Benny Jacobe

My attention has been drawn to a defamatory post published by @ZimEye editor @schikanza, falsely and maliciously claiming that I recorded opposition leader @nelsonchamisa during a phone call and leaked the audio in an attempt to damage his image. I do not take lightly the reckless use of my name and reputation in pursuit of sensationalism and cheap objectives. I therefore expect the post on ZimEye to be taken down and a public apology issued within the next 48 hours. You have direct access to Nelson Chamisa via WhatsApp, and there is no reasonable basis upon which this story could have been verified as true. Only Chamisa knows who he was speaking to in that audio recording. I have tagged him here because any responsible journalist would have first verified the claim directly with him before publishing such serious allegations. Your obsession with Hopewell Chin'ono (@daddyhope) is sadly contributing to the destruction of a platform many of us were once proud to see being run by a fellow comrade. I hold no malice towards you — only disappointment and pity. However, I draw the line at falsehoods and reckless attacks on my name. A simple phone call to Chamisa would have spared you the embarrassment of publishing outright lies. Lance Guma Managing Editor

1) I STILL CAN’T FIND WHERE TIMBA IS BEING BASHED. What I see instead is a group of people, @Chofamba included, displaying FRAGILE EGOS that are too easily bruised by serious political questions. If we are truly committed to the POLITICS OF ZIMBABWE and not shallow trends, hashtags, and emotional reactions, then we must confront the real crisis before us: a NATIONAL MANDATE PANDEMIC. 2)Zimbabwe is suffering from a DEEP MANDATE CRISIS. We now have individuals launching governments, parties, alliances, forums, and movements WITHOUT a clear mandate from the PEOPLE. Every day, people emerge as “FOUNDERS,” “CEOs,” “CONVENORS,” already carrying pre-cooked constitutions, pre-selected leaderships, and ready-made political programs, all before the citizens themselves have spoken. And then we wonder why the people are disengaged. 3)That is precisely why the CAB3 discourse remains URBANISED — trapped amongst elites of thought, social media intellectuals, and suburban political circles, while the ordinary citizen in the peripheries remains disconnected from the struggle. The people do not reject politics because they are ignorant. They reject politics because too many projects are built WITHOUT THEM. 4)I am actually GLAD NC raised the question of MANDATE. It is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT political question of our time. Timba here is not being attacked; he was simply used as an example, likely because his name appeared in the question itself. Which is exactly why some of us are demanding the FULL INTERVIEW GUIDE and COMPLETE CONTEXT before rushing to conclusions. 5) The irony is astonishing: some of you silence others from defending a position before hearing the full interview, yet you yourselves have already reached FINAL CONCLUSIONS without the full audio. That is not political maturity. That is intellectual dishonesty. 6)And let me make this VERY CLEAR: being against CAB3 is NOT a mandate. Opposition alone is not legitimacy. Anger is not organisation. Frustration is not authority. If you want to organise citizens into a coherent national struggle, then you MUST seek a PEOPLE’S MANDATE. Anything short of that becomes another elite project speaking above the people instead of with them. 7.So spare us the TREND-CENTRIC POLITICS with no political theory, no philosophical grounding, and no understanding of democratic legitimacy. Zimbabwe deserves deeper politics than emotional outrage and online mob reactions.