Nkosiyazi Kan Kanjiri: Insights

The genesis of the Zimbabwean diaspora, which has become more pronounced in recent years can be traced back to as early as 1980, when white Rhodesians, perceived to be paranoid then, left the country for fear of persecution from black administration. This was despite the reconciliation mood of the time. Paranoia from white Rhodesians made sense then in the face of an overwhelmingly black majority government. But how does one explain the flight of fellow black Zimbabweans who left the country a few years after independence when the country still prided itself as the breadbasket of Africa? Surely, in a country with a vibrant economy coupled with the independence euphoria of the time, one is expected to sing “there is no place like home”. But what happens when that song becomes nothing but just a cliché? Poetry lovers would tell you it is at moments like these that the only convincing explanation comes from poets like Warsan Shire. In the poem Home, Shire writes: “No one leaves home unt...

TWITTER activism in the form of hashtag campaigns has gained momentum in giving a voice to women fighting gender-based violence (GBV). In South Africa, the phenomenon began in 2017 with the #MenAreTrash campaign sparked by the murder of 22-year-old Karabo Mokwena by her boyfriend, Sandile Mantsoe. That campaign gave rise to more campaigns such as #MeToo , #NameYourRapist and #AmINext. On July 19, South African twitter woke up to yet another movement against GBV: the #SueUsAll campaign, a response to DJ Fresh’s court order stopping Ntsiki Mazwai from levelling rape allegations against him on social media. The emergence of #SueUsAll is as alarming as it is confusing. Mazwai, the one the court order was sought against, is not the victim. Rather, she is a third party, who through the #NameYourRapist campaign of 2019 is spreading allegations of rape on behalf of Penny Lebyane, DJ Fresh’s ex-girlfriend. More than a pursuit of the golden rule of law that one is innocent until proven guilty, t...

     It's time to hail South African Youths Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu was only 22 when he died for freedom. On that fateful day in Pretoria, April 6, 1979, apartheid took Solomon's life. However, apartheid could not stop the inspiration the young man left in the hearts of many South Africans, particularly the youth.  Today, the youth of South Africa remember the brave words Mahlangu left before facing the gallows, "Tell my people that I love them and that they must continue the fight, my blood will nourish the tree that will bear the fruits of freedom, Aluta continua".  Mahlangu's last words are not just a sign of bravery, neither are they a result of impetuous youthfulness, they are a reflection of passion emanating from a level of political consciousness that compelled him to engage in the affairs of the country. As South Africa joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Youth Day on August 12 under the theme Youth Engagement for Global Act...

“Over the past few weeks, no fewer than 21 women and children have been murdered”. ON JUNE 17 the president appeared on our screens from the Union Buildings as usual. We were all waiting to hear what he would say. Since the national lockdown started on March 26, President Cyril Ramaphosa has been a regular on our screens, updating the nation on the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike many of his Covid-19 speeches, the June 17 one was different. “Fellow South Africans”, his catchphrase, was missing. I was one of the millions glued to the screen to listen to the president. Twenty-two minutes into his speech, I saw his face cringe. This was unlike him. I had, since the lockdown, seen the president as a concerned yet resolute man. I had seen him carry the burden of Covid-19 on his shoulders, yet when speaking, he would speak hope to the nation. But on June 17 I saw him flinch. How can a man remain resolute when he has two pandemics to talk about in one speech? The pre...

Zimbabwe has become a polarised nation with the ordinary citizen bearing the brunt of elitist politics. Zanu PF, the ruling party since 1980, claims that it won the 2018 election. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the main opposition since 1999, also claims that it won the same election. The outcome of the election was highly contested. For the first time in the history of Zimbabwe, the matter was taken to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) and was broadcasted live on ZBC TV, the nation’s sole broadcaster.  This was a departure from the Mugabe years where elections were contested, and nothing would be done. The 2008 election between Mugabe and Tsvangirai is a case in point. The matter was put before the court but judgement was never delivered. .  The historical ConCourt hearing with a panel of nine judges, which Zimbabweans and the world followed religiously, could not save Zimbabwe from the looming political standoff. If anything, it rubberstamped it. Zanu Pf came ou...

  21 AUGUST 2020   4 MIN READ Who will save the lives of our women? Wits University first-year student Asithandile Zozo was stabbed to death on Monday . Asithandile ‘Kwasa’ Zozo’s  tragic death is a unique story. It is not just a story of a ambitious young woman killed by another impetuous young person. Far from that, it is a story that exposes how far we have failed to protect women as a society. It is a point of reflection that has brought to test many assertions about what women should do to save themselves from men. Zozo was a dreamer. She already knew what she wanted to do when she was in Grade 9. She even knew she wanted to be a Wits student. She wanted to be a medical doctor. She wanted to save lives. Wits University first-year student Asithandile Zozo was stabbed to death on Monday. Image:  SUPPLIED Asked by her teacher that if she failed to be a doctor what would she do, she said she did not know, she did not have any other dream apart from being a doctor. S...