Does Zim owe you anything? Part 2
AS WE continue this series of questioning ourselves whether Zimbabwe owes you anything or you owe it to yourself, I want to unpack how the civil society has been an effective tool in exploiting our people and it being a successful project of enriching oneself.
This instalment might touch a raw nerve of those I have interacted with but believe you me, its genuine coincidence that I shall write about the bad things that you are doing. I don’t intend to expose you but you are unfortunately an element of a congress of thieves, fraudsters and con-artistes the world has ever seen. Disclaimer: I do not subscribe to hypocrisy, I do not marvel at your fraudulent behaviour and trust me, I am petrified by how you live and sleep with the guilt of feeding on the misery of other people. History shall judge you for your shenanigans. school either by choice or circumstances beyond anyone’s control. These are the young people they invite to their platforms to continuously discuss about the state of our economy, political participation and local governance review conferences. They masquerade as champions of the youth plights yet they are far beyond their prime time. Most of them we learn were the shy kids in school who hardly raised their hands in class but they suddenly have confidence to be champions of a cause they inadequately relate to.
Where is the civility of the society? It is through those programmes, especially towards elections that they unleash a trail of propaganda against the regime. They neglect their role of exerting pressure and being apolitical in their political education by directly ridiculing the state. I understand that once a while one would slip out their role but a concentrated focus on a direct ideology using the same method says otherwise. When you do the same programme but giving it different names so that donors give you money we start to question your agenda.
There are many of them who have created structures in the “hood” with their installed ward leaders to monitor their constituency not for genuine project evaluation, but that is their recruitment base for any programme. Civil societies are the masters of busing crowds. They do not mind giving bus fare of hiring busses to ferry the ghetto youths who are referred to with fancy names such as “community ambassadors” yet in the backroom “sibizwa kuthwa singolova”.
This is done all on the canvas of being concerned citizens, championing the youth cause and attempting to better our lives, haaas! Go away! You are nothing but a bunch of political destitute who failed to find a political home and decided to find other ways other than the church and active politics to exploit the vulnerable.
I know of a lot of them in Bulawayo who were kings and queens of the momentarily celebrated Zapu 2000. They shifted to MDC when it was founded in 1999. After finding out that they do not fit as well, they established non-governmental organisations and created their own mafias in that circuit. When Welshman Ncube broke away from Morgan Tsvangirai, it was a moment for them to shine, in fact the new constitution with Chapter 14 of Provincial committees gave them hope of being recycled into politics only for them to find out that they were used to fuel some politicians’ cars for campaigning. Today they are back to where they were- activists and being that they shall forever remain.
They drive expensive cars which do not tally with the salary recommended by their donors. They own expensive homes, almost competing with pastors and some politicians. They have become captains of commerce through the businesses they now own and one wonders where the money came from. Their children learn at expensive schools yet they feed the masses with the message of that “our future has been stolen from us”. How hypocritical of you to tell me that it is bad for a government official to send his child to St John’s yet our roads are dead when your child learns at Whitestone payed for by donor money meant to enhance our lives.
They draft facades of reports and share images of angled snapshots to give a constructed narration to the donor. To them, next year is not a crafting of a lasting solution to Zimbabwe but that is the best time to make money. They are busy writing proposals on how the election will be stolen hence they need to educate young people on Biometric voter registration. You shall see them with road shows and branded cars with ridiculous hashtags meant to stimulate voter action in the young people — that is if their parent NGO in Harare chooses them to be part of the consortium. We shall watch them as they distribute T-shirts and caps to the youths in the “hood” who shall be lied to that they are “community fellows” as if they are stakeholders in the profits the director makes.
Why is it all if not most of them stay in the suburbs yet they were just mere location youths? Why is it they suddenly travel a lot on holidays abroad in the name of meetings as if they are the ones who fund the NGO yet they are simply “beggars in suits”?
Have you ever wondered why a lot of people study Development Studies, they believe that the best way to make money is to work at an NGO, but even if you work there, aren’t you a tool of enriching one man whose life is no different from that of a criminal politician and a fraudulent pastor?
Enough said. It’s high time we call them out for their hypocritical tendencies of preying on our people’s misfortunes and misery. It’s high time they account for their contribution to our misery because they do not celebrate stability lest the already dwindled funding might disappear on them. As it is they are struggling after 15 years of failing to deliver to their European master. We see you. Sizalinanka!