News / National
Strive Masiyiwa targets Dewa?
03 Jan 2019 at 14:24hrs | Views
Below is a response written by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa to Mr Roth of the Human Rights Watch.
I'm with the people of Zimbabwe, and my record is there for over 30 years of real activism, in which I put life and property at risk, time and time again, not the Twitter stuff of the Dewas of this world. Clearly you never saw the Wikileaks cables.
I notice, and will comment later, that this has now become a full pivot for you now—no longer is it about misogynist attacks on my wife by people who follow your Mr Dewa, but it has now become an attack by you on me.
Perhaps this is the real beef now: "Sanctions should not be removed, so let's smear Strive Masiyiwa, so that no one hears about the very real suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans." After all I'm the one who shipped Cholera drugs into the country, not once but twice: I have only spoken to President Mnangagwa once in 25 years...it was about Cholera, and the need to act in a coordinated way between government and donors. Is that what angered you guys? I did it to save lives. And I will do it again, so long as I have breath in me. I'm with the people of Zimbabwe, and their suffering must end, and end now. Sanctions must end and name calling will not intimidate me!
I have a well documented history in fighting for human rights in my own country and throughout Africa. I have paid dearly for this, including being forced to flee for my life 19 years ago. Twice I was forced to flee for my life 19 years ago. Twice I survived assassination plots.
#3. I did not make any comments about sanctions or the need to try and rebuild our country's economy until the elections were over, and well after the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe had declared a winner. If it had been my intention to support any particular candidate,1 would not have waited.
My company is the biggest employer in Zimbabwe, and it is a matter of public record that my company's executives were arrested and held in the Death Row section of Harare's Chikurubi prison because of my perceived support for the opposition.
This is just one example of over 25 years of harassment and persecution. I never heard from you or Mr Dewa during all that time. Where were you when my executives were held in leg irons?
Human Rights Watch said nothing at the time but you were already its President. Dewa was with Soros' organization perhaps working on the issues or he was waiting for Twitter to be invented so it can give him a voice to mobilize misogynists to shout down women like drunken louts!
It is a matter of public record that Morgan Tsvangirai fled to SA, and lived in my own home after the disputed election of 2008. I personally housed fleeing activists, working side by side.....
Consider Mr Roth, that it is possible that we Zimbabweans would like to have an opportunity [ON OUR OWN] to also re evaluate some of the options and tools to bring peace, and true democracy. How will we achieve this, if you take it upon yourself to decide what we should think and what views we should hold or even who we should talk to without you passing withering judgement on us?
What are you afraid of? How can you of all people call Tweet that Jonathan Moyo is a champion for democracy, and call me a "defender of repression". Come on man! Maybe it's time to retire and let a new generation take up the fight, otherwise you will soon become the thing you fought against! This is just pathetic! Let's disagree yes, but let's not be disagreeable.
Strive Masiyiwa
African Patriot
I'm with the people of Zimbabwe, and my record is there for over 30 years of real activism, in which I put life and property at risk, time and time again, not the Twitter stuff of the Dewas of this world. Clearly you never saw the Wikileaks cables.
I notice, and will comment later, that this has now become a full pivot for you now—no longer is it about misogynist attacks on my wife by people who follow your Mr Dewa, but it has now become an attack by you on me.
Perhaps this is the real beef now: "Sanctions should not be removed, so let's smear Strive Masiyiwa, so that no one hears about the very real suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans." After all I'm the one who shipped Cholera drugs into the country, not once but twice: I have only spoken to President Mnangagwa once in 25 years...it was about Cholera, and the need to act in a coordinated way between government and donors. Is that what angered you guys? I did it to save lives. And I will do it again, so long as I have breath in me. I'm with the people of Zimbabwe, and their suffering must end, and end now. Sanctions must end and name calling will not intimidate me!
I have a well documented history in fighting for human rights in my own country and throughout Africa. I have paid dearly for this, including being forced to flee for my life 19 years ago. Twice I was forced to flee for my life 19 years ago. Twice I survived assassination plots.
#3. I did not make any comments about sanctions or the need to try and rebuild our country's economy until the elections were over, and well after the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe had declared a winner. If it had been my intention to support any particular candidate,1 would not have waited.
My company is the biggest employer in Zimbabwe, and it is a matter of public record that my company's executives were arrested and held in the Death Row section of Harare's Chikurubi prison because of my perceived support for the opposition.
This is just one example of over 25 years of harassment and persecution. I never heard from you or Mr Dewa during all that time. Where were you when my executives were held in leg irons?
Human Rights Watch said nothing at the time but you were already its President. Dewa was with Soros' organization perhaps working on the issues or he was waiting for Twitter to be invented so it can give him a voice to mobilize misogynists to shout down women like drunken louts!
It is a matter of public record that Morgan Tsvangirai fled to SA, and lived in my own home after the disputed election of 2008. I personally housed fleeing activists, working side by side.....
Consider Mr Roth, that it is possible that we Zimbabweans would like to have an opportunity [ON OUR OWN] to also re evaluate some of the options and tools to bring peace, and true democracy. How will we achieve this, if you take it upon yourself to decide what we should think and what views we should hold or even who we should talk to without you passing withering judgement on us?
What are you afraid of? How can you of all people call Tweet that Jonathan Moyo is a champion for democracy, and call me a "defender of repression". Come on man! Maybe it's time to retire and let a new generation take up the fight, otherwise you will soon become the thing you fought against! This is just pathetic! Let's disagree yes, but let's not be disagreeable.
Strive Masiyiwa
African Patriot
Source - Strive Masiyiwa
