𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗪 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥?

Rutendo Matinyarare wearing an oxygen mask.

Every time you get onto a flight, you are given safety instructions. In these instructions, you are told that when the cabin decompresses, oxygen masks will fall from overhead and that you must pull down your mask, place it over your mouth and nose, and breathe normally before helping others. This is done to prevent you, while helping others, from passing out due to a lack of oxygen and then failing to help anyone altogether, resulting in the loss of more lives.

Over the past few weeks, I have clearly and publicly articulated that I do not support CAB3 without a referendum, for both national and personal reasons. I have blogged about both national and personal reasons here on social media for the past three months:

1. I believe the inception of the Bill was unconstitutional,

2. I believe the process was unconstitutional,

3. I think the Bill will cause division, and

4. I believe it could lead to political power being bought.

On a personal level, I said I was not willing to support a leadership that I believed did not appreciate the work I had done for the nation and had not ensured that I was paid for that work.

I made all these arguments loudly, shouting from the rooftop of social media, and my objective was to achieve three things: to create enough noise for my arguments to be heard by parliamentarians, the Presidency, and the judiciary, so that they could play their role by upholding the Constitution to avert any possibility of the military intervening to uphold it.

I was heard by all three institutions, which culminated in the Presidency responding through the Presidential Legal Advisor. He acknowledged that he—and, by deduction, the President—had heard my constitutional and personal concerns, and they subsequently invited me for dialogue.

Behind closed doors, he explained that he does not believe the CAB3 process was unconstitutional and that, if indeed it was, the courts would make that determination.

He then went a step further and addressed my personal concerns, stating that the President would never deliberately sideline or refuse to compensate someone who had done significant work for the State. As a token of his and the President's appreciation for my work, he gifted me a vehicle and money, and committed to resolving outstanding payments for work I had done in fighting sanctions, marketing Zimbabwe, and defending the country.

He then made his own request: now that the President had heard me, there was no need for me to continue shouting at the President from the rooftop when I now had direct access to him.

He also pointed out that I had gone beyond making political arguments and had, at times, insulted the President, the First Lady, and members of their family. Therefore, in the spirit of reconciliation, I owed the President, the First Lady, and their family an apology.

This was a crossroads for me. The Advisor was essentially saying: accept that the President and those of us defending him are humbling ourselves—despite having immense State power at our disposal—and asking you to engage with us directly rather than shouting from the rooftops.

This meant that I no longer needed to shout my grievances—or our grievances regarding CAB3 or anything else—from a rooftop. I now had direct access to the seat of power.

So I accepted and appreciated the offer because I had achieved my objective of getting yours and my message, not only to the President but to the State itself. What more could one ask for, and for what reason would one reject such a once in a lifetime offer? The alternative would be to go to war with State apparatus and ZANU PF, closing the door on a relationship with the President and living in exile.

I have always been an adviser to government through social media and other channels, and as such, I believe I have achieved my objectives. The ball is now in the court of State institutions regarding CAB3.

I have done my job.

Many perceive my decision to engage from the inside as a sellout because they would have preferred that I call for riots and protests against CAB3.

However, that would be to misunderstand my role. I am not a politician or anarchist, but a lobbyist, influencer, or fixer, if you may. A seat at the President's advisor’s table is more than sufficient to advance the national agenda for me, as I did with removing sanctions, fighting GMO, fighting xenophobia against Zimbabweans, Telling The Good Zimbabwe Story and we hope resolution to CAB3.

I will not reject this opportunity to try and be a rebel without social capital, because that would achieve nothing.