#ThisFlag: Keep calm, the fat lady hasn’t sung yet – Bishop Chikosi

By Bishop Dave Chikosi

Advocate Fadzayi Mahere’s critique of Pastor Evan Mawarire jumps the gun. It is based on supposedly specific facts that Rev Mawarire himself has yet to clarify.

I find the esteemed advocate’s strident tone rather startling given the apparent close working relationship between the two, as suggested by how they sat at the high table during that memorable RBZ indaba.

One would have thought the two (and others who sat with them) were”tight” in the struggle and fed off each other’s energy, with Mawarire supplying the spiritual perspective for the struggle and Mahere the legal nitty grittys.

We all thought this was a formidable symbiosis that would lead us from the wilderness of corruption – induced poverty to the promised land of political reform and government accountability.

But now our lady advocate eviscerates an erstwhile comrade with remarkable phrases like “does he care?”, “publicity gotten to his head”, “(flawed) conduct”, “our leaders (should) maintain integrity.”

“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.”

Smug? Wow. Talk about throwing a man under the bus.

It’s interesting that the word “integrity” appears at least five times in Mahere’s essay. For her integrity or lack thereof, is at the root of why the pastor has taken the route he did and left all and sundry high and dry.

A man of greater integrity would have stayed to face the music of which he is chief composer/writer and not hightail it out of town at the first opportunity.

While some of this criticism is fair, the $15 billion question is: Why is this criticism being made in the public domain?

If these folks are comrades in the struggle, and they are, why not use social media to privately hold each other’s feet to the fire?

Why, in the style of Mandi Chimene, put cyber pen to cyber paper “kutsoropodza nekufumura” a compatriot?

Surely you have each other’s Whatsapp or whatever?

These matters could be dealt with privately without giving haters the satisfaction of watching the movement’s spokespersons tear into each other, as many of our political parties do.

The really troubling thing is that much of this criticism is being made before the movement’s leading voice has given a clear indication of whether he has taken asylum in US or not.

I have not seen anything anywhere to suggest that Mawarire bought a one way ticket to America.

I would want to think that the concern was to get his family out of harm’s way first and then return to pick up from where things were left off. We just don’t know.

I do, however, share the view that the pastor needs to speak to these issues and concerns and to do so asap. After all he is the original visionary for #thisflag.

The people need him to clarify what he intends to do or not do, so they can map the way forward. And from the looks of it they will love him either way.

But before he clarifies let’s not jump the gun and become hysterical. This movement will be alright. It’s not over until the fat lady sings.

The good book says “All things work together to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.”

The cause for which the movement was formed is just. This is but a season of retooling – going back to the drawing board, if you please. So don’t panic mechanic.

God will allow as many leading actors as is necessary to emerge in the interim. The toothpaste is already out of the tube, so to speak, and no government effort to shove it back will succeed.

In the long run the will of the people will prevail, and (for the record) violence is not a necessary condition of that ultimate victory. God is on the side of the people and He will fight their battle for them.

A Man from the Diaspora

In closing here is some food for thought: recently there was a prophetic word given about the nation and it spoke about a person:

“coming from outside, who was running towards the people of Zimbabwe. This person is running in the opposite direction to people, who are running towards him, I see a spider and this spider is following this person, who is the chosen one to lead the people.”

Notice the elements of the prophecy: this person is coming from outside (USA perhaps?).

But he is also currently running in opposite direction to the people who are running towards him (Going overseas against the people’s will?).

And a “spider is following him.” Spiders symbolically represent an awakening of creative consciousness.

The spider says we all can weave our own world quietly without noise and violence. It’s interesting that much of the spider’s creative work is done in darkness and silence, but the results are visible and beautiful for all to see.

This is why the movement must not hit the panic button. It must be patient.  The promise is that God will make “everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl 3:11).