President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s handover of vehicles and wheelchairs to persons with disabilities at State House this morning — with artists Tongai Greatman Gwaze and Chipo Muchegwa among the beneficiaries — has drawn applause for its compassion. But online, the mood is far more complicated.
Across X, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, Zimbabweans have made it clear that while no one begrudges Greatman, Chipo or any disabled person getting help, the entrenchment of car donations as a panacea for economic woes is not working.
People are pushing back against a political culture of gifts to silence creatives iso that they do not advocate for systemic solutions.
For many, today’s ceremony feels like an extension of the same charity-driven optics Zimbabwe has witnessed from politically connected actors like Wicknell Chivayo and Kuda Tagwirei.
Both men have become synonymous with spectacular vehicle-giving sprees:
- Chivayo handing out luxury cars to musicians, influencers and church leaders,
- Tagwirei bankrolling buses, pickups and community donations.
Each episode triggers tough questions about why cars are easier to distribute than jobs, stable incomes, or predictable social support systems.
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Zimbabweans are questioning:
- Why disability welfare is episodic, not institutional.
- Why a wheelchair requires a presidential ceremony.
- Why talented artists like Greatman and Chipo need donations instead of sustainable industry earnings.
- Why citizens must rely on the benevolence of powerful individuals rather than guaranteed rights.
The sentiments reflect a broader national exhaustion: people want a country where their abilities, labour and creativity can pay their bills, not one where survival depends on the generosity of elites.
Coming at a time of visible factional cracks in the ruling party and intensified succession debates, today’s event is also being read politically.
Zimbabweans are becoming more vocal about not wanting their dignity tied to gifts.
The online feedback to President Mnangagwa’s attempt to buy public goodwill on the back of people with disabilities — is clear:
Zimbabweans are tired of a charity economy. What they want is a functional economy where disability rights, healthcare, employment and social protection do not depend on handouts.
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