Popular Award winning Zimbabwean journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono, has slammed Matabeleland pressure group, Mthwakazi, for trying to break Zimbabwe into two.
Writing on Facebook, Chin’ono said :
I would like to address something fundamental!
This is a personal page, and not a media institutional page!
I write about things I know something about, not every issue when I know very little about it!
I have been attacked today by someone who thinks that I should have written about Mthwakazi Party, which I know very little about, except that they are a separatist movement calling for Zimbabwe to be cut into 2.
Not writing about them doesn’t make me a tribalist.
I am on bail on 3 cases where I have conditions regarding what I can say, and what I can’t say!
There is an attempt by State agents to try and get me to break those bail conditions so that I can be thrown back into prison!
Anyone who cares about my welfare and wellbeing would not spend the whole day pushing me to write things that they know will get me arrested.
Especially things that are clearly stated in my bail conditions.
Calling me a tribalist won’t change that reality!
If a woman is accused of being a man, she won’t take off her clothes and run around the block naked to prove that she is a woman.
Similarly, I will not be forced into writing about what I am not qualified to write about in order to prove that I am not a tribalist!
My page focuses on ending corruption, looting and plunder of our country’s resources!
I have written every week about every region of our country including Matebeleland, but I write about things I know about, ending corruption and looting!
We should respect each other and the choices we make as we trod on in life, I don’t and should never be forced to write about everything when I know little about it!
That would make me an irrational human being! There are people who are experts on football, music, dancing, traditional affairs and so on.
Allow them to write about what they are passionate about and what they are knowledgeable!
That is what living in a democracy means!
I only write about things I am well conversant with and not everything because everyone wants to read their views on my walls!
Doing so creates mediocrity because people end up writing about things they know nothing about!
That is what has led our beautiful country to collapse!
The inability to know what you are good at and what you are not good at!
It would be disrespectful to the people or topic I choose to write about if I know very little to nothing about it.
Please respect my right to make choices that define who I am, you have a right to write what you want and I will not force you to write about corruption if you know little about it!
We can’t accuse ZANUPF of being a dictatorship, then we go and do the same thing forcing people to write about what they know little about!
Good evening!
