Lawfare: the new normal in Zimbabwe as the Harare regime clamps down on dissenting voices.

By Prince Gora 

In a 1946 post-war confessional prose, the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) wrote a touching poem about the silence of German intellectuals and certain clergy—including, by his own admission, Niemöller himself—following the Nazi's rise to power and subsequent incremental purging of their chosen targets, group after group. The poem deals with themes of persecution, guilt, repentance, and personal responsibility. It reads as follows;

First they came for the Communists,

And I did not speak out,

Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists,

And I did not speak out,

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

And I did not speak out,

Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews 

And I did not speak out,

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me,

And there was no one left.

To speak out for me!

Convict, Convict, Convict... is the new chorus in town.

1946 is a very long time ago and evils of the Nazi regime seem very divorced from any of the modern day leaders and rulers. Thus, at face value, Martin Niemöller's poem seem to have no practical applications to countries like, er, Zimbabwe. 

But let's take a closer look.

Let's begin by testing your memory and how closely you have been following the news over the past year or so.

Tsitsi Dangarembga, Julie Barnes, Makomborero Haruzivishe, Jacob Ngarivhume, Fadzayi Mahere, Job Sikhala, to name but just a few.

Anything in common amongst these people? Yes. They are Zimbabweans. 

Anything else? Again, yes. They are Zimbabweans who believe in a better future for the country.

Most importantly though is the fact that all the aforementioned citizens of my beloved country are people who have been convicted by the courts in the past few months. 

Criminals right? Well, let's not rush there - just yet. Let's take a closer look at the crimes they have been convicted for. 

Tsitsi and Julie? Holding placards demanding human rights. 

Mako? Blowing a whistle in a restaurant.

Ngarivhume? Calling for a peaceful demonstration. 

Fadzayi? Non existent law that was declared so by the High Court of Zimbabwe. 

Job Sikhala? Demanding justice for slain opposition activist, Moreblessing Ali.

For comparison, let us examine the case of Henrietta Rushwaya who was caught with 5kgs of gold in a hand bag at Harare International Airport some 2 years ago. Nothing has been heard of the case ever since. Or should we take a look at Obadiah Moyo's case of emblazoning Covid 19 funds or Prisca Mupfumira's scandal at NASA or Justice Mayor Wadyajena's COTTCO fiasco. All theses cases have a grand total of zero convictions.

Conviction is the jaganault, the chorus of the song. Verses of the song include unwarranted arrests, pre-trial detention, intimidation, abductions and censorship of everyone including creatives like the popular Winky D.

Lawfare.

Writing in his weekly bulletin, the Big Saturday Read, in August 2020, the late Dr. Alex Magaisa (MHSRIP) explained that, "There is a war that takes place without guns and ammunition, a war in which the law is the  primary weapon. This kind of war is referred to as lawfare."

Dr. Magaisa further explained that dictatorships rely on a combination of guns and the law but mostly the law because guns are too visible and too gory. They produce blood on the streets and create evidence of tortured bodies. The sight of thousands of gun-wielding soldiers and riot police on streets also gives away evidence of a severe crackdown and heavy-handedness.

So, alternatively, Dr. Magaisa explained, they engage in lawfare against dissenting voices instead. Dictatorships arrest and detain dissenters based on spurious charges and are kept in jail for a few days, sometimes weeks before they are released on bail.

A case of Job Sikhala.

What Dr. Magaisa wrote about, a kind of lawfare where dissenters are released from jail after being given bail in a few weeks is, perhaps, lawfare of the 'old'. 

In the 'new' lawfare, dissenters are kept in prison without bail for a year and then sentenced to a finable six months in prison. If this sounds like fiction, then you are not paying attention because this is exactly what happened to Zengeza West Legislator, Job Sikhala.

Something similar also happened to Makomborero Haruzivishe in 2021 in a case where Mako has since been proven to be innocent of the charges for which he spent 10 months in prison for.

It is important to point out that many years ago, in colonial Zimbabwe, similar scenarios were also recorded. The case of Mudzimbamuto, a freedom fighter who spent years in detention based on emergency powers is a good reference point.

Shrinking civic space and the silencing of society.

Empirical evidence clearly show that human rights defenders, opposition activists, civil society players and the likes are being targeted.

If you don't believe my theory, you may need to also take a look at proposed laws or laws that have been enacted in Zimbabwe in recent times. The PVO Bill, MOPA, the Cyber Security and Data Protection Act, the Patriotic Bill and etcetera will tell you everything you need to know about the intentions of the Harare regime. 

Conclusion 

As free human beings,  we have an option to either follow in Martin Niemöller's footsteps of doing nothing and regretting later - or not. But we also have an option to take a cue from his lessons and act now! It is however important for us to realize that if we keep quite now, they may be no one left to speak for us!

Coming Soon: Social Commentary

For the next several months, I  will be publishing a fictional short story on my blog every Sunday.

How it all started

I was attending my first ever writers` retreat in July last year when I declared, on the night of arrival, that a third generation descendent of mine would write on the golden anniversary of the retreat on 13 July 1972 that, “When they gathered for the writers` retreat on that Wednesday evening, I wonder if they knew that what they were about to do would change the course of history and inspire generations.”

The truth is that I didn't even have a solid reason for saying what I said that night. I  probably only did because I was asked to say something along those lines.

Little did I know that the retreat would unlock a side of me that had been locked for years; fictional writing.

I not only wrote a short story during the retreat but went on to write a couple of more short stories with the intention of publishing a short stories collection. 

I even contacted a publisher but owing to a number of issues; things like work, the power crisis, social media and outright laziness, I have failed to do so in almost a year.

Just this week though, to my pleasant surprise, I found myself writing a 1000 words long article with Blogger on my mobile phone. I had somehow forgot that I write better there than I do on WPS or even, in a way, on my PC.

That gave me ideas. What if I start publishing my short stories once every week, on a Sunday, until every short story has been completed?

In a flash, that is exactly what I have decided to do. Every Sunday, right here, I will post a short story as part of the Social Commentary Series. The longer ones can run for 2-3 weeks or more if need be.

When all is done, I will then compile everything and formally publish. 

Posts for the next five weeks, from Sunday, May 14th have already been uploaded and scheduled so stay tuned.

What is the Social Commentary all about?

Social Commentary is a compilation of mostly fictional short stories. I say mostly fictional because the stories in there borrow heavily from what I know, what I have heard and my surroundings which some people may relate to.

This may and will most likely touch some nerves and upset a few people but I am not really worried about that.

One of my writing inspirations, the writer Dambudzo Marechera (MHSRIP) often said that he wasn`t inspired by any writer but by the surroundings in which he grew up in. That is me a lot of times and especially in this short stories series. 

Social Commentary had another inspiration though besides my surroundings, a certain writer who wrote a short story she gave the title of Olikoye. I believe that her name is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Olikoye was part of the retreat assignments but I hadn`t even read it when I made my declaration. When I did, later that evening, a beast in me was awakened. I was deeply struck by how Chimamanda told a very interesting story while putting across some powerful lessons and brave ideas and when we had to do a writing assignment the following afternoon, her style of telling a story was all that I could think of and so, Mavhura Bridge, was born and so was Social Commentary.

I didn`t quite follow the same style in the rest of the stories though. I couldn`t possibly have done so because, well I first wrote one of them back in 2015 but had never had the courage to finish nor publish it. I still saw it fit to include it here because I realized that it is social commentary all the same.

More importantly to state though is the fact that I didn`t start writing any of the stories that I am going to publish in the series with the end in mind. Each story came out the way it wanted to and not the way I wanted it to. I merely allowed my thoughts and my pen to be swayed and mesmerized by my chosen characters.

To those of you who will enjoy reading the series, just one story told from different angles and by different characters, please do but to those of you who will take offense and be upset, tough luck but I am not sorry.

Social Commentary is simply me telling the stories of my life: the stories I have lived, the stories I have seen others live and the stories I have read and heard; both fact and fiction.

From the earliest days of childhood and my formative years as a writer, I have always wanted to tell these stories to the whole world and I am so relieved that I am finally going to do it!

Creating a Caring Campus Culture

By Prince Gora

Campus culture is the combination of language, behavior, values, and philosophy or outlook that are part of a college education. It's the "rules," usually unspoken, that college students learn to fit into a college.

It is a powerful source of socialization. Students are socialized through their perception of the institution’s norms, including peer norms, and their habitual participation in routine practices and communal events. 

There has been a recent spike in cases of mental health and suicide among tertiary students in the country. What's interesting to note is that while some institutions have recorded several cases of suicide over the past few years, others have recorded none. Obviously, some institutions are bigger than others, but one can't help but wonder if some institutions are more caring about their student's mental health issues than others. Institutions need to start doing more to safeguard the mental health of students. Below are 7 ways on how this can be done;

1. Teach life skills

Providing life-skills education for incoming students is valuable in teaching healthy ways to cope with the stress of college life especially in the Zimbabwean higher education environment where students sometimes struggle with the basics like food. Among important life skills are managing friendships and relationships, problem-solving, decision-making, identifying and managing emotions, healthy living, and finding life purpose and identity.

2. Promote connectedness

Loneliness and isolation are risk factors for mental health problems and suicidal ideation. Supportive social relationships and feeling connected to the campus community, family, and friends can help lower risk. A good example to follow could be the MindHandHeart initiative used to promote student connections at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. Every semester, the institute hosts Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK), a weeklong series of events aimed at helping people connect through small acts of kindness. To encourage acts of kindness, MIT libraries provide stationery, postage, and paper so students can write kind notes to other students.

3. Train key leaders

It is crucial to identify students at risk for mental health problems and suicidal behavior and to promote emotional health awareness among select staff such as residence hall staff, academic advisors, faculty, and student leaders. These key people need to recognize and refer students in distress.

4. Encourage students to get help

Students who need help may be reluctant or unsure of how to seek it out. Obstacles to seeking help include lack of awareness of mental health services, skepticism about the effectiveness of treatment, prejudices associated with mental illness, and uncertainty about costs or insurance coverage. Institutions should consider implementing activities or programs on campus designed to increase the likelihood that a student in need will seek help.

5. Provide mental health and substance abuse services

It is essential for universities and colleges to offer accessible, consistent, and high-quality mental health services to students. Programs should be comprehensive and include strong and flexible services, adequate staffing and staff diversity, flexibility in treatment approaches, and clinic hours that reflect student schedules. Institutions' wellness centers must facilitate communication between health and counseling services. The blending of these services will enable institutions to provide comprehensive, holistic care to their students.

6. Follow crisis management procedures

Campuses should have a well-publicized, 24/7 crisis phone line either through campus resources or local/national services. Additionally, there should be a process in place to share information between local hospitals and school health and counseling services. One way to do this is to create a Crisis Text Line (CTL) to provide students with immediate mental health support and to increase help-seeking behavior. Toolkits and web pages must also be developed, shared, and adopted. The toolkits and web pages can provide resources for campus community members to spread awareness and information about CTL. In addition, all student ID cards must include CTL information so that the resources are readily available for students who may be in crisis.

7. Use telehealth services

Virtual mental health services can make a significant impact on college campuses. One such example is TimelyMD which provides immediate emotional support for students dealing with stress. It also has 24/7 care that expands after-hours support, eliminates wait time, and provides support for critical situations.

In conclusion, encouraging students to access mental health services positively reinforces that the student’s ability to participate in the full college experience is valued. Support for emotional well-being must be considered a campus-wide responsibility and prioritized similarly to physical health. Senior leadership must also acknowledge the importance of student mental health and well-being and nurture a shared value across the campus community. 

How college leaders create a caring campus culture will play a critical role in campus success. Creating a caring campus culture is attractive to prospective students and can nurture deeper learning.

Semester Marriages: Why we should be concerned.

By Prince Gora 

Life as a university student in Zimbabwe is not easy. Tuition fees are barely payable and things like accommodation and food – which are basic human needs – end up seeming like luxuries.

To survive, many university students have had to devise various cost cutting methods. These include sharing living quarters and expenses with friends, classmates and even just schoolmates. A sizeable number of students also cut costs by sharing living quarters and expenses with their partners.

Elsewhere in the world, say for example, in the Western World, this is not a big deal. In Zimbabwe though, it is; which is probably why most parents are not aware of these so-called “semester marriages.”

“Semester marriages” are entered into by students who cohabit together during semester periods.

The Oxford Advanced English Dictionary defines cohabitation as the act of living together and having sexual relationship (without being married).

The individuals involved in “semester marriages” are usually called campus couples. The female in such situation performs wifely duty while the male take the role of the husband/breadwinner.

Causes of semester marriages are plenty and range from a high cost of living to accommodation which continues to be scarce in the country forcing many students to live outside campus and often in overpopulated environments. A desire for sexual gratification, the thrills of intimacy away from parental restriction, privacy or couples thinking of scaling up on their commitment levels are also common causes. For male students, having a student “wife” makes one lead a comfortable life as their partners prepare meals and do the laundry work.

Does semester marriages save students hundreds of dollars in costs every month? Hell yeah! Does it have negative consequences that should get us worried as well? Of course.

First, there are risks of unwanted pregnancies. Since the students involved are usually not prepared to become parents, they may make attempts to abort such pregnancies. Such abortions (which the individuals will usually want to be discreet about) may eventually put the female partner at risk of death or uterine damage. In cases where the couple decide to keep the pregnancy, the ability of the female student involved to study may be negatively affected by the arrival of the “unwanted babies.”

The wife duties performed by the lady in the relationship may also take a toll on her ability to take part in school work. At the end of the day, she may end up dropping out of school

Another consequence of cohabitation is that it may make the male partner to engage in social vices in order to keep the "marriage" afloat. This is because, the allowance provided by his parents may not be enough to take care of him and his campus wife. Some male students may end up engaging in crime or joining cult groups.

In 2019, a Masvingo Polytechnic was jailed an effective five years after he stole a car and tried to sell it to raise money for the upkeep of his demanding lover, who was also studying at the same institution.

Appearing before Masvingo regional Magistrate Mrs Dambudzo Malunga facing theft charges, Darlington Sagia (then aged just 21), Saga was convicted after pleading guilty.

He said that his live-in girlfriend was always pestering him for money to pay rentals and other household needs, yet he was still a student without a reliable source of income.

Another consequence of semester marriages is that such relationships sooner or later becomes monotonous which sometimes lead to loss of their professed love. In such cases, one or both of the partners may begin to engage in sexual abuse, domestic or emotional violence. This will eventually lead to emotional trauma which may end up affecting the academic performance of one both of the partners.

Semester marriages are also believed to be a major cause in increasing the rate of sexual transmitted infections (STIs) like HIV as they are usually for a short period, and new semesters bring potential new opposite sex room-mates. There are also the so called no-strings attached unions.

A report on HIV/Aids in institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe revealed that students in these “semester marriages” only use condoms for the first few times of sexual interaction and then abandon them later.

Depression, mental health issues, nude pictures, revenge porn and excessive use of oral contraceptives by female students should also get us concerned. There are several cases where students commit suicides after former live-in partners leak nude pictures.

Conclusion

Parents need to take greater care of their children. They must visit and find out where their children live, meet roommates, etc. Accommodation on campus should also be affordable to students so that they are not vulnerable to various kinds of exploitation, including co-habitation.

Rating Winky D's Eureka Eureka Album: You can love him or hate him BUT there`s one thing you can`t do and that is ignore him.

Winky D singing Ibotso at the HICC (January 1, 2023)

I typically don`t like to write these type of articles nor actively engage in the debates unless if it’s for banter purposes because I believe that in most cases and unless you are getting paid for it, opinions are generally useless and a waste of time. No matter how much you argue or state your case, for example, you can`t turn a Ronaldo fan into a Messi fan nor a Barcelona fan into a Real Madrid one or an opposition party activist into an establishment staunch supporter (without resorting to underhand tactics).

So if I am to be honest with all of you, I must admit that I only took my time to write this piece because my body is craving the keyboard of late. So let`s begin.

“When an artist's work ignites conversation, then the artist's work is done,” said some wiseman from the east, or the west or whatever; the fact of the matter is that Winky D’s Eureka Eureka album ignited conversation all over the country.

The process of making music is supposed to be easy. According to Alick Macheso, musicians are supposed to just sing and lay back while listeners choose whether or not they want to listen to the music.

Unfortunately, that doesn`t seem to be the case nor that simple.

Winky D's Secrecy and Political Connotations

Law 6 of the 48 laws of power talks about courting attention at all costs. It argues that it`s better to be hated than to be ignored. This is a tactic that the likes of Holy Ten seem to be trying to emulate. But should this always be the case?

A bit later on in the same book, on Law 16, Robert Green talks about, “Using Absence to Increase Respect and Honor.”

Are these laws contradictory? Well maybe but not really because Greene mentions that when you are already established, temporary withdrawal will make you more talked about, even more admired. Value is created through scarcity.

In my opinion, this is what Winky D has done with his career and life and it has made him a legend.

On a side note, however, I want credit our poorly resourced media for the supposed lack of information about him online. I am certain that if a dedicated journalist tracks his life for a few weeks, s/he will unearth multitudes but perhaps the resources for that are just not there.

Then there is controversy about his political connotations and the controversy surrounding that? I think that`s just pure drama. First of all, Winky D has never named a soul in all his social commentary and secondly, he has always been like that since the beginning of his career. He has never been afraid to point out issues affecting youth from prosperity, work, churches, drugs, sexual exploitation, gender-based violence, among others.

Eureka Eureka album

So thanks to Winky D`s Eureka Eureka album, January 2023’s first 10 days just flashed by as we all had something to look forward to and talk about.

Launch

It started from the launch, people may take it lightly but having a sold out show for a US$20-00 standard ticket in Zimbabwe is no easy fit even more so when the people don`t even know what they will be listening to.

And then the electric performance that we have gotten used to. It was epic at the HICC on the new year crossover.

Album rollout: marketing genius?

Eureka Eureka has done wonders to Winky D`s streaming numbers. In just 2 weeks, his YouTube account has risen from 172k subscribers to 216k subscribers, an increase of over 40k and the album has garnered over 5,6 million views already. The views have also been coming and it is likely that by month end, at least 2 songs from the album would have hit a million views on YouTube. There is no guarantee though because as we saw with Happy Again which hit one million views in 10 days and then failed to get another million in the year that followed, the views can just suddenly slow down at any minute.

There is another issue as well, Winky D’s popularity in the streets, on social media, and on stage as compared to his streaming numbers are a mismatch. His online game obviously needed to up and I think he is beginning to work on it. 

Now, let`s rate the songs from Eureka Eureka.

Songs rating and hits predictions.

Some people have said that they haven`t detected any hits from the album, well that`s their thinking, Zimbabwe is a free country. I have detected some though and list them here (in no particular order). Rating the songs though was way harder.

There is one thing that we all have to give to Winky D though and that is just how effortlessly he adjusted to each artist`s flow and genre throughout the album.

1. Nherera ft. Mwenje Mathole

From conversations with colleagues and from what I have seen on social media, this, right here is a contender for best song of the album. The flows, the beat, the vocals, the blend, the message; everything is just on point.

Rating: 10/10

Prediction: This will not likely become a chart topper or a song that everyone will vibe to this year. It will however most likely have the longest lifespan as it is in the same line with 25, Dzika Ngirozi and Hatiperekedzane. I would have liked a video for this one.

2. Gonyera ft. EXQ

Simple and catchy chorus with much deeper verses especially from Winky D, this is a collabo that Zimbabwe should have had long back from these two maestros. I can`t pick out anything wrong from this song to be honest.

Rating: 9/10

Prediction: I don`t know if this song will become a chart topper but it is a song that a lot of people will vibe to this year. In my opinion, it will be a hit of some sort.

3. Shaker ft. Enzo Ishall

This one surprises me a lot especially how people have received and embraced it. I mean, by the end of Winky D`s and Enzo Ishall`s performance of the song on December 31^st at the HICC, people had already took the chorus from them and made it their own. The lyrics, verses and chorus are simple and catchy which probably explains why people have quickly fallen in love with the song and are shaking anything that is shakable around them.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: The song will likely blow up and be a club banger but I don`t see it as a song with a long lifespan.

4. XYZ ft. Qounfuzed

The feature was a surprise but the song wasn`t, people have known about the existence of the song for a while now. That probably explains why, on release, the song wasn`t hyped like Ibotso and others. But someone who has been watching the flow of the album with neutral eyes will tell you that this song is one of the best from the album and will most likely emerge as the most streamed at the end of the year.

Rating: 10/10

Prediction: Absolute hit. With half a million views already, XYZ will most likely hit a million views in a month or 2 on its way to being the most viewed song of #EurekaEureka and top 3 most viewed Zimbabwean song of 2023.

5. High Grades ft. Herman

The first song to be released from the album. It`s a decent song but I think it could have been better. Even with the advantage of being released first, the song has failed to live to the billing of lead single or song and its streaming numbers have already been trumped by songs like Ibotso, Dzimba Dzemambwe and XYZ.

Rating: 6/10

Prediction: The song has its market largely thanks to its naughty messaging of high grades. It will make rounds but I doubt that it will be a hit.

6. Dreams ft. Saintfloew

This is a great song that many are vibing to on social media and beyond. Winky D outdid himself here and one would be forgiven if, after listening to the song, thought that he is a hip-hop artist and not a dancehall one given his raps on the song. The beat is also great. Saintfloew though, seemed to have understood the assignment differently and chose to give us lyrics that we can hardly make sense of. That cost this song a 10.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: Thanks largely to what Winky D himself did on the song, this song will have a long life much like 25 or Daddy.

7. Ibotso ft. Holy Ten

The song has been marred by a lot of controversy but the truth is that both artists featured on the song did their job well. Rumor has it that the song is not receiving airplay but that doesn`t matter, does it? I mean the song has been on number 1 trending  since its release and is already on 900k YouTube streams and will soon cross the one million mark. This, in my opinion, is success enough especially considering that the song available on YouTube is only an audio (and not video).

Rating: 10/10

Prediction: Whichever way you choose to look at this song, it`s touched people`s lives and attention and is thus a hit.

8. Tears ft. Anita Jaxson

Great pairing and a decent song that is obviously made for the international market. It remains to be seen just how well the song will be able to do its job.

Rating: 7/10

Prediction: I think this is an average song and I don`t see it as a major hit.

9. Dzimba dzemabwe ft. Shingai Shonhiwa

Winky D, Shingai, Jussa Di Mentor, Oskid and everyone who worked on the song understood the assignment and got everything perfectly. Dzimba dzemabwe, like ibotso will most likely not receive airplay but like in Ibotso’s case, it doesn`t seem like it needs it either. It`s already sitting on 800k YouTube views and with the gift of a video will surely end the year upwards of 1.5 million YouTube views.

Rating: 10/10

Prediction: The song is about ‘serious things’ and thus is for serious Zimbabweans, most of whom have embraced it well. It`s a hit, already.

10. Peter friend ft. Nutty O

Great pairing, great message and a really good song that is also made for the international market. Like tears, it remains to be seen just how well the song will be able to do its job.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: This is a good song with a good message and the blessings of a video. I don`t see why it can`t make the rounds in the streets.

11. Kutonhodzwa kwaChauruka ft. Tocky Vibes

Since around 2015, Tocky Vibes seems to value longevity more than anything else in his songs and I think that that`s exactly what he did here. This is a song for the long run.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: I don`t think this is an immediate hit but it will certainly have an impact over many, many years to come.

12. Muspirit ft. Dr. Chaii

A celebrated name the world over, Dr. Chaii is a fairly new name to the Zimbabwean music fraternity and was included in the Eureka project to bring much needed diversity. This is a good song, in my opinion.

Rating: 8/10

Prediction: The song will hit the airwaves but I doubt that it will make too much noise. This is an average to below average hit.

13. Vafarisi ft. Poptain, Bazooker

Is this really a new song, maybe but it sounds like we have all heard it before right? For me, this song sounds just like Gafa Party (Toi Toi) in many regards and I thus just regard it as part 2 of it as a result. It`s still a good song though but because it’s repetition, I won`t give it a 10.

Rating: 7/10

Prediction: Like Gafa Party (Toi Toi) before it, I think the song will be an average hit.

14. Urere ft. Killer T

The lyrics and the instrumentals tell the whole story. The song was made for the party animals and I would be surprised if they blue-tick it.

Rating: 10/10

Prediction: The song is and will be a club banger.

Overal Album Rating: 8.5/10

People will argue however they want but aside from Jah Prayzah, there is hardly any other artist who has garnered 5 716 000 YouTube streams from their albums and especially in such a short period of time and in the distribution we have seen from Eureka.

The album will most likely end the year with over 10 million YouTube streams and will surely rock the streets. It has been and will be a hit.

Winky D vs Jah Prayzah, Holy Ten, Seh Calaz

Winky D comparisons with artists like Holy Ten, Seh Calaz, Sniper Storm and so forth is petty and must not be entertained.

Only artists in the realm of Thomas Mapfumo, Alick Macheso, the late Oliver Mtukudzi, Leonard Dembo, John Chibadura, and for our generation, Jah Prayzah deserves such hour.

The truth is that Jah Prayzah is a great artist with just about everything you need from an artist; a great voice, great visuals, and great creativity.

His enemy has been his association or perceived association with the Zimbabwean ruling party and army. He has remained largely successful but his numbers and luster seems to have taken a knock.

Both artists have numerous hits but Jah Prayzah’s streaming numbers dwarf those of any of his peers and the only reason why Winky D`s name is mentioned alongside his is because Winky D’s stage performance and pro-people stance is second to none which has earned Winky D very loyal and dedicated fans like myself.

It`s also important to note that Winky D hasn`t really been as focused on the streams as much as you would think. Eureka Eureka, for example, is the first album with more than 1 musical video (aside from the 2 song medleys from back in the days). As a result, Winky D only has about 5 visuals in the last 5 years (excluding Eureka). Also, up until Gafa Life: Kick step,  he only uploaded video songs on his YouTube channel. And as we speak, hits like Paita Party, Mumba Mababa, my all time favourite - Life Yangu, and many other hits, are not available on his YouTube channel.

I hope that Winky D and his team will take the time to upload all these old songs on YouTube and other platforms. Yesteryear artists from across the world have done so.

True Story: The day randakatengeserwa phone yedhaga mutown

 True Story: The day randakatengeserwa phone yedhaga mutown

By Prince Gora

Last year, my writing took a real hit as I struggled to adjust to the pressures of post-college adult life but this year I have vowed to not only write new stuff but to also complete all the things I have been meaning to write about for the longest time but kept on postponing.

So today is the day I tell you about one of my many experiences neboys netonaz. It is also the day I publish my first piece written in Sho-nglish (a mixture of Shona, slang and English).

So back in 2015 I was fresh from high school and not even sure kuti ndoenda here kuVar because I knew that a mere 11 points (and to think that some are getting 50 points out here in 2023) wouldn`t get me a scholarship and paden mari papasina zvamuchose hapo.

So during that period I did anything and everything to get by. From being a dhakaboy, assistant carpenter, butcher boy and etcetera. I even once spent a week or so ndichichera majecha kuEpaton Park kwedu uku.

But the highlight of it all is the two months I spent while doing street vending in Harare CBD.

If you guys remember, back in 2015 Dr. Amai Stop It vakamboti regerai vanhu vatengese mustreet vawane raramo chii chii paya, right?

So this other uncle of mine took that opportunity ndobva vati mpfanha huya utengese maphone accessories tonaz tiite bag.

Ndikati haa bho mdra, let`s do this.

In an almost prophetic way, ndakabva ndawana poshto right at the mouth of my future workplace pana corner First Street and Jason Moyo apo at the then Barclays bank building (now First Capital).

Zvakambotanga zvakaoma but sevapfanha vepataundi takangohardira kusvika zvakutoita, maiziya?

Then this other Saturday, after a good sale bvandati ndimboendawo patelone wifi near Edgars 1^st Street/Jason Moyo Ave apo.

After browsing the internet for a few minutes, vamwe jah man vakangopindira vakabata Nokia N95 vachiti mupfana unemarii apa?

I don`t remember the model that I was using at the time but I know kuti yanga iri China last zvayo. I also didn`t have money (80% yemari yandandinayo yanga iri yebasa).

So ndakangomuti haa handina hangu mari blaz.

Zvikanzi ukuona chii mpfanha, dakutongokuitira favor semunhu arikuda mari saka kana swap and top bho futi. Phone iyi ndatoivhara munhu so dakutongoipfuudza as soon as possible.

That lured me in, bvandangoti ndine $10 chete mdra.

Zvikanzi haa ishoma mari yako iyi mpfanha, wedzera.

And I was like haa handina hangu mkoma and turned my back on him.

Then the guy turned to those, ‘desperate talking to self’ stunts zvekuti I could hear him achiti ndodiiko, mari ndikuida but haa mari yempfanha uyu ishoma bvadzazongoti horaiti ngatiite dhiri racho.

Bvandapihwa phone paya and I did the usual routine tests - checking the touch, camera, earphones, SIM and SD card, and network connectivity - all the usual stuff. They were all okay. Then I asked him, "How do I know that it's got no charging problems?"

"That's no big deal mafana, let's go to any shop that sells cellphone chargers, pretend that we want to buy a charger and they will test the charging for us."

Ndikati haa bho dhiri iri. I just couldn`t see anything going wrong from here so I kept my SIM and memory (SD) cards muN95 iyaiya.

Then trouble began.

Instead of leading me into a nearby shop as I expected, the guy took me to a puny store kuna Inez Terrace uko but for some reason I didn't think much of it then, ndakangoti haa bho.

The funny thing is that on the way there takatopfuura nepane imwe khule yangu so yanga yandi-mentor into vending ikatonditi mpfanha hausi kuvharwa here iwewe ndikati maya khule, I am in charge.

Tasvika in this other crowded shop pana Inez Terrace takangti tikudawo charger, it was tested tikaona haa iri kushanda.

Hepanoi pakunobhandara charger, jah man vakati, "mpfanha wati ukubhadhara charger", ndikati maya mdra mati ndimi mukubhadhara bvatatotanga kupikisana paya until the embarrassed shopkeeper snatched the charger from his hand. We left the shop with serious faces ndikabuda padoor ndichiti haa apa tahwinha apa.

Handina kumbowaster time ndikati blaz mukuona chii, batai phone ne mari yenyu yetop up iyi inini mondipawo N95 yangu tobudana.

Blaz vaya vakangoti, "Mpfanha chimbomira, muridzi wephone akutiteera uyo", he said the words pointing with his head to a guy who was approaching us, barely 10 metres away.

When the guy arrived akabva anzi, "Mpfanha uyu adakutoper $10 paphone iyi zvinobuda here?" He addressed his friend while showing him my phone.

Mface wake akangoti haa hazvibude izvi, panotoda minimum $25 apa.

And I was like, “Haa handina hangu that much money ngatiite reverse dhiri pachiri padhuze mukoma.”

The guy who had originally approached me got closer to me and whispered so that only I could hear him. The said owner of the phone didn't seem to care much while this went on.

"Mpfana, we can still do this deal, I can trick this guy, just follow me."

Sempfanha wepatonaz I followed him on the pavement towards Speke Avenue, turned two corners along the avenue then the guy suddenly turned to face me and told me in a whisper kuti tiite kadhiri kacho faster faster.

“Ndipe mari nephone, here is yours, hide it so that this guy won't see you with it.”

And once again, his friend seemed to not have noticed anything for he continued to walk mindlessly.

I knew that he wasn't going to count the money right away, so I handed him almost half of the amount we had agreed on and raced towards the corner thinking of myself as the cleverest person on the face of the earth and only stopped at the other side of the road.

It was then that I decided to check my pockets for the $30 that I had secured there...and what the hell?

The left pocket of my jeans was empty. I very much tried to stay calm and checked the right hand side pocket and the back pockets but haa mari can`t get.

I traced the few steps I had just walked hoping to have dropped the money somewhere but still haa there was no money. I just assumed that the money had been lost (I didn`t think of the obvious at that point).

All that was left off my rich pickings for the day was just five bucks that I had withheld from the phone deal. The new phone was at least the one thing left to put a smile on my face - or so I thought.

I dipped my hand in my right-hand pocket to take it - there was no doubt that the phone was inside the pocket, I mean I could feel it, it was there in the pocket.

And for sure it was there.

Trouble came when I tried to switch it on.

Kubaya switch kudai, phone ingaite on?

Ndikati maya, let me try again - a little bit harder this time, phone ikatiwo maya handibake inini. Then I tried even harder but still no signal came up.

Impatiently, I decided to check if the battery was rightly positioned and … boys ka, I almost sank to the ground, kunyura mutara pakati petaundi chaipo.

Apparently the gods had decided that I hadn't had enough misery already so they had punished me even further. The phone I had bought was a fake one; no mhani ndikutadza ku-explainer, there wasn't a phone at all, just the covers filled with mud inside.

On top of this, I had also lost my SIM and SD Cards.

After ndaona phone yemadhaga things began to make sense. The crowded shop was so that they could steal from me, the underhand handover thing at the corner was so that I couldn`t check the phone and they could just disappear into thin air.

I was broken, cracked, damaged, dejected, disjointed, destroyed, fragmented, horrified, ruined, shattered, smashed, wrecked and properly, properly humbled!

I didn`t know the phrase then but haa ipapo mbinga yakashaker zvekutodzokera kuzero uko kusvika pakungobata gotsi.

I know zvangu kuti Mwari haabve kumba kwedu but haa these 2 guys ka, whoever they are, Mwari ave navo.

You would think that I became cleverer after this incident but haa tonaz itonaz chero zvikadii. As recent as May/June 2021 ndakatengeserwa the wrong phone paCopacabana apa. Haa boys rachoka, ma1.