by Christopher Makaza
I have been following with great concern negative remarks by our fellow Zimbabwean brothers and sisters since President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared a winner of the July 30 harmonised elections, before, during and after the constitutional court ruling.
While majority of Zimbabweans view President Mnangagwa as the Joshua of our time who will lead Zimbabwe to the promised land of Canaan, some are busy cursing the country, wishing bad for our economy and our leadership, what a shame.
Unfortunately some citizens are not grateful, they do not appreciate positive changes that the country has achieved since President Mnangagwa took over from former president Robert Mugabe during operation restore legacy. These citizens are abusing social media platforms preaching hate and malicious talk. What they don’t know is that what our tongue produces has eternal implications, for it reveals what is in our heart. The Good Book said that “the good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” Matthew 12:35. Formidable power dwells within each of us and this power has changed the course of nations. It is capable of starting and ending wars. And it has made men rich and women famous. It has the means to commend or corrupt to bless or to blame. It is the power of the tongue.
One of the cyber trolls shamelessly wrote, “ ED pfee, poverty pfee, unemployment pfee, diseases pfee, hunger pfee, higher prices pfee” among other negative pfees, while others predict the return of the 2008 scenario where the country`s economy was on a nosedive. Some trolls are taking the opportunity to misinform and disinform citizens who lack information pertaining to political and economic issues. This is evil and very unacceptable. All this has negative implications to the country economic revival efforts which should involve every Zimbabwean. Some business persons are deliberately sabotaging the economy through unnecessary hiking of prices blaming lack of foreign currency. The “change monies” continue to flout the law that prohibits illegal cash and foreign currency trading which stipulates that offenders will face a mandatory 10-year jail term.
President Mnangagwa has made some notable great achievements since he got into power. We have seen roads being rehabilitated, free health delivery to the elderly and young, infrastructure development among other notable achievements. He has pledged economic reforms to improve the investment climate and enhance policy clarity, consistency and predictability. President Mnangagwa`s vision is to see Zimbabwe becoming a middle-income economy by 2030 with a per capita income of $3500, increased investment, creation of decent jobs, freedom from poverty and corruption.
This should be a shared vision by every Zimbabwean. Zimbabwe now needs a break with the past and have unity of purpose in order for the country to successfully challenge the future ahead. Divided Zimbabweans along political lines need to bury the hatchet for the good of the country.
MDC-T Vice President Obert Gutu once tweeted that Twitter and other platforms should essentially be for purposeful and focused social engagements and interaction and unfortunately some users have bastardised the platform into a purveyor of hate, malice and all other forms of profanities. Another patriotic netizen on his Twitter page urged citizens to kill what he termed Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTS) and replace them with Performing Enhancing Thoughts (PETS).
God greatly desires for us to use the power of the tongue to bring glory to His name and to advance his kingdom here on Earth. He wants us to speak with love and to declare truth boldly. But, Satan also wants a piece of that action. He tries to keep us in the dark about the power of our words and entices us to use them for harm instead of hope.
