities. What we are seeing here is no different from a leader who loots public funds. Public funds are meant for the public good. When ZANUPF loots national resources, it is not different from the Zimbabwean citizen who goes to an interchange and steals cables. Both acts are theft, both are sabotage of the common good, and both expose a destructive mindset that holds the whole nation back. It is exactly the same behaviour that South Africans have been complaining about us for years, when some Zimbabweans vandalise public infrastructure and steal cables across the Limpopo. We are quick to call that xenophobia, but what then do we call it when we are destroying our own country with the same reckless disregard? We all know that in Zimbabwean homes, from the poor to the affluent, there are lithium batteries stolen from mobile phone towers in South Africa and sold cheaply in Zimbabwe. When South Africans complain about this, we dismiss them as being xenophobic. Here is an example of us doing the same thing in our own country. We are destroying and stealing from ourselves. When the lights fail, the interchange will be plunged into darkness, and people will be mugged and killed because there is no lighting. This is wrong. We cannot build a better country with the same hands that destroy it. It can’t!!!!

111,641 views

The economic crisis in Zimbabwe is self-evident and well explained at ZANUPF election rallies where citizens are reduced to scavenging for bread, which is used as bait for people to attend these election rallies. The fact that the ruling party would do this to citizens and sees nothing wrong with it defines the type of leadership that has ruined this once prosperous country beyond recognition of what it used to be for its people! Corrupt rule has dehumanised Zimbabweans beyond description. They fell from Mugabe’s political gutter to Mnangagwa’s corrupt rule that has sunk them into the sewer!

The economic crisis in Zimbabwe is self-evident and well explained at ZANUPF election rallies where citizens are reduced to scavenging for bread, which is used as bait for people to attend these election rallies. The fact that the ruling party would do this to citizens and sees nothing wrong with it defines the type of leadership that has ruined this once prosperous country beyond recognition of what it used to be for its people! Corrupt rule has dehumanised Zimbabweans beyond description. They fell from Mugabe’s political gutter to Mnangagwa’s corrupt rule that has sunk them into the sewer!

265,306 views

What you see in these visuals is really painful if you are an African, watching black people treating each other in this manner. But we must also understand that such things will not go away until we address the root causes that drive people from their own countries into other lands. It is ironic that today it is the Ghanaians who are chasing Nigerians from Ghana, when in 1983 Shehu Shagari, then president of Nigeria, chased Ghanaians away from Nigeria, accusing them of messing up the economy. History has a cruel way of repeating itself on our continent. Instead of learning from past mistakes, we recycle the same prejudices and injustices. It is tragic that more than forty years later, Africans still treat fellow Africans as outsiders, forgetting that our destinies are tied together. Until African leaders create economies that give dignity, jobs, and opportunities to their people, the cycle of forced migration, resentment, and xenophobia will continue haunting us.

What you see in these visuals is really painful if you are an African, watching black people treating each other in this manner. But we must also understand that such things will not go away until we address the root causes that drive people from their own countries into other lands. It is ironic that today it is the Ghanaians who are chasing Nigerians from Ghana, when in 1983 Shehu Shagari, then president of Nigeria, chased Ghanaians away from Nigeria, accusing them of messing up the economy. History has a cruel way of repeating itself on our continent. Instead of learning from past mistakes, we recycle the same prejudices and injustices. It is tragic that more than forty years later, Africans still treat fellow Africans as outsiders, forgetting that our destinies are tied together. Until African leaders create economies that give dignity, jobs, and opportunities to their people, the cycle of forced migration, resentment, and xenophobia will continue haunting us.

99,200 views

Fake prophet Angel confirms that the rumors that there are people who charge huge amounts to arrange meetings with President Mnangagwa are true. Angel charges US$200,000 to arrange a meeting with the President. We will find out in episode 2 who exactly gets the US$200,000 fee!

Fake prophet Angel confirms that the rumors that there are people who charge huge amounts to arrange meetings with President Mnangagwa are true. Angel charges US$200,000 to arrange a meeting with the President. We will find out in episode 2 who exactly gets the US$200,000 fee!

274,327 views

This video suggests that Donald Trump is facing a highly motivated, angry opposition, which historically is a very bad sign for a president’s party in the midterms and significantly increases the chances of losses. In American politics, energy, not opinion polls, usually decides midterms, and this kind of mobilisation is exactly what defeats governing parties. Midterms are not decided by total population, they are decided by who is motivated enough to turn out. Crowds like this suggest that Trump’s opponents are highly energised and angry, which is exactly the kind of mood that produces high opposition turnout in midterms.

This video suggests that Donald Trump is facing a highly motivated, angry opposition, which historically is a very bad sign for a president’s party in the midterms and significantly increases the chances of losses. In American politics, energy, not opinion polls, usually decides midterms, and this kind of mobilisation is exactly what defeats governing parties. Midterms are not decided by total population, they are decided by who is motivated enough to turn out. Crowds like this suggest that Trump’s opponents are highly energised and angry, which is exactly the kind of mood that produces high opposition turnout in midterms.

68,833 views

Norton Member of Parliament Richard Tsvangirai Richard Tsvangirayi has been accused of lying after denying any knowledge of receiving a piece of land from the government in exchange for votes to protect Emmerson Mnangagwa from impeachment and to help him extend his term of office to 2030. Despite his denial, a leaked audio has emerged in which Southerton Member of Parliament Bridget Nyandoro challenges Tsvangirayi to come clean. She accuses him of lying, stating that she has a recording of him engaging with her yesterday morning. Earlier today, Nyandoro accused the opposition of being a cesspool of corruption. Writing on her Facebook page, she claimed that MPs who received US$40,000 bribes in the last Parliament shared the money with their former leader, Nelson Chamisa. She also alleged that some paid to be allowed to contest in the 2023 elections, whose selection was done through the discredited Bereka Mwana method.

Norton Member of Parliament Richard Tsvangirai Richard Tsvangirayi has been accused of lying after denying any knowledge of receiving a piece of land from the government in exchange for votes to protect Emmerson Mnangagwa from impeachment and to help him extend his term of office to 2030. Despite his denial, a leaked audio has emerged in which Southerton Member of Parliament Bridget Nyandoro challenges Tsvangirayi to come clean. She accuses him of lying, stating that she has a recording of him engaging with her yesterday morning. Earlier today, Nyandoro accused the opposition of being a cesspool of corruption. Writing on her Facebook page, she claimed that MPs who received US$40,000 bribes in the last Parliament shared the money with their former leader, Nelson Chamisa. She also alleged that some paid to be allowed to contest in the 2023 elections, whose selection was done through the discredited Bereka Mwana method.

129,610 views

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One of Zimbabwe’s retired military generals opposed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term extension, Air Marshal Muchena, has released these visuals to the media showing State security officers pursuing him and his wife wherever they go for days. Air Marshal Muchena previously met with President Mnangagwa and expressed his opposition to the term-extension legislation, then known as CAB3. President Mnangagwa abruptly ended the meeting with the words: “Whoever wins, let them win.” The apparent surveillance of a retired senior military officer and his wife exposes the use of political intimidation and the abuse of State security institutions to silence opposition voices. Disagreeing with a constitutional amendment should not be a crime. The irony of a retired general being relentlessly pursued by State security agents is striking. As a young boy, he went to war to help liberate the country, returned home and helped build the military establishment that is now being used to hound him and his family. He fought to free Zimbabwe, only to find himself being persecuted by the very State he helped create. If a whole general can be hounded like this, what of an ordinary citizen?
8:59
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One of Zimbabwe’s retired military generals opposed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term extension, Air Marshal Muchena, has released these visuals to the media showing State security officers pursuing him and his wife wherever they go for days. Air Marshal Muchena previously met with President Mnangagwa and expressed his opposition to the term-extension legislation, then known as CAB3. President Mnangagwa abruptly ended the meeting with the words: “Whoever wins, let them win.” The apparent surveillance of a retired senior military officer and his wife exposes the use of political intimidation and the abuse of State security institutions to silence opposition voices. Disagreeing with a constitutional amendment should not be a crime. The irony of a retired general being relentlessly pursued by State security agents is striking. As a young boy, he went to war to help liberate the country, returned home and helped build the military establishment that is now being used to hound him and his family. He fought to free Zimbabwe, only to find himself being persecuted by the very State he helped create. If a whole general can be hounded like this, what of an ordinary citizen?

Hopewell Chin’ono

230,237 views • 4 days ago

This is Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, at the scene of Friday’s accident, which killed 27 people in Zimbabwe on the Harare to South Africa highway. I have the utmost respect for the culture, traditions and customs of any society. But appealing to our ancestors to solve problems that require human intervention is foolish. Cultural observance cannot substitute for practical action and accountability. Police say the truck was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it collided head-on with the minibus. This demands a serious conversation about dangerous driving, road design and the enforcement of safety rules. ⁠ A two-lane road, with one lane in each direction, should not be the limit of our ambition for a major international highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa. Zimbabwe needs properly engineered dual carriageways, with central crash barriers separating opposing traffic. These barriers help prevent vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic and can significantly reduce such collisions. Federal Highway Administration⁠ Alongside those improvements, we need proper vehicle inspections and strict enforcement against overloading, speeding and dangerous overtaking. Drivers, transport operators and public officials must all take responsibility. We cannot expect our ancestors or God to compensate for our refusal to address preventable dangers. No ritual will widen a road, install a crash barrier or make an overloaded vehicle safe. Those things require planning, investment, enforcement and competent leadership. The further tragedy is that our black children are growing up believing that only things managed by white people work because they repeatedly see us failing to manage even the basics, including maintaining and expanding infrastructure we inherited in 1980. That would be a false and damaging lesson. Competence has no race. But we must demonstrate that through the quality of our leadership, our institutions and the services we deliver. Our children should grow up seeing that we can build, maintain and manage a country that works. They deserve more than explanations for failure, and bereaved families deserve more than condolences after every disaster. Respect our ancestors, certainly. But honour the dead by taking responsibility for protecting the living. Asking them to protect us when we can do it ourselves is the greatest sign of disrespect to our ancestors!
0:39
daddyhope's profile picture

This is Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, at the scene of Friday’s accident, which killed 27 people in Zimbabwe on the Harare to South Africa highway. I have the utmost respect for the culture, traditions and customs of any society. But appealing to our ancestors to solve problems that require human intervention is foolish. Cultural observance cannot substitute for practical action and accountability. Police say the truck was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it collided head-on with the minibus. This demands a serious conversation about dangerous driving, road design and the enforcement of safety rules. ⁠ A two-lane road, with one lane in each direction, should not be the limit of our ambition for a major international highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa. Zimbabwe needs properly engineered dual carriageways, with central crash barriers separating opposing traffic. These barriers help prevent vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic and can significantly reduce such collisions. Federal Highway Administration⁠ Alongside those improvements, we need proper vehicle inspections and strict enforcement against overloading, speeding and dangerous overtaking. Drivers, transport operators and public officials must all take responsibility. We cannot expect our ancestors or God to compensate for our refusal to address preventable dangers. No ritual will widen a road, install a crash barrier or make an overloaded vehicle safe. Those things require planning, investment, enforcement and competent leadership. The further tragedy is that our black children are growing up believing that only things managed by white people work because they repeatedly see us failing to manage even the basics, including maintaining and expanding infrastructure we inherited in 1980. That would be a false and damaging lesson. Competence has no race. But we must demonstrate that through the quality of our leadership, our institutions and the services we deliver. Our children should grow up seeing that we can build, maintain and manage a country that works. They deserve more than explanations for failure, and bereaved families deserve more than condolences after every disaster. Respect our ancestors, certainly. But honour the dead by taking responsibility for protecting the living. Asking them to protect us when we can do it ourselves is the greatest sign of disrespect to our ancestors!

Hopewell Chin’ono

89,229 views • 2 days ago

I strongly condemn the shameless behaviour displayed by some of our people after ZIMFEST because it embarrasses not only those involved, but all of us as a community. I am genuinely embarrassed watching these scenes at a service station, a place where motorists are supposed to stop, refuel, pay, and leave. Instead, these individuals invaded the fuel service station and behaved in a manner that is completely unacceptable. This also puts the organisers of ZIMFEST in an extremely difficult position. They organised a fantastic event that showcased Zimbabwean culture, music, and talent, only for a small group of people to undermine all that goodwill afterwards. Some people were defecating and urinating in front of residents’ homes, while others gathered at the service station and behaved disgracefully. These are not children. They are adults who should know better. This is exactly the kind of behaviour that gives Zimbabweans a bad name. The actions of a few unfairly taint the reputation of an entire community. The fact that the Northampton Chronicle & Echo newspaper has reported on these incidents shows that this is no longer just an internal matter; it has become a public reflection on all of us. Conduct like this makes it harder for Zimbabwean communities to secure support from local councils and venues when organising future festivals, concerts, or other cultural events. It undermines years of hard work by organisers and volunteers who strive to build a positive image of Zimbabweans abroad. There is simply no excuse for this behaviour. It is disgraceful, deeply embarrassing, and completely unacceptable. Those responsible should be ashamed of themselves, because their actions have damaged the reputation of an entire community.
1:28
daddyhope's profile picture

I strongly condemn the shameless behaviour displayed by some of our people after ZIMFEST because it embarrasses not only those involved, but all of us as a community. I am genuinely embarrassed watching these scenes at a service station, a place where motorists are supposed to stop, refuel, pay, and leave. Instead, these individuals invaded the fuel service station and behaved in a manner that is completely unacceptable. This also puts the organisers of ZIMFEST in an extremely difficult position. They organised a fantastic event that showcased Zimbabwean culture, music, and talent, only for a small group of people to undermine all that goodwill afterwards. Some people were defecating and urinating in front of residents’ homes, while others gathered at the service station and behaved disgracefully. These are not children. They are adults who should know better. This is exactly the kind of behaviour that gives Zimbabweans a bad name. The actions of a few unfairly taint the reputation of an entire community. The fact that the Northampton Chronicle & Echo newspaper has reported on these incidents shows that this is no longer just an internal matter; it has become a public reflection on all of us. Conduct like this makes it harder for Zimbabwean communities to secure support from local councils and venues when organising future festivals, concerts, or other cultural events. It undermines years of hard work by organisers and volunteers who strive to build a positive image of Zimbabweans abroad. There is simply no excuse for this behaviour. It is disgraceful, deeply embarrassing, and completely unacceptable. Those responsible should be ashamed of themselves, because their actions have damaged the reputation of an entire community.

Hopewell Chin’ono

473,142 views • 1 month ago

President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia has spoken out strongly against xenophobia and Afrophobia in South Africa, saying that South Africans do not have to kill fellow Africans to resolve labour-related issues. President Hichilema reminded South Africans of the sacrifices Zambia made during the struggle against apartheid, arguing that bridges and other infrastructure in Zambia were bombed by the apartheid regime while the Zambian government was supporting Umkhonto weSizwe and the African National Congress in their fight for liberation. Zambia paid a heavy price for that solidarity because it believed in African brotherhood and the liberation of fellow Africans. He argued that this spirit of African brotherhood should not disappear today because of what he described as a xenophobic mentality that has gripped parts of South Africa. President Hichilema said what is happening in South Africa is wrong and unacceptable, stressing that legitimate concerns about jobs, labour and immigration cannot justify violence against fellow Africans. His message is essentially that the solidarity Africans showed South Africans during the struggle against apartheid cannot be forgotten now that South Africa is free.
2:34
daddyhope's profile picture

President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia has spoken out strongly against xenophobia and Afrophobia in South Africa, saying that South Africans do not have to kill fellow Africans to resolve labour-related issues. President Hichilema reminded South Africans of the sacrifices Zambia made during the struggle against apartheid, arguing that bridges and other infrastructure in Zambia were bombed by the apartheid regime while the Zambian government was supporting Umkhonto weSizwe and the African National Congress in their fight for liberation. Zambia paid a heavy price for that solidarity because it believed in African brotherhood and the liberation of fellow Africans. He argued that this spirit of African brotherhood should not disappear today because of what he described as a xenophobic mentality that has gripped parts of South Africa. President Hichilema said what is happening in South Africa is wrong and unacceptable, stressing that legitimate concerns about jobs, labour and immigration cannot justify violence against fellow Africans. His message is essentially that the solidarity Africans showed South Africans during the struggle against apartheid cannot be forgotten now that South Africa is free.

Hopewell Chin’ono

182,296 views • 17 days ago

Watching this video posted by HSTV really broke my heart because I simply put myself in this man’s shoes and imagined someone coming to my home and destroying it. Imagine spending your savings, perhaps everything you have worked for over many years, building a home for yourself and your family, only to stand helplessly and watch it being demolished. His anger is understandable. But we must look beyond the heartbreaking images of this particular house being destroyed. The bigger issue is the culture of lawlessness that we have repeatedly spoken about in Zimbabwe. ZANUPF and the government have enabled an environment in which politically connected land barons can operate with impunity, selling land to desperate citizens, producing questionable or fictitious paperwork and leaving ordinary people to carry the devastating consequences when the authorities eventually act. There are fundamental questions that must be answered. How was this house allowed to be built in the first place without council approval? If there was no approval, where were the authorities when construction started? A house does not appear overnight. Foundations are dug, bricks are delivered, walls go up, roofing is installed, electricity and other services may be connected, and people eventually move in. At what point did the responsible authorities intervene? And if there was council approval, then an even more serious question arises: why is the house being demolished today? Who approved it, on what basis was it approved, and who must be held accountable if that approval was improperly issued? That is why simply focusing on the demolition misses the bigger story. The real scandal is the lawlessness that has taken root in our country, where people can use their party political connections to do things they would never dare to do in a properly functioning state governed by the rule of law. When political affiliation becomes more powerful than the law, ordinary citizens inevitably become the victims. The consequences go beyond illegal land sales. They destroy public confidence in institutions. People lose faith in councils, law enforcement agencies and ultimately the judiciary because, case after case, they see the enormous influence that political elites can exercise over institutions that are supposed to protect everyone equally. A functioning state cannot allow land barons to sell people land illegally for years and then arrive at the end of the process to punish only the families who built homes there. Accountability must travel all the way up the chain. Who sold the land? Who produced the paperwork? Who authorised construction, if anyone did? Which officials knew what was happening? Who protected the land barons? And why were they allowed to continue operating? I feel deeply sorry for this man. He may have spent everything he had building that house, and today he is standing among the ruins wondering what comes next. The most painful question he asks in the video says everything: Where is he going to sleep tonight? That is the human cost of lawlessness.
1:10
daddyhope's profile picture

Watching this video posted by HSTV really broke my heart because I simply put myself in this man’s shoes and imagined someone coming to my home and destroying it. Imagine spending your savings, perhaps everything you have worked for over many years, building a home for yourself and your family, only to stand helplessly and watch it being demolished. His anger is understandable. But we must look beyond the heartbreaking images of this particular house being destroyed. The bigger issue is the culture of lawlessness that we have repeatedly spoken about in Zimbabwe. ZANUPF and the government have enabled an environment in which politically connected land barons can operate with impunity, selling land to desperate citizens, producing questionable or fictitious paperwork and leaving ordinary people to carry the devastating consequences when the authorities eventually act. There are fundamental questions that must be answered. How was this house allowed to be built in the first place without council approval? If there was no approval, where were the authorities when construction started? A house does not appear overnight. Foundations are dug, bricks are delivered, walls go up, roofing is installed, electricity and other services may be connected, and people eventually move in. At what point did the responsible authorities intervene? And if there was council approval, then an even more serious question arises: why is the house being demolished today? Who approved it, on what basis was it approved, and who must be held accountable if that approval was improperly issued? That is why simply focusing on the demolition misses the bigger story. The real scandal is the lawlessness that has taken root in our country, where people can use their party political connections to do things they would never dare to do in a properly functioning state governed by the rule of law. When political affiliation becomes more powerful than the law, ordinary citizens inevitably become the victims. The consequences go beyond illegal land sales. They destroy public confidence in institutions. People lose faith in councils, law enforcement agencies and ultimately the judiciary because, case after case, they see the enormous influence that political elites can exercise over institutions that are supposed to protect everyone equally. A functioning state cannot allow land barons to sell people land illegally for years and then arrive at the end of the process to punish only the families who built homes there. Accountability must travel all the way up the chain. Who sold the land? Who produced the paperwork? Who authorised construction, if anyone did? Which officials knew what was happening? Who protected the land barons? And why were they allowed to continue operating? I feel deeply sorry for this man. He may have spent everything he had building that house, and today he is standing among the ruins wondering what comes next. The most painful question he asks in the video says everything: Where is he going to sleep tonight? That is the human cost of lawlessness.

Hopewell Chin’ono

142,559 views • 17 days ago

Watching this video, one cannot help imagining how future historians will look back in amazement and ask how adults with university degrees ever convinced themselves that Donald Trump would make a great president of the United States. Clearly, a university degree is no guarantee of sound judgement. When political loyalty overrides critical thinking, even educated people can mistake confidence for competence and spectacle for leadership.
0:41
daddyhope's profile picture

Watching this video, one cannot help imagining how future historians will look back in amazement and ask how adults with university degrees ever convinced themselves that Donald Trump would make a great president of the United States. Clearly, a university degree is no guarantee of sound judgement. When political loyalty overrides critical thinking, even educated people can mistake confidence for competence and spectacle for leadership.

Hopewell Chin’ono

23,563 views • 2 days ago

Zambian broadcast journalist Alice Mutangala reports that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has ordered all stakeholders to leave the election results totalling centre. She said that only police officers and Electoral Commission officials have been allowed to remain inside the centre. The development comes after the Electoral Commission temporarily suspended the counting of votes and the announcement of election results nationwide for 24 hours from today. The removal of stakeholders from the results centre is likely to raise further questions about transparency and scrutiny of the electoral process, particularly at a time when the counting and announcement of results have already been suspended. The Electoral Commission of Zambia is headed by Mwangala Zaloumis, who previously served as President Hakainde Hichilema’s personal lawyer.
0:28
daddyhope's profile picture

Zambian broadcast journalist Alice Mutangala reports that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has ordered all stakeholders to leave the election results totalling centre. She said that only police officers and Electoral Commission officials have been allowed to remain inside the centre. The development comes after the Electoral Commission temporarily suspended the counting of votes and the announcement of election results nationwide for 24 hours from today. The removal of stakeholders from the results centre is likely to raise further questions about transparency and scrutiny of the electoral process, particularly at a time when the counting and announcement of results have already been suspended. The Electoral Commission of Zambia is headed by Mwangala Zaloumis, who previously served as President Hakainde Hichilema’s personal lawyer.

Hopewell Chin’ono

112,047 views • 18 days ago

The security guard on the boat that capsized in the Kariba disaster says there were 153 people on board, yet the boat was not supposed to carry more than 45 people. According to him, the entire crew died except for him and one other colleague. This is a reflection of how lawlessness has become the order of the day in Zimbabwe. How does a boat licensed to carry no more than 45 people end up carrying 153 people without anyone stopping it? Where were the authorities responsible for enforcing safety regulations and protecting lives? It is also a reflection of how desperate our people have become because of a failed economy and failed governance, fuelled by corruption that has become tolerated from the highest office in the land. When laws are routinely ignored, regulations are not enforced and institutions responsible for public safety are weakened, ordinary people ultimately pay the price, sometimes with their lives.
2:29
daddyhope's profile picture

The security guard on the boat that capsized in the Kariba disaster says there were 153 people on board, yet the boat was not supposed to carry more than 45 people. According to him, the entire crew died except for him and one other colleague. This is a reflection of how lawlessness has become the order of the day in Zimbabwe. How does a boat licensed to carry no more than 45 people end up carrying 153 people without anyone stopping it? Where were the authorities responsible for enforcing safety regulations and protecting lives? It is also a reflection of how desperate our people have become because of a failed economy and failed governance, fuelled by corruption that has become tolerated from the highest office in the land. When laws are routinely ignored, regulations are not enforced and institutions responsible for public safety are weakened, ordinary people ultimately pay the price, sometimes with their lives.

Hopewell Chin’ono

124,160 views • 20 days ago

This is the moment a Zimbabwean man, who is also a British citizen and is wanted in the United Kingdom for allegedly murdering his wife and two children, was arrested by South African police in the Johannesburg suburb of Kensington. He was arrested by the South African Police Service in collaboration with Interpol and is expected to be extradited to the United Kingdom, where he will face the allegations against him and the legal consequences if convicted. According to the South African Police Service, he arrived in South Africa on Sunday.
0:28
daddyhope's profile picture

This is the moment a Zimbabwean man, who is also a British citizen and is wanted in the United Kingdom for allegedly murdering his wife and two children, was arrested by South African police in the Johannesburg suburb of Kensington. He was arrested by the South African Police Service in collaboration with Interpol and is expected to be extradited to the United Kingdom, where he will face the allegations against him and the legal consequences if convicted. According to the South African Police Service, he arrived in South Africa on Sunday.

Hopewell Chin’ono

314,638 views • 1 month ago

Zelensky was prophetic🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
2:51
daddyhope's profile picture

Zelensky was prophetic🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hopewell Chin’ono

869,037 views • 4 months ago

Zambia’s Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, says opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile was present when police raided a group authorities have described as a “militia,” accused of developing military plans involving foreign nationals and operating illegal training camps. Kangwa said police exchanged gunfire with members of the group, who were allegedly found with weapons. Among those arrested is Patrick Mwansa, husband of Tasila Lungu, daughter of the late former President Edgar Lungu. Also arrested was Bishop Trevor Musonda Mwamba, a Zambian national and president of the United National Independence Party (UNIP). Bishop Mwamba is the son-in-law of Botswana’s former President Sir Ketumile Masire. His family had earlier raised alarm about his disappearance after they were unable to contact him from the evening of Friday, 14 August. Initially, the Zambian authorities had denied that there were any arrests on Friday involving members of the opposition or the main opposition leader.
2:40
daddyhope's profile picture

Zambia’s Secretary to the Cabinet, Patrick Kangwa, says opposition presidential candidate Brian Mundubile was present when police raided a group authorities have described as a “militia,” accused of developing military plans involving foreign nationals and operating illegal training camps. Kangwa said police exchanged gunfire with members of the group, who were allegedly found with weapons. Among those arrested is Patrick Mwansa, husband of Tasila Lungu, daughter of the late former President Edgar Lungu. Also arrested was Bishop Trevor Musonda Mwamba, a Zambian national and president of the United National Independence Party (UNIP). Bishop Mwamba is the son-in-law of Botswana’s former President Sir Ketumile Masire. His family had earlier raised alarm about his disappearance after they were unable to contact him from the evening of Friday, 14 August. Initially, the Zambian authorities had denied that there were any arrests on Friday involving members of the opposition or the main opposition leader.

Hopewell Chin’ono

90,594 views • 15 days ago

My countrymen have gone home. Jobs are now available in abundance. Now mobilise our South African brothers and sisters to take up those opportunities, because the South African economy depends on those jobs being filled. If the claim was always that foreign nationals were taking South Africans’ jobs, then this is the moment to prove it. Fill the vacancies and keep the economy moving.
0:27
daddyhope's profile picture

My countrymen have gone home. Jobs are now available in abundance. Now mobilise our South African brothers and sisters to take up those opportunities, because the South African economy depends on those jobs being filled. If the claim was always that foreign nationals were taking South Africans’ jobs, then this is the moment to prove it. Fill the vacancies and keep the economy moving.

Hopewell Chin’ono

327,456 views • 2 months ago

Former Botswana President Ian Khama has shared a message from the Chisanga family of Zambia, saying that Zambian politician George Chisanga, who went missing last week, has been found at a police station in Lusaka. In the statement, read by family member Emmanuel Chisanga, the family says the politician has been denied access to his family and that they have not been informed of the charges he is facing. The family says Chisanga is being denied his constitutional rights and is demanding access to him and clarity about the reasons for his detention. The development comes amid growing controversy surrounding Zambia’s elections, held last week. Vote counting and the announcement of results were temporarily halted by the Electoral Commission, which cited security concerns. The European Union Election Observation Mission’s preliminary report said the elections took place in a constrained democratic environment and that limitations on fundamental freedoms resulted in an “uneven playing field” for contestants. More political contestants were arrested, with the Zambian government initially denying that arrests involving opposition figures had taken place, only to acknowledge today, following international pressure, that some of the men had been arrested and were in state custody. The arrests and detentions have added another layer of controversy to an election that has attracted negative preliminary reports from observer missions. Chisanga is a prominent Zambian lawyer, former Law Association of Zambia president, former Member of Parliament, and presidential spokesperson for the opposition NRPUP.
1:28
daddyhope's profile picture

Former Botswana President Ian Khama has shared a message from the Chisanga family of Zambia, saying that Zambian politician George Chisanga, who went missing last week, has been found at a police station in Lusaka. In the statement, read by family member Emmanuel Chisanga, the family says the politician has been denied access to his family and that they have not been informed of the charges he is facing. The family says Chisanga is being denied his constitutional rights and is demanding access to him and clarity about the reasons for his detention. The development comes amid growing controversy surrounding Zambia’s elections, held last week. Vote counting and the announcement of results were temporarily halted by the Electoral Commission, which cited security concerns. The European Union Election Observation Mission’s preliminary report said the elections took place in a constrained democratic environment and that limitations on fundamental freedoms resulted in an “uneven playing field” for contestants. More political contestants were arrested, with the Zambian government initially denying that arrests involving opposition figures had taken place, only to acknowledge today, following international pressure, that some of the men had been arrested and were in state custody. The arrests and detentions have added another layer of controversy to an election that has attracted negative preliminary reports from observer missions. Chisanga is a prominent Zambian lawyer, former Law Association of Zambia president, former Member of Parliament, and presidential spokesperson for the opposition NRPUP.

Hopewell Chin’ono

80,484 views • 15 days ago

Now that South Africa, through President Cyril Ramaphosa, chairs SADC, there are no longer any excuses for pretending that South Africa’s immigration crisis begins and ends at the Limpopo border. South Africa cannot sustainably resolve regional migration through police raids, deportations and empty speeches about undocumented foreigners. It must confront the conditions forcing people to leave countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. These root causes are known; they are disputed elections, repression, corruption, unemployment, economic collapse and poor governance. SADC already has the necessary instruments. The SADC Treaty requires member states to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Its election guidelines require political tolerance, freedom of expression and association, impartial electoral institutions, equal access to state media and genuinely open political competition. The Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation requires SADC to promote democratic institutions, good governance and regional stability. Zimbabwe’s own 2023 SADC Election Observation Mission found that aspects of the election fell short of Zimbabwean law and the SADC election guidelines. It identified restrictions on political participation, the partisan conduct of state media, restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, problems involving the voters’ roll and serious failures in the delivery of ballot papers. Nothing had been done three years in to fix these problems. In Mozambique, SADC called for electoral management bodies to be professionalised and reconstituted on a non-partisan basis. It also called for electoral reforms to be enacted well before elections rather than being introduced close to polling day. ⁠ President Ramaphosa should now place the implementation of these recommendations formally before the SADC Summit. He is now the SADC chairman and has no reason for excuses not to do it. His chairmanship should demand time-bound reform programmes, publish reports showing which governments have complied, strengthen post-election reviews and stop SADC observer reports from becoming ceremonial documents that are forgotten as soon as incumbents are inaugurated. Most importantly, Article 33 of the SADC Treaty permits sanctions against a member state that persistently fails to fulfil its treaty obligations or implements policies undermining SADC’s principles and objectives. Ramaphosa cannot impose those sanctions by himself, because the Summit acts collectively and generally by consensus, but he can force the issue onto its agenda and require every regional leader to state publicly whether they support or oppose enforcement. ⁠He has a choice to be like Nelson Mandela, or Julius Nyerere or Ian Khama who called a spade a spade. South Africa can also push for coordinated regional migration and labour policies, better border administration and the implementation of SADC agreements governing employment and the lawful movement of people. But managed migration cannot substitute for democratic government and functioning economies. If President Ramaphosa wants fewer Zimbabweans and Mozambicans crossing into South Africa out of desperation illegally, he must use South Africa’s diplomatic and economic influence to insist that their governments respect elections, constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law. Immigration is not merely a border-management problem. It is also the bill South Africa receives for tolerating failed governance next door. Seventy percent giving birth in Musina are from Zimbabwe according to the South Africa government. It gives South Africa not only the SADC but the moral authority to call for a roundtable. Nelson Mandela understood this, he used South Africa’s mighty and SADC protocols to fix problems. President Ramaphosa now chairs SADC. He has the instruments, the regional platform and the economic leverage. What remains to be seen is whether he has the political courage and will to use them. Many opposition leaders, past and present, across Southern Africa have accused South African leaders, particularly those within the ANC, of accepting bribes from delinquent governments in the region and using South Africa’s economic and diplomatic might to shield those governments from scrutiny and accountability. South Africa’s chairmanship of SADC now presents ANC leaders with an opportunity to prove that they can uphold the organisation’s own democratic principles, perform their regional responsibilities and put South Africa’s national interests first. They must demonstrate that South Africa will no longer be used by corrupt and delinquent regional leaders seeking protection from accountability. Protecting governments that rig elections, suppress political opposition, loot public resources, butcher constitutions and destroy their economies does not merely harm the citizens of those countries; it ultimately harms South Africa itself. The consequences manifest in economic instability, regional insecurity and massive illegal immigration into South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC can no longer complain about the symptoms of illegal immigration while protecting, tolerating or refusing to confront the governments creating its root causes. South Africa now chairs SADC. It has the diplomatic platform, economic influence and regional instruments required to demand reform. The question is whether its leaders have the political courage, and the clean hands to use them. South Africa is now in charge. Let us wait and see whether it will be just a paper tiger or a real regional power that exercises the SADC powers it now holds. Power without responsibility is simply bad and terrible leadership without any moral fibre.
0:55
daddyhope's profile picture

Now that South Africa, through President Cyril Ramaphosa, chairs SADC, there are no longer any excuses for pretending that South Africa’s immigration crisis begins and ends at the Limpopo border. South Africa cannot sustainably resolve regional migration through police raids, deportations and empty speeches about undocumented foreigners. It must confront the conditions forcing people to leave countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. These root causes are known; they are disputed elections, repression, corruption, unemployment, economic collapse and poor governance. SADC already has the necessary instruments. The SADC Treaty requires member states to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Its election guidelines require political tolerance, freedom of expression and association, impartial electoral institutions, equal access to state media and genuinely open political competition. The Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation requires SADC to promote democratic institutions, good governance and regional stability. Zimbabwe’s own 2023 SADC Election Observation Mission found that aspects of the election fell short of Zimbabwean law and the SADC election guidelines. It identified restrictions on political participation, the partisan conduct of state media, restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression, problems involving the voters’ roll and serious failures in the delivery of ballot papers. Nothing had been done three years in to fix these problems. In Mozambique, SADC called for electoral management bodies to be professionalised and reconstituted on a non-partisan basis. It also called for electoral reforms to be enacted well before elections rather than being introduced close to polling day. ⁠ President Ramaphosa should now place the implementation of these recommendations formally before the SADC Summit. He is now the SADC chairman and has no reason for excuses not to do it. His chairmanship should demand time-bound reform programmes, publish reports showing which governments have complied, strengthen post-election reviews and stop SADC observer reports from becoming ceremonial documents that are forgotten as soon as incumbents are inaugurated. Most importantly, Article 33 of the SADC Treaty permits sanctions against a member state that persistently fails to fulfil its treaty obligations or implements policies undermining SADC’s principles and objectives. Ramaphosa cannot impose those sanctions by himself, because the Summit acts collectively and generally by consensus, but he can force the issue onto its agenda and require every regional leader to state publicly whether they support or oppose enforcement. ⁠He has a choice to be like Nelson Mandela, or Julius Nyerere or Ian Khama who called a spade a spade. South Africa can also push for coordinated regional migration and labour policies, better border administration and the implementation of SADC agreements governing employment and the lawful movement of people. But managed migration cannot substitute for democratic government and functioning economies. If President Ramaphosa wants fewer Zimbabweans and Mozambicans crossing into South Africa out of desperation illegally, he must use South Africa’s diplomatic and economic influence to insist that their governments respect elections, constitutionalism, human rights and the rule of law. Immigration is not merely a border-management problem. It is also the bill South Africa receives for tolerating failed governance next door. Seventy percent giving birth in Musina are from Zimbabwe according to the South Africa government. It gives South Africa not only the SADC but the moral authority to call for a roundtable. Nelson Mandela understood this, he used South Africa’s mighty and SADC protocols to fix problems. President Ramaphosa now chairs SADC. He has the instruments, the regional platform and the economic leverage. What remains to be seen is whether he has the political courage and will to use them. Many opposition leaders, past and present, across Southern Africa have accused South African leaders, particularly those within the ANC, of accepting bribes from delinquent governments in the region and using South Africa’s economic and diplomatic might to shield those governments from scrutiny and accountability. South Africa’s chairmanship of SADC now presents ANC leaders with an opportunity to prove that they can uphold the organisation’s own democratic principles, perform their regional responsibilities and put South Africa’s national interests first. They must demonstrate that South Africa will no longer be used by corrupt and delinquent regional leaders seeking protection from accountability. Protecting governments that rig elections, suppress political opposition, loot public resources, butcher constitutions and destroy their economies does not merely harm the citizens of those countries; it ultimately harms South Africa itself. The consequences manifest in economic instability, regional insecurity and massive illegal immigration into South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC can no longer complain about the symptoms of illegal immigration while protecting, tolerating or refusing to confront the governments creating its root causes. South Africa now chairs SADC. It has the diplomatic platform, economic influence and regional instruments required to demand reform. The question is whether its leaders have the political courage, and the clean hands to use them. South Africa is now in charge. Let us wait and see whether it will be just a paper tiger or a real regional power that exercises the SADC powers it now holds. Power without responsibility is simply bad and terrible leadership without any moral fibre.

Hopewell Chin’ono

77,259 views • 15 days ago

This is Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa, whose political party, MK, has been encouraging South Africans to chase not only undocumented immigrants out of the country, but even black Africans who are legally living and working in South Africa. His campaign vehicles have been driving around KwaZulu-Natal with loudspeakers urging people to drive black Africans out of the country, regardless of whether they are in South Africa legally or not. And then, after all of that, he flew to India to meet the Gupta family, the very people accused of helping to orchestrate the industrial-scale corruption that nearly bankrupted South Africa through state capture. When they faced accountability, they ran away from South Africa, first for Dubai and then for India. Think about the contradiction. A man whose campaign encourages hostility towards fellow Africans is, at the same time, embracing foreign friends who became synonymous with one of the biggest corruption scandals in South African history. By his own admission in this video, he has made it clear that he is unhappy with the direction the country took in pursuing those implicated in state capture. Meanwhile, ordinary black South Africans are being mobilised against fellow black Africans who are living in South Africa legally, while the political battle being fought is, in reality, about power, accountability and the legacy of state capture. They are being drawn into a campaign that serves political interests rather than addressing the country’s real challenges. History should record this moment. It should record the irony of fellow Africans being turned against one another while those accused of presiding over one of the darkest chapters of corruption in South Africa seek a return to political power. That is a tragedy that future generations should never forget. Imagine dehumanising fellow black Africans who look like you, speak languages like yours, and share the same continent, all so that Jacob Zuma’s Indian friends can return and loot South Africa again.
5:16
daddyhope's profile picture

This is Jacob Zuma, the former President of South Africa, whose political party, MK, has been encouraging South Africans to chase not only undocumented immigrants out of the country, but even black Africans who are legally living and working in South Africa. His campaign vehicles have been driving around KwaZulu-Natal with loudspeakers urging people to drive black Africans out of the country, regardless of whether they are in South Africa legally or not. And then, after all of that, he flew to India to meet the Gupta family, the very people accused of helping to orchestrate the industrial-scale corruption that nearly bankrupted South Africa through state capture. When they faced accountability, they ran away from South Africa, first for Dubai and then for India. Think about the contradiction. A man whose campaign encourages hostility towards fellow Africans is, at the same time, embracing foreign friends who became synonymous with one of the biggest corruption scandals in South African history. By his own admission in this video, he has made it clear that he is unhappy with the direction the country took in pursuing those implicated in state capture. Meanwhile, ordinary black South Africans are being mobilised against fellow black Africans who are living in South Africa legally, while the political battle being fought is, in reality, about power, accountability and the legacy of state capture. They are being drawn into a campaign that serves political interests rather than addressing the country’s real challenges. History should record this moment. It should record the irony of fellow Africans being turned against one another while those accused of presiding over one of the darkest chapters of corruption in South Africa seek a return to political power. That is a tragedy that future generations should never forget. Imagine dehumanising fellow black Africans who look like you, speak languages like yours, and share the same continent, all so that Jacob Zuma’s Indian friends can return and loot South Africa again.

Hopewell Chin’ono

310,829 views • 2 months ago

The Mayor of Cape Town and leader of South Africa’s second-largest political party, the Democratic Alliance, Geordin Hill-Lewis, says the City has agreed to provide buses for foreign African nationals who are stranded in Cape Town and wish to be repatriated to their respective countries. The buses will transport them free of charge from Cape Town to Beitbridge, with the City of Cape Town picking up the full cost of the journey.
0:39
daddyhope's profile picture

The Mayor of Cape Town and leader of South Africa’s second-largest political party, the Democratic Alliance, Geordin Hill-Lewis, says the City has agreed to provide buses for foreign African nationals who are stranded in Cape Town and wish to be repatriated to their respective countries. The buses will transport them free of charge from Cape Town to Beitbridge, with the City of Cape Town picking up the full cost of the journey.

Hopewell Chin’ono

285,681 views • 2 months ago

Dear President Hichilema Hakainde Hichilema, The naked violence by members of your political party, UPND, against your main challenger and opposition leader Brian Mundubile today in the Western Province is both embarrassing and tragic. It is especially tragic because when you were elected in 2021, many progressives across Africa celebrated your victory precisely because you had endured similar persecution under your predecessor, the late President Edgar Lungu. Many progressive Africans believed that someone who had experienced political intolerance firsthand would break that cycle, not perpetuate it. Decent people believed you would lead Zambia away from violence and towards a politics where elections are contests of ideas, not intimidation. What happened today undermines that hope. If you win this election under the shadow of violence, intimidation, abuse of state power, and the systematic obstruction of your opponents, it will be a victory forever tainted. Several opposition figures have already been sidelined through what many see as the misuse of state institutions. Now the last credible challenger is being prevented from freely campaigning and speaking to the electorate. That is not democracy, Mr. President. It is an abuse of incumbency, no different from the conduct of the Tanzanian president whose inauguration you attended after thousands of her own citizens were killed. Democracy cannot coexist with violence, intimidation, and the systematic silencing of political opponents. You may secure power through intimidation, just as other leaders in the region have done. But history does not honour victories won by fear and naked violence. Such victories carry no dignity and earn no respect among those who genuinely believe in democratic values, in Africa or anywhere else. Publicly condemn this violence if you are not behind it, Mr President. If you are behind it, you don’t have to say anything. You command the state. Zambia has a police service and security institutions like the military capable of preventing political violence. If your supporters continue to attack opponents while the state stands by, reasonable people will inevitably ask whether this violence is being tolerated, encouraged, or quietly sanctioned. Silence is not neutrality, Mr President. It is complicity and an acceptance that you are the architect just like your brother next door has been doing. If you believe in your record and in your mandate, then win this election fairly. Win it without violence, without intimidation, and without abusing the machinery of the state. That is what democrats do. A democrat is defined not by rhetoric speeches about democracy, but by conduct when power is at stake. Today, your conduct, and that of your party, raises serious questions about those democratic credentials. Power can be acquired through force. Respect cannot. History remembers both. Which one will it remember you for?
2:31
daddyhope's profile picture

Dear President Hichilema Hakainde Hichilema, The naked violence by members of your political party, UPND, against your main challenger and opposition leader Brian Mundubile today in the Western Province is both embarrassing and tragic. It is especially tragic because when you were elected in 2021, many progressives across Africa celebrated your victory precisely because you had endured similar persecution under your predecessor, the late President Edgar Lungu. Many progressive Africans believed that someone who had experienced political intolerance firsthand would break that cycle, not perpetuate it. Decent people believed you would lead Zambia away from violence and towards a politics where elections are contests of ideas, not intimidation. What happened today undermines that hope. If you win this election under the shadow of violence, intimidation, abuse of state power, and the systematic obstruction of your opponents, it will be a victory forever tainted. Several opposition figures have already been sidelined through what many see as the misuse of state institutions. Now the last credible challenger is being prevented from freely campaigning and speaking to the electorate. That is not democracy, Mr. President. It is an abuse of incumbency, no different from the conduct of the Tanzanian president whose inauguration you attended after thousands of her own citizens were killed. Democracy cannot coexist with violence, intimidation, and the systematic silencing of political opponents. You may secure power through intimidation, just as other leaders in the region have done. But history does not honour victories won by fear and naked violence. Such victories carry no dignity and earn no respect among those who genuinely believe in democratic values, in Africa or anywhere else. Publicly condemn this violence if you are not behind it, Mr President. If you are behind it, you don’t have to say anything. You command the state. Zambia has a police service and security institutions like the military capable of preventing political violence. If your supporters continue to attack opponents while the state stands by, reasonable people will inevitably ask whether this violence is being tolerated, encouraged, or quietly sanctioned. Silence is not neutrality, Mr President. It is complicity and an acceptance that you are the architect just like your brother next door has been doing. If you believe in your record and in your mandate, then win this election fairly. Win it without violence, without intimidation, and without abusing the machinery of the state. That is what democrats do. A democrat is defined not by rhetoric speeches about democracy, but by conduct when power is at stake. Today, your conduct, and that of your party, raises serious questions about those democratic credentials. Power can be acquired through force. Respect cannot. History remembers both. Which one will it remember you for?

Hopewell Chin’ono

127,900 views • 28 days ago

The American ambassador to Greece under Donald Trump is Kimberly Guilfoyle, his son Donald Trump Jr.’s former girlfriend. Imagine Emmerson Mnangagwa appointing ED Junior’s ex-girlfriend as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Greece. America’s ambassador to France is Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter. Imagine Mnangagwa appointing Gerald Mlotshwa’s father as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to France. The co-negotiator for America in the Middle East is Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Ivanka’s husband. Imagine Mnangagwa appointing Pokello as Zimbabwe’s negotiator in an international crisis. Trump appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner to handle a broad portfolio including Middle East peace, criminal justice reform, and relations with Mexico. Imagine Mnangagwa assigning Gerald Mlotshwa to run multiple critical national portfolios without any prior public service experience. He also appointed close political allies and loyalists with little relevant experience to key diplomatic and administrative roles, including Richard Grenell, Mick Mulvaney, Peter Navarro, and Stephen Miller. Imagine a system where loyalty to the leader outweighs competence and experience in state appointments. In Africa, America calls it corruption and nepotism, in America they call it “political appointments” and “trusted insiders.” Jared Kushner set up a private equity firm after leaving government and secured about US$2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, led by Saudi’s defacto leader, Mohammed bin Salman. This has serious conflict-of-interest because he handles Middle East policy for America. Donald Trump has also pursued major real estate and licensing deals in the Middle East, including projects linked to state-backed or politically connected investors in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A sitting president should not be financially benefiting in regions where he shapes policy, even if no laws are proven to have been broken. In Africa, this would be labelled corruption or state capture, but in the United States it is often discussed as ethics, conflicts of interest, or influence, even when the underlying dynamics, proximity to power translating into financial gain, look strikingly similar. Donald Trump is one of the most corrupt Western leaders ever elected into power, but most of his supporters, especially those who do not live in America, are oblivious to this because they do not support his ideas, they support his personality rather than his ideas. So regardless of whether he rapes or abuses power, they just continue supporting him. They are the equivalent of people who support mediocrity, if the mediocre person is seen as their own, they will go all out in supporting him regardless of his corrupt rule.
0:50
daddyhope's profile picture

The American ambassador to Greece under Donald Trump is Kimberly Guilfoyle, his son Donald Trump Jr.’s former girlfriend. Imagine Emmerson Mnangagwa appointing ED Junior’s ex-girlfriend as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Greece. America’s ambassador to France is Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter. Imagine Mnangagwa appointing Gerald Mlotshwa’s father as Zimbabwe’s ambassador to France. The co-negotiator for America in the Middle East is Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Ivanka’s husband. Imagine Mnangagwa appointing Pokello as Zimbabwe’s negotiator in an international crisis. Trump appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner to handle a broad portfolio including Middle East peace, criminal justice reform, and relations with Mexico. Imagine Mnangagwa assigning Gerald Mlotshwa to run multiple critical national portfolios without any prior public service experience. He also appointed close political allies and loyalists with little relevant experience to key diplomatic and administrative roles, including Richard Grenell, Mick Mulvaney, Peter Navarro, and Stephen Miller. Imagine a system where loyalty to the leader outweighs competence and experience in state appointments. In Africa, America calls it corruption and nepotism, in America they call it “political appointments” and “trusted insiders.” Jared Kushner set up a private equity firm after leaving government and secured about US$2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, led by Saudi’s defacto leader, Mohammed bin Salman. This has serious conflict-of-interest because he handles Middle East policy for America. Donald Trump has also pursued major real estate and licensing deals in the Middle East, including projects linked to state-backed or politically connected investors in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A sitting president should not be financially benefiting in regions where he shapes policy, even if no laws are proven to have been broken. In Africa, this would be labelled corruption or state capture, but in the United States it is often discussed as ethics, conflicts of interest, or influence, even when the underlying dynamics, proximity to power translating into financial gain, look strikingly similar. Donald Trump is one of the most corrupt Western leaders ever elected into power, but most of his supporters, especially those who do not live in America, are oblivious to this because they do not support his ideas, they support his personality rather than his ideas. So regardless of whether he rapes or abuses power, they just continue supporting him. They are the equivalent of people who support mediocrity, if the mediocre person is seen as their own, they will go all out in supporting him regardless of his corrupt rule.

Hopewell Chin’ono

615,706 views • 5 months ago

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa who has been in power since November 2017, following the military coup that removed President Robert Mugabe. He has now signed into law Constitutional Amendment No. 3, which, among many other things, extends his term of office to 2030, cancels the 2028 elections, extends the presidential term from five years to seven years, and removes the direct election of the President by citizens, transferring that responsibility to Parliament. This is a massive controversial constitutional change, one that would ordinarily require a referendum. However, the President and his advisers have refused to subject these changes to a referendum. That fact alone renders the entire process contestable and places a dark cloud of illegitimacy over his presidency beyond 2028, when his term of office was originally supposed to end. But this crisis will not wait until 2028. It began the moment he signed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 into law, as opponents of the Bill which is now law have already declared the process illegal because there was no referendum. The real challenge facing President Mnangagwa is not so much the opposition, which he has effectively dismantled with the assistance of opposition leaders who have allegedly been bought or co-opted. The real challenge is the economy. As Bill Clinton famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” The economy is what will create a wave of political discontent between now and whenever he eventually leaves office, assuming he does not die in office. I have seen some of my South African friends mocking Zimbabweans over this development and saying it is a Zimbabwean issue that Zimbabweans must resolve themselves. One can only say that if one is ignorant of the interconnectedness of our region and the ripple effects that this constitutional change is likely to create. South Africa’s illegal immigration crisis has been authored, in part, by the misgovernance in Zimbabwe, which successive South African governments and the African National Congress have tolerated and, at times, enabled. When the economy deteriorates in Zimbabwe, desperate people cross into South Africa by any means necessary in search of jobs and opportunities. This should not be viewed as a Zimbabwean crisis alone. It is a regional crisis, one that has the potential to create political and social turbulence throughout Southern Africa. History has taught us that whenever there is a crisis in Zimbabwe, South Africa bears much of the burden. But this post is not about South Africa. It is about Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans. The culture of bootlicking leaders and hero-worshipping politicians cuts across Zimbabwean society, both in the ruling party and in the opposition. Part of the reason why the opposition has been emasculated by Emmerson Mnangagwa is because citizens continue to place blind faith in leaders who have delivered very little. Those leaders continue to sell hope to the people, even when many Zimbabweans know that some of them have been captured or compromised. We saw this decadence in the Parliament of Zimbabwe. Opposition Members of Parliament voted with ZANUPF. Only 42 voted against the Constitutional Amendment Bill. The rest supported it. That is a reflection of the deep crisis within the opposition itself. Unfortunately, many Zimbabweans mistakenly think that Zimbabwe’s problems are exclusively a ZANUPF problem. They are not. They are a Zimbabwean problem that Zimbabweans themselves must resolve, and not sit and watch. As long as Zimbabweans continue to hero-worship personalities instead of supporting ideas, institutions and principles, the crisis will never go away. There are people with ideas and solutions for Zimbabwe, but they are not popular enough. Populism has derailed the opposition and made it ineffective in pushing back against ZANUPF’s misgovernance. The signing of Constitutional Amendment No. 3 into law is, in my view, the beginning of a new phase of resistance, assuming events themselves do not overtake any organic resistance to Mnangagwa’s rule. Zimbabwe today is a hopelessly divided society. People are fighting one another, and there is little national unity. President Mnangagwa could have secured his legacy by uniting the country and fixing the economy. Instead, it is evident that his administration remains adrift when it comes to economic management. This is, therefore, a moment for Zimbabweans to reflect on what they want for their country and how they intend to achieve it. For neighbouring countries, particularly South Africa, this is not Zimbabwe’s problem alone. According to the South African government, around 70% of women who give birth at Musina Hospital are Zimbabwean. You cannot simply turn them away. They will continue coming because the Zimbabwean government has failed to build a healthcare system capable of serving its people. An estimated 2,500 Zimbabwean women die every year while giving birth because of inadequate maternal healthcare facilities. The largest hospital in Zimbabwe still relies on a single maternity theatre built in 1977 by the Ian Smith government. That alone is a devastating indictment of the state of public healthcare in Zimbabwe, and a metaphor for the state of affairs. With unemployment estimated at over 95% in the formal and informal sectors combined, it is not surprising that Zimbabweans are prepared to risk their lives crossing crocodile-infested rivers in the Limpopo to reach South Africa. They will continue doing so. No amount of anti-immigration marches in South Africa will stop this reality. One either understands how crises create migration flows, or one lives under the illusion and delusion that Zimbabweans can somehow be prevented from seeking survival elsewhere. As we speak, many large-scale farms in Limpopo employ significant numbers of undocumented Zimbabwean workers. If those workers were suddenly to disappear overnight, the consequences for agricultural production and food prices would be enormous. This is not simply my opinion as an analyst or journalist. I have spoken to numerous farmers in Limpopo. I am a farmer myself and have access to many people within the agricultural sector, including some who are political actors in South Africa. The reality is that complex regional problems cannot be solved by slogans, social media noise or emotional outbursts. They require honest conversations, competent governance and courageous leadership on both sides of the Limpopo. As this law comes into effect, many people must reflect on the roles they played, directly or indirectly, in bringing Zimbabwe to this point. Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga was one of the leading proponents of the idea that President Mnangagwa could and should rule for as long as he wished, as he stated in the video I have attached below. Today, he finds himself effectively locked out of any constitutional path to the presidency. The opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, also bears a significant share of responsibility. He effectively dismembered the opposition by getting rid of key allies who brought talents and skills that he himself did not possess. He dismantled leadership structures and ran the opposition without a constitution, creating an environment that enabled ZANUPF to infiltrate the opposition through the political charlatan Sengezo Tshabangu, whose actions were aided by Professor Jonathan Moyo’s ideas. Ultimately, the supporters of these two men must not live in denial by blaming everyone else while refusing to examine their own role in what has happened. There is nothing contained in this constitutional amendment, which is now law, that was not predicted. Analysts who warned that these developments would occur were ridiculed. They were demonised on social media, insulted and called names by opposition supporters. That abuse continues to this very day. It cuts across the political divide, both in ZANUPF and in the opposition, where leaders deploy and sponsor people to attack anyone who raises uncomfortable truths about the realities of life in Zimbabwe. One cannot help but wonder whether some of those who have spent years attacking people who brought genuine issues to the table have themselves been manipulated or even indirectly serving the interests of ZANUPF, because it beggars belief that people can be so self-contradictory and self-destructive in the manner in which Zimbabwean politics has unravelled since 2022. In 2021, through Constitutional Amendment No. 2, the running mate clause was removed. That amendment effectively dismantled the constitutional mechanism that many believed would guarantee General Chiwenga’s succession within ZANUPF. The running mate provision had been an important part of the constitutional architecture established by the 2013 Constitution, which was negotiated during the Government of National Unity and endorsed by almost 95% of Zimbabweans in a referendum. The Vice President remained silent. He was warned. I was among those who argued that the removal of the running mate clause was the beginning of what I called a “royal presidency”, one in which President Mnangagwa would accumulate so much power that he could potentially remain in office until his death. All the mistakes that have been made, whether through deliberate action, political expediency or sheer ignorance, have brought Zimbabwe to where it is today. Have opposition supporters finally understood that ideas matter more than bootlicking and hero-worshipping political leaders? I do not know. Their reaction to what is happening in Zimbabwe today will answer that question. Have members of ZANUPF who feel aggrieved by President Mnangagwa’s actions now come to understand that when people speak about constitutionalism, accountability and good governance, they are not necessarily being anti-ZANUPF? I do not know. Time will tell. My thoughts, as I end this article, are with the millions of Zimbabweans who remain trapped inside Zimbabwe with little or no prospect of meaningful economic opportunities and who are unable to live normal lives in the way that citizens in functional countries do. My thoughts are also with those citizens who spent years bootlicking and hero-worshipping politicians, unknowingly aiding this process and helping to create the very circumstances in which they now find themselves: unemployed, economically excluded and without hope for a better future. And my thoughts are especially with those who cannot leave. As the Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton poignantly said in his song Untold Stories: “Those who can run, run away, but what about those who can’t? They will have to stay.” That, perhaps, is the greatest tragedy of Zimbabwe: those with the means often leave, while the poorest and most vulnerable are left behind to endure the consequences of political failure, economic collapse and broken leadership. Their suffering should never be forgotten.
0:37
daddyhope's profile picture

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa who has been in power since November 2017, following the military coup that removed President Robert Mugabe. He has now signed into law Constitutional Amendment No. 3, which, among many other things, extends his term of office to 2030, cancels the 2028 elections, extends the presidential term from five years to seven years, and removes the direct election of the President by citizens, transferring that responsibility to Parliament. This is a massive controversial constitutional change, one that would ordinarily require a referendum. However, the President and his advisers have refused to subject these changes to a referendum. That fact alone renders the entire process contestable and places a dark cloud of illegitimacy over his presidency beyond 2028, when his term of office was originally supposed to end. But this crisis will not wait until 2028. It began the moment he signed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 into law, as opponents of the Bill which is now law have already declared the process illegal because there was no referendum. The real challenge facing President Mnangagwa is not so much the opposition, which he has effectively dismantled with the assistance of opposition leaders who have allegedly been bought or co-opted. The real challenge is the economy. As Bill Clinton famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” The economy is what will create a wave of political discontent between now and whenever he eventually leaves office, assuming he does not die in office. I have seen some of my South African friends mocking Zimbabweans over this development and saying it is a Zimbabwean issue that Zimbabweans must resolve themselves. One can only say that if one is ignorant of the interconnectedness of our region and the ripple effects that this constitutional change is likely to create. South Africa’s illegal immigration crisis has been authored, in part, by the misgovernance in Zimbabwe, which successive South African governments and the African National Congress have tolerated and, at times, enabled. When the economy deteriorates in Zimbabwe, desperate people cross into South Africa by any means necessary in search of jobs and opportunities. This should not be viewed as a Zimbabwean crisis alone. It is a regional crisis, one that has the potential to create political and social turbulence throughout Southern Africa. History has taught us that whenever there is a crisis in Zimbabwe, South Africa bears much of the burden. But this post is not about South Africa. It is about Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans. The culture of bootlicking leaders and hero-worshipping politicians cuts across Zimbabwean society, both in the ruling party and in the opposition. Part of the reason why the opposition has been emasculated by Emmerson Mnangagwa is because citizens continue to place blind faith in leaders who have delivered very little. Those leaders continue to sell hope to the people, even when many Zimbabweans know that some of them have been captured or compromised. We saw this decadence in the Parliament of Zimbabwe. Opposition Members of Parliament voted with ZANUPF. Only 42 voted against the Constitutional Amendment Bill. The rest supported it. That is a reflection of the deep crisis within the opposition itself. Unfortunately, many Zimbabweans mistakenly think that Zimbabwe’s problems are exclusively a ZANUPF problem. They are not. They are a Zimbabwean problem that Zimbabweans themselves must resolve, and not sit and watch. As long as Zimbabweans continue to hero-worship personalities instead of supporting ideas, institutions and principles, the crisis will never go away. There are people with ideas and solutions for Zimbabwe, but they are not popular enough. Populism has derailed the opposition and made it ineffective in pushing back against ZANUPF’s misgovernance. The signing of Constitutional Amendment No. 3 into law is, in my view, the beginning of a new phase of resistance, assuming events themselves do not overtake any organic resistance to Mnangagwa’s rule. Zimbabwe today is a hopelessly divided society. People are fighting one another, and there is little national unity. President Mnangagwa could have secured his legacy by uniting the country and fixing the economy. Instead, it is evident that his administration remains adrift when it comes to economic management. This is, therefore, a moment for Zimbabweans to reflect on what they want for their country and how they intend to achieve it. For neighbouring countries, particularly South Africa, this is not Zimbabwe’s problem alone. According to the South African government, around 70% of women who give birth at Musina Hospital are Zimbabwean. You cannot simply turn them away. They will continue coming because the Zimbabwean government has failed to build a healthcare system capable of serving its people. An estimated 2,500 Zimbabwean women die every year while giving birth because of inadequate maternal healthcare facilities. The largest hospital in Zimbabwe still relies on a single maternity theatre built in 1977 by the Ian Smith government. That alone is a devastating indictment of the state of public healthcare in Zimbabwe, and a metaphor for the state of affairs. With unemployment estimated at over 95% in the formal and informal sectors combined, it is not surprising that Zimbabweans are prepared to risk their lives crossing crocodile-infested rivers in the Limpopo to reach South Africa. They will continue doing so. No amount of anti-immigration marches in South Africa will stop this reality. One either understands how crises create migration flows, or one lives under the illusion and delusion that Zimbabweans can somehow be prevented from seeking survival elsewhere. As we speak, many large-scale farms in Limpopo employ significant numbers of undocumented Zimbabwean workers. If those workers were suddenly to disappear overnight, the consequences for agricultural production and food prices would be enormous. This is not simply my opinion as an analyst or journalist. I have spoken to numerous farmers in Limpopo. I am a farmer myself and have access to many people within the agricultural sector, including some who are political actors in South Africa. The reality is that complex regional problems cannot be solved by slogans, social media noise or emotional outbursts. They require honest conversations, competent governance and courageous leadership on both sides of the Limpopo. As this law comes into effect, many people must reflect on the roles they played, directly or indirectly, in bringing Zimbabwe to this point. Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga was one of the leading proponents of the idea that President Mnangagwa could and should rule for as long as he wished, as he stated in the video I have attached below. Today, he finds himself effectively locked out of any constitutional path to the presidency. The opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, also bears a significant share of responsibility. He effectively dismembered the opposition by getting rid of key allies who brought talents and skills that he himself did not possess. He dismantled leadership structures and ran the opposition without a constitution, creating an environment that enabled ZANUPF to infiltrate the opposition through the political charlatan Sengezo Tshabangu, whose actions were aided by Professor Jonathan Moyo’s ideas. Ultimately, the supporters of these two men must not live in denial by blaming everyone else while refusing to examine their own role in what has happened. There is nothing contained in this constitutional amendment, which is now law, that was not predicted. Analysts who warned that these developments would occur were ridiculed. They were demonised on social media, insulted and called names by opposition supporters. That abuse continues to this very day. It cuts across the political divide, both in ZANUPF and in the opposition, where leaders deploy and sponsor people to attack anyone who raises uncomfortable truths about the realities of life in Zimbabwe. One cannot help but wonder whether some of those who have spent years attacking people who brought genuine issues to the table have themselves been manipulated or even indirectly serving the interests of ZANUPF, because it beggars belief that people can be so self-contradictory and self-destructive in the manner in which Zimbabwean politics has unravelled since 2022. In 2021, through Constitutional Amendment No. 2, the running mate clause was removed. That amendment effectively dismantled the constitutional mechanism that many believed would guarantee General Chiwenga’s succession within ZANUPF. The running mate provision had been an important part of the constitutional architecture established by the 2013 Constitution, which was negotiated during the Government of National Unity and endorsed by almost 95% of Zimbabweans in a referendum. The Vice President remained silent. He was warned. I was among those who argued that the removal of the running mate clause was the beginning of what I called a “royal presidency”, one in which President Mnangagwa would accumulate so much power that he could potentially remain in office until his death. All the mistakes that have been made, whether through deliberate action, political expediency or sheer ignorance, have brought Zimbabwe to where it is today. Have opposition supporters finally understood that ideas matter more than bootlicking and hero-worshipping political leaders? I do not know. Their reaction to what is happening in Zimbabwe today will answer that question. Have members of ZANUPF who feel aggrieved by President Mnangagwa’s actions now come to understand that when people speak about constitutionalism, accountability and good governance, they are not necessarily being anti-ZANUPF? I do not know. Time will tell. My thoughts, as I end this article, are with the millions of Zimbabweans who remain trapped inside Zimbabwe with little or no prospect of meaningful economic opportunities and who are unable to live normal lives in the way that citizens in functional countries do. My thoughts are also with those citizens who spent years bootlicking and hero-worshipping politicians, unknowingly aiding this process and helping to create the very circumstances in which they now find themselves: unemployed, economically excluded and without hope for a better future. And my thoughts are especially with those who cannot leave. As the Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton poignantly said in his song Untold Stories: “Those who can run, run away, but what about those who can’t? They will have to stay.” That, perhaps, is the greatest tragedy of Zimbabwe: those with the means often leave, while the poorest and most vulnerable are left behind to endure the consequences of political failure, economic collapse and broken leadership. Their suffering should never be forgotten.

Hopewell Chin’ono

227,550 views • 1 month ago

This is happening today in Warren Park, Harare. This is the water residents are expected to drink: dirty, foul-smelling water. This is not merely a service-delivery failure; it is a public-health emergency and a violation of the constitutional right to safe, clean and potable water. Zimbabwe remains trapped in the water infrastructure inherited at independence in 1980, much of which was built during the 1950s for a city with a fraction of Harare’s present population. Lake Chivero was completed in 1952 to supply water to approximately 200,000 residents, yet it remains Harare’s principal water source more than seven decades later, serving a metropolitan population of millions. The reality for many residents is brutal, they either receive dirty water or no water at all. Responsibility must not be blurred for political convenience. Harare City Council is responsible for treating and distributing water, so it must answer for failures involving purification, maintenance, leakages and distribution. However, the central government, through ZINWA, is responsible for planning and developing water resources and major raw-water infrastructure. It is dishonest for ZANUPF to pretend that an opposition run council can simply manufacture a new dam from residents’ rates. Successive ZANUPF governments have failed to deliver the alternative water sources promised to Harare for decades, while public money intended for essential infrastructure has been squandered and looted. Council officials must explain what they are doing within their powers and resources, while the national government must answer for its failure to build the infrastructure necessary to supply the capital with adequate raw water. Both institutions have responsibilities, although their powers and obligations are not equal. I also want opposition leaders to speak about these issues more forcefully and specifically. They should be in Warren Park today, demanding independent tests of this water, identifying the responsible officials, challenging the relevant ministers and presenting a clear plan for solving the crisis. They should take on Emmerson Mnangagwa by name and make the political lives of those responsible for this suffering uncomfortable. Opposition politics cannot consist only of slogans, vague promises and assurances that “good things are coming.” Apart from opposition activists such as Fadzayi Mahere, the silence on many of these daily struggles is deafening. A serious opposition must demonstrate its capacity to govern by showing that it understands how the State works, who is responsible for what and what must be done differently. Clean water is not a luxury or a campaign slogan. It is a constitutional right. The people of Warren Park do not need empty promises; they need safe water, accountable leadership and opposition politicians prepared to fight publicly and relentlessly for the issues affecting citizens every day. If the opposition cannot organise a serious political response to people being forced to drink filthy water, why should those people believe that it has the capacity to govern the country? President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government must hang their heads in shame. Zimbabwe continues to suffer recurring outbreaks of cholera, a preventable disease that functional countries have largely eliminated as a routine public-health threat through clean water and proper sanitation. Yet Zimbabweans continue to die from it. I have been covering cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe for decades, and the causes remain the same: contaminated water, collapsing sewage systems, inadequate treatment capacity and the failure to develop water sources capable of serving Harare’s present population. We continue asking what the problem is when the answer is staring us in the face. Harare’s population has vastly outgrown water infrastructure built more than seven decades ago, yet successive ZANUPF governments have failed to provide adequate new water sources. Cholera is not an act of God. It is the consequence of political choices, corruption, incompetence and state failure. Every preventable death from contaminated water is an indictment of a government that has failed to provide one of the most basic necessities of human life. A government that cannot guarantee its citizens clean drinking water has no business boasting about development.
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daddyhope's profile picture

This is happening today in Warren Park, Harare. This is the water residents are expected to drink: dirty, foul-smelling water. This is not merely a service-delivery failure; it is a public-health emergency and a violation of the constitutional right to safe, clean and potable water. Zimbabwe remains trapped in the water infrastructure inherited at independence in 1980, much of which was built during the 1950s for a city with a fraction of Harare’s present population. Lake Chivero was completed in 1952 to supply water to approximately 200,000 residents, yet it remains Harare’s principal water source more than seven decades later, serving a metropolitan population of millions. The reality for many residents is brutal, they either receive dirty water or no water at all. Responsibility must not be blurred for political convenience. Harare City Council is responsible for treating and distributing water, so it must answer for failures involving purification, maintenance, leakages and distribution. However, the central government, through ZINWA, is responsible for planning and developing water resources and major raw-water infrastructure. It is dishonest for ZANUPF to pretend that an opposition run council can simply manufacture a new dam from residents’ rates. Successive ZANUPF governments have failed to deliver the alternative water sources promised to Harare for decades, while public money intended for essential infrastructure has been squandered and looted. Council officials must explain what they are doing within their powers and resources, while the national government must answer for its failure to build the infrastructure necessary to supply the capital with adequate raw water. Both institutions have responsibilities, although their powers and obligations are not equal. I also want opposition leaders to speak about these issues more forcefully and specifically. They should be in Warren Park today, demanding independent tests of this water, identifying the responsible officials, challenging the relevant ministers and presenting a clear plan for solving the crisis. They should take on Emmerson Mnangagwa by name and make the political lives of those responsible for this suffering uncomfortable. Opposition politics cannot consist only of slogans, vague promises and assurances that “good things are coming.” Apart from opposition activists such as Fadzayi Mahere, the silence on many of these daily struggles is deafening. A serious opposition must demonstrate its capacity to govern by showing that it understands how the State works, who is responsible for what and what must be done differently. Clean water is not a luxury or a campaign slogan. It is a constitutional right. The people of Warren Park do not need empty promises; they need safe water, accountable leadership and opposition politicians prepared to fight publicly and relentlessly for the issues affecting citizens every day. If the opposition cannot organise a serious political response to people being forced to drink filthy water, why should those people believe that it has the capacity to govern the country? President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government must hang their heads in shame. Zimbabwe continues to suffer recurring outbreaks of cholera, a preventable disease that functional countries have largely eliminated as a routine public-health threat through clean water and proper sanitation. Yet Zimbabweans continue to die from it. I have been covering cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe for decades, and the causes remain the same: contaminated water, collapsing sewage systems, inadequate treatment capacity and the failure to develop water sources capable of serving Harare’s present population. We continue asking what the problem is when the answer is staring us in the face. Harare’s population has vastly outgrown water infrastructure built more than seven decades ago, yet successive ZANUPF governments have failed to provide adequate new water sources. Cholera is not an act of God. It is the consequence of political choices, corruption, incompetence and state failure. Every preventable death from contaminated water is an indictment of a government that has failed to provide one of the most basic necessities of human life. A government that cannot guarantee its citizens clean drinking water has no business boasting about development.

Hopewell Chin’ono

35,383 views • 8 days ago