I strongly advise Jonathan Moyo never to entertain the idea of returning to Zimbabwe. Makuruwane remains firmly in power, and he is neither forgetful nor forgiving. The ongoing incarceration of Dr. Walter Mzembi, once a Cabinet colleague, stands as a clear warning of what awaits Jonathan should he step foot back home.
Years ago, Jonathan himself admitted that it was “cold outside the ZANU-PF bubble.” At the time, Mugabe admired Jonathan’s political genius and often found him indispensable despite his many controversies. Mugabe, for all his ruthlessness, occasionally revealed a human side. He could forgive—if forgiveness served his strategic interests. Makuruwane is cut from a different cloth. He is openly unforgiving. He carries grudges like loaded weapons, and he uses them. Jonathan Moyo’s return would not lead to reconciliation. It would lead to persecution, perhaps worse than what Mzembi endures today.
What is baffling is Jonathan Moyo’s apparent blindness to this reality. Instead of using his exile to amplify the voices of the oppressed, he has chosen to heap praise on Makuruwane’s failed international ventures—ventures that deliver nothing to ordinary citizens. Watching China’s 80th anniversary celebrations on television recently, one could see how awkwardly sidelined Makuruwane was. He came back from that trip with no tangible deals, no relief for the struggling economy, and no hope for citizens.
Exiled Minister Jonathan Moyo Warms Up to ZANU-PF Again After Time in the Wilderness
The government seems to gamble on the fantasy that China might cancel these arrears. Yet China is no charitable benefactor; it is a shrewd creditor. Just as Zambia surrendered key infrastructure to Beijing in lieu of debt repayment, Zimbabwe risks the same fate. Jonathan knows this, yet he still dares to brand Makuruwane’s leadership as “progressive.” Such rhetoric is not just misguided; it is insulting to Zimbabweans who face daily poverty. His words suggest a man no longer thinking about the people but only about his own survival.
Exile, of course, is not easy. The longer one stays away, the heavier the burden becomes. Jonathan Moyo may be feeling the financial and psychological weight. Perhaps his resources are running thin. Yet his intelligence, while formidable, has often betrayed him with short-sightedness. The Tsholotsho Declaration should have taught him that aligning with Makuruwane carries risks. When that plan collapsed, Makuruwane escaped unscathed while Jonathan Moyo was left exposed. He repeated the mistake during the G40 saga, tying his political fate to Grace Mugabe. When the coup of 2017 swept through, it revealed how poorly G40 had assessed the risks. No fallback plan, no clear strategy—only misplaced ambition.
Some of Jonathan Moyo’s contradictions may be explained by trauma. He lived through the violence of the liberation era, including the Morogoro and Mgagao conflicts, where ZANU and ZAPU fighters turned on each other. He lost his father during the Gukurahundi massacres, yet he mourned inside the same party that perpetrated those atrocities. To reconcile that pain must be unbearable, and perhaps it drives his erratic political choices. Still, trauma cannot excuse his recent descent into sycophancy.
His latest article on BYO24 reads like desperate praise-singing, celebrating Makuruwane’s foreign trips to the Vatican and Beijing as though they were triumphs. They were nothing of the sort. Zimbabwe gained nothing. His exaggerated tone suggests a man seeking safe passage home by flattering those in power. But Makuruwane is not Mugabe. He will not be moved by eloquence. He will punish Jonathan Moyo, not protect him. Hokoyo, mfanekhaya—beware!
Even Jonathan Moyo’s newfound warmth toward George Charamba, a long-time adversary, reeks of desperation. It is a betrayal of his earlier positions and a sign of how much he is willing to compromise himself just to survive. Meanwhile, back in Zimbabwe, citizens are crushed under the weight of economic collapse, corruption, and environmental destruction. Chinese companies, shielded by the ruling elite, strip the country of its natural resources. The wealth flows outward, while poverty deepens at home. Makuruwane has presided over seven years of failure, looting, and repression.
Jonathan’s decision to praise such leadership exposes him not as a strategist but as a man trapped by fear and dwindling options. His eloquence may still impress some, but it cannot mask the recklessness of his choices. If he dares to return, his fate is sealed. The lesson from Mzembi’s ordeal is stark enough. Jonathan Moyo should heed it, or he may pay an even heavier price.
Source- byo24
