Who remembers Munyaradzi Gwisai? He was one of the founding members of the opposition political party, Movement for Democratic Change. Gwisai was elected to the legislature becoming one of the youngest MPs at the time until he was expelled from his party in 2002.
Now, Gwisai heads up a group called the International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe. Now you rememember him? That Gwisai issued scathing attacks on Strive Masiyiwa, the founder of Econet and Cassava Smartech. Gwisai made these remarks while at a meeting organised by Sivio Institute yesterday. He said:
I think there is a naïve belief of class unity of Strive Masiyiwa, trade unions and peasants when he talks about a vision when he talks about the people of Zimbabwe.
Masiyiwa has become a billionaire by exploiting Zimbabwean workers and using the advancement of technology.
Strive Masiyiwa and Tsitsi (his wife) were worth less than US$500 million at the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. Today, one year later, and as a result of this world advanced bidding of Ecocash, Strive Masiyiwa’s net value now is at least US$1.4 billion.
But the same Strive Masiyiwa is at the forefront of fighting for casualisation of labour, outsourcing labour, fighting trade unions, fighting the right to strike and in ensuring that workers are paid peanuts.
So this is the exact fundamental contradiction of capitalism that cannot be resolved by giving the lead power to this class to lead the society, its interest and its profits does not allow to play this role including allowing the 4th industrial revolution to take place.
Exploitation?
Exploitation is a very strong word and I don’t think it is a fair word to use. Econet has always had fair remuneration for its workers and I am not sure how Gwisai defines exploitation.
His mention of ‘casualisation of labour’ could be in reference to services like Vaya (Cassava’s version of Uber) and Technites, a crowd sourcing platform for services like plumbing, electrical fitting etc. The fact of the matter is that Vaya or any of the Cassava on demand services did not ‘casualise’ labour, they converted unemployed and idle folks into a labour force. A lot of these people including EcoCash agents were already unemployed, Masiyiwa’s companies actually changed that status.
I am interested to know how Gwisai proposes to solve the high unemployment problem we have at scale. He is even attacking technology and says the 4th industrial revolution must be stopped. I don’t even know what that means. Unfortunately for him technological and economic revolutions cannot be stopped. They are painful processes. The industrial revolution itself was painful for those who went through it but years later we are glad it happened.
African dictators
Gwisai also said:
Strive Masiyiwa has now expanded with his liquid company from Cape to Cairo and he is now going to do the same across West Africa.
Strive Masiyiwa said the person he thanked most for allowing him to expand is Paul Kagame when he was AU chairperson. That butcher and dictator of Rwanda is the one who facilitated him to do the project.
Strive Masiyiwa now says that ‘I am thankful to General Sisi (Egyptian President)’ the incoming chair of AU. The butcher of Cairo is his friend.
So these are of authoritarian liberalism; they cannot be the friends of democracy. I believe that the only class is the working class, the working class knows no border, the working class knows no country.
Strive Masiyiwa, John Moxon have a greater relationship with Kagame with Bill Gates than with peasant and workers of this country, their vision is a vision of global exploitation.
He is a capitalist whose interest is profiting through the exploitation of labour.
So for that reason, the only way forward can only be one of social war, a social revolution led by the working class as the way forward.
The problem with socialist ideals is that they assume the so called working class is independent from entrepreneurship. It’s an ideology that denies the natural human tendency: human beings are motivated by self interest. Once you remove the incentive for entrepreneurship you may realise that there is no working class as well. Anyway these are deep rooted debates that are fruitless.
If Masiyiwa refuses to deal with the Kagames of this continent someone else will and fibre networks will still be built. Why can’t it then be him?
Labeling people in absolute terms is never a good idea. In fact it’s a sign of immaturity. Masiyiwa is neither an angel nor a devil, he is merely Strive Masiyiwa. When people see him as a god they get disappointed and those that see him as equal to Lucifer are not honest with themselves.
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12 comments
Quit playing and stop hating. All you people ever do is say bad about another African brother. Strive has more good than bad.
Gwisai is a failure in life. The problem with people is that we want all people to think and behave like us and if anyone has different views, then he is the enemy. If Strive made billions and employs thousand of people the world over, what has Gwisai done to improve the lives of people in Zimbabwe. How many people has he employed or helped to develop. Gwisai has joined the league of professional critics and pull them down. He is an arm chair critic not worth listening to and his comments are fit for the dust bin. If Econet closes down, not only will Econet employees be affected, but the whole of Zimbabwe will sneeze. I am fun of Strive, but I believe he has realised that some people like Gwisai are not worth supporting because they are not progressive.
Experience have taught me that those who accuse others of evil are the real devil themselves. But wirh sue respect, what will it profit a man to envy others simply because it was them? It’s a waste of time to shoot even a missile to the sun!
“different views, then he is the enemy. If Strive made billions and employs thousand of people the world over, what has Gwisai done to improve the lives of people in Zimbabwe. How many people has he employed or helped to develop. Gwisai has joined the league of professional critics and pull them down. He is an arm chair critic not worth listening to and his comments are fit for the dust bin”
I was going to ask the same question as well.
I look forward to the day we hear something sensible and more constructive than Gwisai’s latest unintelligent statements about Strive and Econet.
A complete failure in deed and word will never accept that position because one has nothing sensible to offer which is constructive and progressive to the extent of being critical of one’s very existence.
Strive is a philathropy who sends close to 250000 students on scholarships in & outside Zimbabwe. What has Gwisai done that is noticeable??
Experience have taught me that those who accuse others of evil are the real devil themselves. But wirh sue respect, what will it profit a man to envy others simply because it was them? It’s a waste of time to shoot even a missile to the sun!
“different views, then he is the enemy. If Strive made billions and employs thousand of people the world over, what has Gwisai done to improve the lives of people in Zimbabwe. How many people has he employed or helped to develop. Gwisai has joined the league of professional critics and pull them down. He is an arm chair critic not worth listening to and his comments are fit for the dust bin”
Gwisai usaite kunge usina econet line … You don’t know how much we want to be employed by econet
Gwisai. Gwisai! We are sick and tired of you Lawyers, Professors and Teachers. All you do is talk. What contribution have you made to this economy? The country is poorer today, importing even tooth picks but you guys and your high educational credentials count for nothing.
Gwisai, you belong to the orator class with the Jonathan Moyos, poor and bitter at those who continue to excel. What did you achieve with the Gov’t money you got for speaking without producing? Shut up, enough. Go create the jobs and pay the workers yourself as you allegedly pretend to love them in exchange for donor sympathy. Pathetic!
Techzim was paid by Econet to write this smh.
Let me be honest with you: these kinds of allegations really make me angry.
It’s amazing how on the same day one article gets a comment that we have been paid by Econet and another that we hate Econet and Strive Masiyiwa and are envious of them. Which are we?
Munyaradzi Gwisai has been unable to buy himself a new beret these past two years. I have noticed that his greenish African attire shirt seldom leaves his body. Nor does his greying shabby locks get any attention. If we all followed this loony, we will soon be smocking mbanje thrice a day. My advice to a lost brother. Apply for a job at econet. Things may turn out for the better yet.