Elinor Sisulu responds to Chimosva article

By Elinor Sisulu

I HAVE received a deluge of calls from outraged friends and comrades, drawing attention to the article by Paul Chimhosva on “The Corrupt Role of NGOs in the Zimbabwe Crisis”.

The article is pure ZANU PF vitriol from beginning to end, the type of article one would find in a propaganda rag like the Herald, not on the website of the Association of Zimbabwe Journalists that purports to write stories that will be fair, accurate and honest. There is nothing fair, accurate and honest about Chimhosva’s libelous article – it patently lacks all professional integrity.

In the fashion of Zimbabwe’s CIO functionaries, he accuses Zimbabwean civil society of massive corruption without providing the slightest shred of evidence in support of these allegations. A good journalist would have investigated these allegations before publishing them. Another tenet of good journalism is the right of reply. At no point has this Chimhosva character contacted me to respond to his vile accusations.

Since the article singles me out as one of the “so-called human rights campaigners who have enriched themselves no end” by raising funds on behalf of Zimbabweans, I must protest. If I had been given the right to reply, I could have informed you that in all the years I worked at the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, our books were audited on an annual basis and a simple check with the auditors would have verified that every cent of donor funds that went through our hands was accounted for.

Chimhosva asks “Where will organisations like Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe and the flamboyant Eleanor Sisulu be if Zimbabweans are at peace”. The dictionary definition of the work flamboyant is “showy, colourful, loud, flashy, gaudy, glitzy, lurid and ostentatious”. It is really interesting to hear myself described in such absurd terms. Clearly singling me out for attack is character assassination by someone who knows nothing about me.

The man does not even know how to spell my name so how can he have the audacity to comment on my integrity? His ignorance is further displayed by his claim that I know nothing of the struggles of Zimbabwe. If he conducted himself like a reputable journalist and did his research he would know that I was born, raised and educated in Zimbabwe, graduated from the University of Zimbabwe and worked for the government of Zimbabwe for the first years of my working life.

I am a passionate believer in transparency and the role of the media in exposing corruption and abuse of those in any positions of authority and leadership in society. I have no problem with criticism or interrogation of my actions and behaviour, but it must be based on facts and accuracy and I must be given the opportunity to respond this character assassination. I am saddened by the fact that an Association of Zimbabwean Journalists can associate itself with this kind of disinformation that is nothing more than a smear campaign against Zimbabwean civil society.

Over the years I have heard the oft-repeated allegation that civil society leaders are benefiting from the crisis in Zimbabwe, therefore they do not want it to end. It is a nonsensical argument that cannot withstand any serious scrutiny. I have never come across these mythical millions that donors are alleged to be throwing about and I certainly have not come across donors who can simply fork out funds without being accountable to their own constituencies.

It is also not true to suggest that with the lack of opportunities in the private and public sectors, “the only available foreign currency based entrepreneurial activity was the NGO and Civil Society Sector.” Zimbabweans of my generation were beneficiaries of a functional education system that enabled them to pursue post-graduate and work opportunities anywhere in the world and many of them have done so. That is why today we have Zimbabwean professionals excelling in their chosen fields and commanding hefty salaries all over the world.

Having had the privilege of studying at some of the best institutions in the world with working experience in both government and NGO sectors and the United Nations, I have no shortage of professional opportunities. If my aim in life was to enrich myself, I could easily have entered the Black Economic Empowerment game and joined the ranks of South Africa’s black nouveau riche and remained in my middle class comfort zone.

Instead I chose to work for a struggling NGO, with little economic opportunities and none of the perks offered by the public or private sectors, because the influence of African giants such as Steve Biko, Amilcar Cabral, Walter Sisulu have taught me that there is little value in being on an island of affluence in the midst of a sea of poverty.

Where would I be if there was peace in Zimbabwe? I would certainly be a happier, healthier human being. I would not be confronted on a daily basis by the massive suffering of Zimbabweans on the streets of South Africa or Zimbabwe. I would not be haunted by the misery in the faces of the young women at Central Methodist Church, I would not be traumatized by many accounts of unspeakable abuse by victims/survivors of ZANU PF brutality.

I would not have to worry about the survival of parents and relatives whose pensions and salaries have been wiped out by ruinous inflation caused by the suicidal policies of the Reserve Bank governor or to mourn relatives, friends and comrades who have died as a result of living in a country with a collapsed health system. I would not have to fork out money for children and young people whose parents cannot afford school fees.

If there was peace in Zimbabwe, many of us in civil society would be able to devote ourselves to more creative pursuits like writing children’s books rather than running around trying to undo the damage inflicted on innocent people by a ruthless and cynical regime and endure false allegations generated by its propaganda machine. Chimosva’s article is shoddy, dishonest journalism, a disgrace not only to the writer but to your website as a whole.