#ThisFlag Evan Mawarire absence from Zimbabwe questioned

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Pastor Evan Mawarire, no doubt, got the Zanu PF establishment quirking by mobilising mass protests in July through his #ThisFlag campaign, but questions are emerging over his decision to flee the country shortly after a court acquitted him on a treason charge. This is especially so given that his rallying cry was “We fear no more” or, in the local Shona language, “Hatichatya”.

Mawarire became famous overnight, fearlessly calling on President Robert Mugabe and his cabinet to go immediately over failed leadership.

He helped thousands of Zimbabweans take to the streets and stay away from work over a worsening economy, corruption and bad political leadership.

That irked Mugabe, who urged him to leave the country, not once, but thrice, during public events, and the security sector which arrested him on treason even though a magistrates’ court absolved him, judging that the charge was unconstitutional.

Mawarire then packed his bags, left his family behind and reappeared in South Africa where he gave viral media interviews and addressed university students, among them a big number of Zimbabweans.

He was later invited to the USA to give lectures and there is speculation that he could have been granted asylum.

During his series of campaigns that were mostly shared through social media, Mawarire became known for the rallying cry, “We fear no more” or, in the local Shona language, “Hatichatya”.

However, a prominent advocate, Fadzayi Mahere, recently took to Facebook and questioned Mawarire’s claim of bravery following his decision to get out of Zimbabwe rather than taking the regime head on.

“Pastor E’s mantra from the get-go and for which he became famous was “hatichatya” – we are no longer afraid. In coining this mantra, he no doubt was aware of the dangers of being so vocal in opposing ‘the system’,” noted Mahere.

She said Mawarire must have foreseen that the security sector would persecute him for launching his #ThisFlag campaign.

“Knowing these mechanisms were firmly in place, he boldly declared “hatichatya”. He told us all not to fear – on radio, in his videos, on social media and in the street. There is no denying that many were emboldened by his mantra and his leadership.

“Over the months that he ran his campaign, many regular citizens made themselves more vulnerable than they otherwise would have because the citizens had joined hands and discarded their fear in demanding a better Zimbabwe.

“Many sacrificed a day or more of business, some their wages, when they hearkened Pastor E’s call for a shutdown of the country and a stay away from work. There is no denying that Pastor E was the leader of a citizens’ movement,” said Mahere.

However, she added, his decision to skip the country has confused those that rallied behind him.

“Was he lying when he said he wasn’t afraid? Is he now afraid? Is he ever coming back? Is he not taking our intelligence for granted by suggesting that he underestimated the threat given what happened to the likes of Itai Dzamara, Lovemore Madhuku and Morgan Tsvangirai whose stories he would have known about full well before he embarked on his campaign?

“Has he had a change of heart? Surely, he has a moral obligation to let the public who followed him know about his change of heart – given that so many made themselves more vulnerable than they would have but for his “hatichatya” mantra?” said Mahere.

She urged Mawarire to reassure Zimbabwean citizens that he had not already been granted asylum in the USA as now speculated. But, if it turns out that he has already been offered refuge, it would be a “monumental betrayal of many Zimbabweans who stood beside him and made themselves equally vulnerable to attacks by the system”.

“Does he care whether the rest are ok or is this just about him and his family all of a sudden? The diaspora has a role to play and speeches can be given in Cape Town and Stellenbosch but has the publicity gotten to his head to a point where the comforts of his new found fame have made him forget how and where it all began? Is he now too good for the struggle on the ground?’ she queried.

Mahere questioned the wisdom of funding Mawarire’s stay abroad instead of providing him with security in Zimbabwe and queried if he would continue mobilising Zimbabweans from outside, thereby making them vulnerable to a paranoid security system while he enjoyed comfort abroad.

“One cannot instigate a nation to shut down, then walk away and smugly retort that he never signed up for this. That’s not okay. Zimbabweans deserve the respect of their leaders – civic leaders, business leaders and political leaders,” said Mahere.

There is need to separate the positive contributions that a person has made, she said, from their “flawed conduct”. Nehanda Radio