Defiance or fatigue? Geza's stay-away appeal fails to gain traction
Zimbabweans have, this time around, ignored the war veteran Blessed Geza's calls for a second nationwide stay-away to protest Mnangagwa's rule.
On Saturday, Geza appeared in a YouTube livestream video and urged Zimbabweans to 'shut down the country' on 22 and 23 April. He also warned businesses not to open and told citizens to remain at home in defiance of what he called a 'dying system.'
To replicate the infamous 31 March protest, Geza keeps on urging Zimbabweans to unite and fight against Mnangagwa's leadership. The war veteran claims that Mnangagwa suffers from vascular dementia, which makes him unfit to govern.
'We must make it clear to Mnangagwa and his handlers that Zimbabwe will no longer be run from private farms and secret meetings,' Geza said. 'Shops, industries, everything must close. The people must defend themselves if provoked.'
Zimbabweans, particularly in Harare and Bulawayo, decided to go to work. With the ongoing ZITF exhibitions, it is business as usual in the City of Bulawayo.
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono believes that because this stay-away failed, no one can stop Mnangagwa from ruling. He says Zimbabweans are unlikely to join future efforts to change things unless the usual opposition parties organise them.
'Zimbabweans will now be stuck with Mnangagwa until the day he dies,' he posted on X(Formerly Twitter).
'They will have to accept that his kids will rule them too, with the assistance of his crooked cronies and clansmen. Zimbabweans should forget about the 2028 elections. Geza has tried, but there is no tangible citizen support that was forthcoming. Geza managed to force Mnangagwa's team to stop chanting the 2030 slogan…'
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