She bears scars from police beatings, has been arrested many times, detained for months, and became one of the most convicted over mass anti-government protests. The Zimbabwean political activist Linda Tsungi Masarira, (35) said that she felt nothing about the death of the former president Robert Mugabe because she suffered immensely under his regime, but however managed to forgive the president.
During the Mugabe era, Masarira was arrested facing charges of engaging in violent protests organized by Pastor Evan Mawarire of #thisflag and Tajamuka-Sesijikile Campaign.
She languished at Chikurubi Remand Prison following what police said were illegal protests and that she had violated some sections of the dreaded Criminal Law (Codificatin and Reform Act). She spent 85 days at the Chikurubi Maximum Prison whose two weeks was in solitary confinement. She said the regime wanted to break her spirit from fighting for a better Zimbabwe.
Contributing to the debate on the death of the former president on the Identities Conversations, an Identities Media Holdings platform for public debate and conversations, Masarira said that, “I don’t feel anything about the death of Mugabe. My life was so miserable during his era. I am not happy or even sad about his death because I got nothing positive to tell about him and his then government. I lived a life that I was always being followed by state security agents since becoming involved in activism in 2009.”
Masarira has emerged as a ubiquitous figure at the front of anti-government protests, often leading the singing and chanting. She even recounted that she had been in and out the prison cells for more than 10 times. The incarceration transformed her to be a violent person because she felt that her right to protest is not being heard.
“I have been arrested and all the times I was beaten by police. The state has no right to assault people for demanding their rights. All these made me a bitter person to an extend that I thought to myself that if given the chance of meeting the ex-president I felt like strangling him. Later on, I managed to let go of the anger after his ouster from power, I felt relieved and I forgave him for no one is perfect,” said the human rights activist.
She also emphasized that the Zimbabwe’s situation which is worse today was Mugabe’s errors and that the ‘Robert Mugabe systems still exists within the so-called new dispensation government. She alluded that the government is just the same hence she had nothing to praise about it.
When asked about her reflection of the Mugabe era and the new dispensation, Masarira argued that these are just the same but later stresses the point that the Mugabe era was worse because it was “brutal, insensitive and reprisal”
She said that she does not think much of his heroism status because there is nothing to point that will make him a hero.
Masarira said, “heroism entails brevity Nyari and delivering services to the citizens so if heroism entails fuel shortages in the country, price hikes, 90% unemployment rate as well as medicines shortages in hospitals then he is a hero but my own understanding of a hero goes beyond that and I can not classify him under heroes because we are suffering the things which started under his regime. People should not just brag about having education as he once did about having more degrees which he can’t put into use. Education is being over rated that’s the one thing I discovered but not being used for transformation. Look at the economy. There are no jobs. Hospitals have no medicines and people are dying.
Masarira however praised the former president for the land redistribution sighting that many African presidents had failed to provide the same for their people.
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