Mliswa : ED making Blessed Mhlanga a hero

By Themba Mliswa:
The disturbing arrest& continued detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga is a dark smudge against the credentials of the 2nd Republic and should be hastily erased as it is explicit dissent against the ideals that birthed the new dispensation.

2/For a long time were known as a country were many were victimized for their choices and beliefs but that was meant to change with the advent of the new dispensation. However, it appears they still exist individuals not yet weaned from that mentality& approach to state issues. This is an Ignite Media Zimbabwe news production.

3/Their default position remains being hard-handed which I strongly believe isn’t in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision or ways. No leader would allow his administration to taint itself through such actions as he gets to be smeared by actions of subordinates.

4/As with President Mugabe, there are many around the President who still believe their excitable zealotry to persecute individuals like Mhlanga will reap them promotions as they picture themselves as working for the state. It won’t work because they are actually damaging it!

5/The very issue around which the Mhlanga case is centred has 4 main players none of whom is wrong. ZANU as a party passed a resolution to extend the President’s term. It’s their right, supported by the party Constitution. It’s within their rights to seek for that.

6/The President has refused that offer& he is also right to make that choice. War Veteran Blessed Geza, protected by free speech under the Constitution has voiced his thoughts against the 2030 agenda. There is nothing wrong about that. He can’t be attacked or arrested for that.

7/Lastly Blessed Mhlanga, as a journalist conducted an interview, as part of his job and there is absolutely nothing illegal, immoral or bad about that! Thus all four are correct in their positions and actions. There is no need for the absurdity that has so far unravelled.

8/Thus the whole drama of arrests and court cases over free speech, dragging the country’s name into disrepute at a time we are courting the world to believe in us is very unfortunate. Some of these actions ultimately create heroes and rallying points out of nothing.

9/ I was arrested over 70 times & acquitted in all, such that as a product of persecution, I became prominent to be who I am today. The same is happening with Mhlanga, ZANU, ED& Geza. The very act of fighting someone standing on a Constitutional pedestal makes them a hero!

10/From nowhere the misguided elements dragging Mhlanga around are making him prominent over something that could have blown over a long time ago. How do you persecute a medium of information for utterances by an invited third party? Do we comprehend the wider inference?

11/Even those forcing President Mnangagwa to accept the 2030 agenda when he has categorically refused, are making him prominent and a hero as he constantly rebuffs the offer. It’s his right to refuse and you can’t vilify him for refusing that offer.

12/The same with the warrant of arrest against Cde Blessed Geza for his personal opinions; you are simply building up his profile and conniving to make him a hero of sorts. Even those who didn’t support him end up endeared to him as a persecuted hero.

13/The same way ZANU has the right to make the resolution to extend the term, Geza also has the right to voice opposition against the same objective. There is no need to arrest or vilify any of the four, as they are well within their constitutional rights.

14/The whole drama exposes the President as he is made culpable for the actions of overzealous subordinates. Democracy& constitutionalism require a lot of tolerance& patience. We can’t build a country on partially applied democracy& selective respect of the Constitution.

15/If we want to be respected as a country then we have to go all the way in being democratic and constitutional. None of the four involved is wrong; what is bad is wrongly leveraging the neutral claws of law to fight those who have voiced contrary opinions.

Themba Mliswa wrote on X:

DEMOCRACY AND CONSTITUTIONALISM
The disturbing arrest& continued detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga is a dark smudge against the credentials of the 2nd Republic and should be hastily erased as it is explicit dissent against the ideals that birthed the new dispensation.

2/For a long time were known as a country were many were victimized for their choices and beliefs but that was meant to change with the advent of the new dispensation. However, it appears they still exist individuals not yet weaned from that mentality& approach to state issues. This is an Ignite Media Zimbabwe news production.

3/Their default position remains being hard-handed which I strongly believe isn’t in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision or ways. No leader would allow his administration to taint itself through such actions as he gets to be smeared by actions of subordinates.

4/As with President Mugabe, there are many around the President who still believe their excitable zealotry to persecute individuals like Mhlanga will reap them promotions as they picture themselves as working for the state. It won’t work because they are actually damaging it!

5/The very issue around which the Mhlanga case is centred has 4 main players none of whom is wrong. ZANU as a party passed a resolution to extend the President’s term. It’s their right, supported by the party Constitution. It’s within their rights to seek for that.

6/The President has refused that offer& he is also right to make that choice. War Veteran Blessed Geza, protected by free speech under the Constitution has voiced his thoughts against the 2030 agenda. There is nothing wrong about that. He can’t be attacked or arrested for that.

7/Lastly Blessed Mhlanga, as a journalist conducted an interview, as part of his job and there is absolutely nothing illegal, immoral or bad about that! Thus all four are correct in their positions and actions. There is no need for the absurdity that has so far unravelled.

8/Thus the whole drama of arrests and court cases over free speech, dragging the country’s name into disrepute at a time we are courting the world to believe in us is very unfortunate. Some of these actions ultimately create heroes and rallying points out of nothing.

9/ I was arrested over 70 times & acquitted in all, such that as a product of persecution, I became prominent to be who I am today. The same is happening with Mhlanga, ZANU, ED& Geza. The very act of fighting someone standing on a Constitutional pedestal makes them a hero!

10/From nowhere the misguided elements dragging Mhlanga around are making him prominent over something that could have blown over a long time ago. How do you persecute a medium of information for utterances by an invited third party? Do we comprehend the wider inference?

11/Even those forcing President Mnangagwa to accept the 2030 agenda when he has categorically refused, are making him prominent and a hero as he constantly rebuffs the offer. It’s his right to refuse and you can’t vilify him for refusing that offer.

12/The same with the warrant of arrest against Cde Blessed Geza for his personal opinions; you are simply building up his profile and conniving to make him a hero of sorts. Even those who didn’t support him end up endeared to him as a persecuted hero.

13/The same way ZANU has the right to make the resolution to extend the term, Geza also has the right to voice opposition against the same objective. There is no need to arrest or vilify any of the four, as they are well within their constitutional rights.

14/The whole drama exposes the President as he is made culpable for the actions of overzealous subordinates. Democracy& constitutionalism require a lot of tolerance& patience. We can’t build a country on partially applied democracy& selective respect of the Constitution.

15/If we want to be respected as a country then we have to go all the way in being democratic and constitutional. None of the four involved is wrong; what is bad is wrongly leveraging the neutral claws of law to fight those who have voiced contrary opinions.

—Honourable Themba Mliswa is former Norton MP

About Post Author