The Econet Founder has responded to attacks on his social media account regarding his recent statement that indeed Zimbabwe is in a new dispensation.
As an entrepreneur, on many occasions I have had initiatives for my country Zimbabwe, which could have created tens of thousands of new jobs.
When I have discussed them with either investors or banks, they have turned me away, saying:
“We don’t want to violate the sanctions in your country.”I have documents and emails from bankers and investors. I tried so hard to persuade some of them, often suggesting that they are not interpreting the sanctions correctly.
In my case I was forced to go to China to secure loans to support our Zimbabwean businesses. But this was not always ideal. I have spoken about it publicly on many occasions even in the US and China itself.
It is not right that we as business should have to work under such conditions, when all we want is to create jobs and livelihoods for ordinary people.
Now, if Zimbabwe had been a person who committed a crime, for which they went to prison, would you not say 20 years is enough?
Zimbabwe has served its prison time. It’s time for the country to be given a chance to get back on its feet.I fled my country when assassins were sent to kill me. I had been tipped off by someone in the Mugabe government who was related to me. Even when I left the country, there were other attempts to kidnap me in SA. It has been 18 and a half years. Only I have the right to decide when to come home.
My executives [in Zimbabwe] were arrested and held in leg irons for 16 days. I endured all the persecutions, including the bombing and shutting down of my newspaper business.
No one stood in our corner, or expressed indignation, perhaps because there was no Twitter?
Now will the end of Western sanctions end all our problems?
Absolutely not!
As I have said, no one should be under any illusion that this is not going to be very, very tough, as many of the issues to be tackled are due to bad policies going back decades including corruption.Let’s not allow the sanctions to be a crutch and stumbling block to some of the issues that need resolution.
My name is Strive Masiyiwa, and I’m with the suffering ordinary Zimbabweans who need to see jobs, livelihoods, and investment in our country. I call for an end to sanctions now. And I reiterate my call for people to work together in the national interest.
Intimidation and threats have never affected me. I stood up to Mugabe when most of those issuing threats by Twitter were either in diapers, or hiding, or even simply minding their own business.
Whatever!I did not rail at them, and never will or demand that they say only what I approve.
“I BELONG TO EVERYBODY, AND I BELONG TO NOBODY” [Charles De Gaulle]
One thing i really agree with VaMasiyiwa is that Zimbabwe really needs a break and the rebuilding process should have begun a long time ago , but then again is it too late to start?
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12 comments
What happened feeling home sick … Or is it that someone else might actually introduce actually competition to Econet
Mbavha iyi here. Akanga akangomaka mugabe chete
Very bad statement not fit to come from a sane human being. Strive is right and no one should try to raffle him. The Zimbabwe stock exchange is thriving because of Econet. How many jobs has Econet created and yet some of these arm chair critics are busy calling for the extension of sanctions because they thrive on the suffering of human beings. It is pathetic that people continue to live in the past and want to live on hallucinations because someone has promised that he will do away with Zimbabwe’s problems in weeks. How childish can we become. Iye zvino someone cheers to someone advocating to walk to state house, kuzoitei. Continue kudira jecha muupfu hwevanhu but one day God will judge us for each act we did especially isu tinozviti mapastor. Thank you Strive for standing up to these hooligans who hide behind political parties and do not use common sense. When Zimbabwe thrives, everyone will enjoy, but vari kudira jecha know that once Zimbabwe thrives under the present government then they are doomed.
Your judgement will come too for not condemning corruption by ZANU PF, what happened to the 11 billion dollars they borrowed from multilateral lenders? removal of sanctions will ensure that ZANU will continue to loot the investment benefits. Our prayer first is for the removal of the corrupt zanu system and then sanctions , and never the other way round
Much as many Zimbabweans would like to start “re-building” we still have many elements, policies and systems designed by thieves/criminals permeating every facet of govt. Where do we begin? Some of us thought the “criminals surrounding Mugabe” and the “corrupt” elements would have been weeded out by now, alas…there seems to be no end to corruption and thievery. Would you be surprised by my skepticism that there is any plan for real change? I don’t think so!
This dude really is delusional! I say when you are in a hole STOP digging….. I hope, if anything ,Net One is taken over by serious people like MTN
Does he even know why sanctions are there? Or is his head too full of English air whilst he tries to be the perfect English Gentleman! His wife really is a raw nanny with a big purse in the UK !
As somebody who had to build and grow a global business using foreign funds, rubs shoulders with influential world business leaders and has ACTUALLY MET Tony Blair and Barack Obama I think he know about Zimbabwe’s sanctions a lot better than you.
One of the richest men in the world… Hard to believe he is ‘suffering’ like ordinary Zimbos! Having said that, I agree with him, we are saddled to ED for the next 5 years (but probably forever). ED is vast improvement on Bob, no question about that. Finger pointing and squabbling won’t improve anything. We need stability, the economy is key. After +30 years of Bobby, we have to give ED a chance.
We all want to build zim but our leader has to tell us the role he played in the Gugura hundi isue. With all of us healed we can lead to a better futre. We need to know why we were killed first before we move on. Maybe Masiwa is the lucky one who never saw people being shot like dogs. Maybe money is more important than the truth to him. A better man and leader worries more about what is in peoples hearts than what he can offer. I wonder how tribal musiwa is
I had a lot of respect for Strive it’s all gone now. If you commit a crime and serve 20 years and don’t reform it’s just as good as you not having done any time at all. Strive please stop fooling us. Why are you not calling for a change in attitude/behaviour which resulted in the imposition of targeted sanctions on the regime in Harare? On 30 July 2018 the regime had a holden chance to redeem itself and blew the chance by stealing an election aided by the country ”s highest court. The regime knows what to do to get the sanctions lifted. Why are they not doing the right thing? Strive you are selfish stop the job creation nonsense it’s all about you….you stand to make billions if sanctions are lifted without the required paradigm shifts by ZANUPF and we the people will continue suffering. TIKWANIRE!!!
Strive has been a massive beneficiary of political shortsightedness and ineptitude in Zimbabwe, even if this may have been unintended. He has acquired weight that he is clearly flexing for further personal mixed benefit definitely, but also with tangible benefit to ordinary folk in Zimbabwe. To the extent that Strive & Econet have milked Zimbabwe’s cascade of crisis of leadership, it is fair to call for much more giving back than is evident. However, rejecting any and all positive influence they bring to the people of Zimbabwe working to build livelihoods is cutting one’s nose to spite the face. There are those committed to them “make them scream” strategy as a ladder to occupy leadership that has eluded them for years. Perhaps the rallying call to one and all now needs to be ALL hands on deck to benefit the generality of the people of Zimbabwe. Do what you can Strive, taking a people-centred approach, and broad based if you can rise to that level.