#ThisFlag Pastor not returning to Zimbabwe

Pastor Evan Mawarire of the #ThisFlag movement is not returning to Zimbabwe anytime soon, Bulawayo24.com has learnt.

Mawarire has been in South Africa for close to two weeks spending most of his time conducting media interviews.

According to media reports from South Africa, Mawarire said he was left "shaken and scared" by his arrest.

As a result, he said he resolved to stay in South Africa, depending on the situation in Zimbabwe.

"It's important that people understand that I am not running away from Zimbabwe. I travel to South Africa regularly for my own personal and church business. But because of my arrest, there has actually been a disturbance" he said.

"I have to rethink my return to Zimbabwe because of the current situation. I was denounced by Zimbabwe's government; yet, I am just one person who has raised his voice and spoken out. So, it is a tricky situation and something that I am still thinking about".

President Robert Mugabe publicly denounced Mawarire, who became a national hero by starting the #ThisFlag social media campaign to highlight the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans.

"People in Zimbabwe now understand that an attack on one citizen is an attack on all citizens.

"If the rights of one citizen are being molested, then the rights of all citizens are affected."