Responding to critics today on Facebook, Masiyiwa said that he and his companies had endured persecution alone and that no one had stood in their corner to defend them. Masiyiwa has been criticised especially on Twitter for his “Mnangagwa is sincere” statement earlier in the week.
I fled my country when assassins were sent to kill me. I had been tipped off by someone in the Mugabe government who was related to me. Even when I left the country, there were other attempts to kidnap me in SA. It has been 18 and a half years. Only I have the right to decide when to come home.
My executives [in Zimbabwe] were arrested and held in leg irons for 16 days. I endured all the persecutions, including the bombing and shutting down of my newspaper business.
No one stood in our corner, or expressed indignation, perhaps because there was no Twitter?
…
Intimidation and threats have never affected me. I stood up to Mugabe when most of those issuing threats by Twitter were either in diapers, or hiding, or even simply minding their own business.
Whatever!
I did not rail at them, and never will or demand that they say only what I approve.
Zimbabwe as a dispensation has never been as inclusive ever since…lots of talent has been lost, Zimbabwe could have by now been a highly industrialized nation…apart from efforts on speeding up industrialization in urban and rural alike, the issue of an inclusive and space age dispensation remains urgent. Quite sad the Operation Restore Legacy funfair/ celebrations were totally misread as the traditional abrasive and divisive political model which saw the former wonderful life in Zimbabwe being driven systematically into the ground. With great sadness and alarm we experienced the frustration of Masiiwa Strive, James Makamba saga, later Chingoma and his promising African Aviation School being smashed and lately the Aguma innovation by Hon PHD Founding Father Dr Prophet W Magaya , just an assault possibly out of personal rabbit hatred to the Anointed Man of God…..nevertheless read well your Bible for an understanding of the devastating generational consequences of such advancements against scientific breakthroughs and innovations of magnitude …. true I must admit speculative advances against Man of God the Anointed are quite devastating consequences for the pepertrators..just watch it.
Most of the Zimbos stood with Econet, remember we boycotted other networks when Mai Mujuru was blocking u, currently we are still sticking on yr companies though yr tarrifs are high as compared to yr competitors.
Stop it Strive
Remember it wasn’t just mugabe who was your enemy but the entire gvt at that tym and guess who was part of it?? Our very own PFEE!!!……. so to come up and say mugabe made your life difficult is just plain wrong coz he never run this country alone……plus u are not the only one who suffered under mugabe rule. Most zimbos had it worse and even today are still suffering and part of the same old mugabe system that you are blaming…. so instead of crying for just sanctions you need to advocate for refoms, transparency, accountability and courrption within the “new gvt”
Listen to this!
Today Strive is telling us he died for this cowntree!!!
How laughable that he is so hurt by the prospect of coming back to Zim… I guess his endorsement was insincere
Dzoka kumusha Masiyiwa we will embrace you with all our hands, vaikushungurudza vakaenda we are now in the new dawn era, Zimbabwe is now wide open for businesspeople like you, continue advocating for the removal of sanctions may be zvikataurwa nemunhu ariikoko vangahwa chichemo chedu tahwa, hongu corruption iripo zvayo but sanctions have done a lot in the decay of our economy. More than 20 years under sanctions is not a joke to a landlocked country like ours.
But im quite sure God is about to answer to the plight of zimbabweans.
No Mukoma Strive, many Zimbabweans stood with you. Many prayed for you because they knew you were being persecuted for the right thing, starting a business. So if you thought Zimbabweans did not stand with you, hear it from me, I stood with you Spiritually and I know many more who stood with you. You will never know them and you do not need to know them. But you should know that many stood with you. Have you forgotten that the Late Dr. Nkomo stood with you? Was he not denigrated by Joyce Mujuru for standing with you?
I however believe you when you say that sanctions must be removed because they hurt ordinary Zimbabweans. Indeed they must go but our leaders must also repent because these sanctions do not just come arbitrarily. Many other countries are without sanctions because their leaders observe basic human rights. Our elections are clearly not free and fair. Those Zimbabweans who died after this year’s elections should not have been killed. In fact most of them were not even demonstrating. So while I like most Zimbabweans who understand the economic harm brought by these sanctions want sanctions removed I am still at a loss as to why our leaders speak as if these sanctions are arbitrarily imposed against nations.
You my brother Strive should not speak as though you are oblivious of why our country is under sanctions. Since God has given you a voice to be heard also plead with our leaders to act in a way which will persuade those who have imposed sanctions against our nation to see that they have indeed repented.
Unfortunately these sanctions hurt us the ordinary Zimbabweans more than our leaders who bring them upon us.