HARARE – The beleaguered former opposition Member of Parliament Fadzai Mahere has criticised exiled former Cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo, accusing him of offering irrelevant political advice while failing to return to Zimbabwe.
Mahere made her remarks on X (formerly Twitter), responding to Moyo’s recent comments directed at opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.
Moyo had chastised Chamisa for not addressing claims by some of his supporters that life under colonial rule was better than under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government or the preceding administration of Robert Mugabe. Moyo suggested that Chamisa’s silence on the issue reflected poorly on his leadership.
“No political dividend will come out of it for you. None, whatsoever!” Moyo remarked, in a statement widely interpreted as aimed at Chamisa.
Mahere, however, dismissed Moyo’s remarks as inconsequential, accusing him of being out of touch with Zimbabwean realities.
“If you are that ‘exiled’ political leader trying to bark instructions from a hole and tell people how they can attain power when you cannot even attain entry into the republic, no political dividend will come out of this for you. Never,” Mahere wrote.
“All you are is comical noise trying to attribute views of ordinary citizens to someone who is not responsible for them, who is minding their business and enjoying their holiday. If you think you can pull the strings here and make real political actors your puppets, forget it!” she added.
Chamisa, meanwhile, appeared unbothered by the controversy, sharing images of himself on holiday at his rural home in Gutu during the festive season.
Moyo, believed to be residing in Kenya, fled Zimbabwe following the 2017 coup that ousted Mugabe and installed Mnangagwa as president. At the time, Moyo claimed he had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by soldiers searching for him at his Harare residence. He later credited former First Lady Grace Mugabe with helping him flee.
The debate has sparked wider discussions on social media about Zimbabwe’s ongoing economic challenges, as citizens compare their current hardships to previous eras. Moyo’s criticism of Chamisa, and Mahere’s sharp retort, highlight the continued divisions within Zimbabwe’s political discourse.
