Zimbabwean journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin’ono has argued that South Africa bears part of the responsibility for Zimbabwe’s prolonged political and economic crisis, accusing successive South African governments of shielding ZANU PF while blaming ordinary Zimbabweans for the consequences of governance failures at home.
By Advent Shoko
Chin’ono made the remarks in response to a South African social media user who accused Zimbabweans of refusing to take responsibility for their country’s challenges and instead blaming outsiders for problems created by their own political choices.
The exchange comes at a time when debate is intensifying around Zimbabwe’s proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026, which could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office by two years to 2030. It also comes amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment in parts of South Africa, where some groups have been demanding the removal of foreign nationals, accusing them of contributing to unemployment, crime and pressure on public services.
South African social media user Lebohang Moloi (@LebohangWetsi) challenged Chin’ono, saying:
“I am just asking when do you guys (Zimbabweans) assume responsibility for your mess, South Africans don’t vote in Zim, you guys do, your president is deciding to be president for life, I am sure this is also our fault.”
The comment struck at the heart of a long-running debate between citizens of the two neighbouring countries, particularly as millions of Zimbabweans continue to live and work in South Africa after leaving home at the turn of the millennium in search of economic opportunities and stability.
Responding to the criticism, Chin’ono insisted that Zimbabweans have repeatedly attempted to effect political change through the ballot box but argued that regional political dynamics, particularly South Africa’s support for ZANU PF, have undermined those efforts.
“Zimbabweans have been voting, and Pretoria has been facilitating for ZANUPF to remain in power by going around the world defending its post-election massacres in 2008, 2018 and blatant rigging in 2023 using deceitful pan-African narratives.”
Chin’ono’s comments also reflected an apparent shift from some of his earlier views on sanctions.
Years ago, after a fundraising campaign for a family living with albinism in Nkayi was halted because Zimbabwe was among countries restricted by the fundraising platform, Chin’ono argued that sanctions were hurting ordinary citizens more than political elites. At the time, he maintained that individuals targeted by sanctions continued to accumulate wealth and power while ordinary Zimbabweans bore the brunt of economic hardships. He had said:
“I have always been opposed to sanctions because Zanu PF elites have looted more under sanctions than they looted before them, it doesn’t care anymore.”
That’s exactly the stance of the South African government.
In his latest remarks, however, Chin’ono argued that South African leaders have consistently worked to shield Zimbabwe’s ruling elite from international pressure.
“When the international community pressured Zimbabwe with targeted sanctions, all your presidents except the great Nelson Mandela asked for those targets to be unsanctioned.
Ramaphosa was the first to go and dance, celebrating Mnangagwa’s stolen victory in 2023, which he got after rigging brazenly in front of international television cameras.
Your ruling party takes money from ZANUPF, ask them why they do so. This is the right moment for you to ask the right questions because of this xenophobic and afrophobia crisis, but you are burying your head in the sand and engaging in denialism.
Our problems in Zimbabwe are authored by ZANUPF, and it is protected by YOUR government and the ANC. Chasing victims away shows a lack of understanding of where your problem comes from.
You have been shouting ‘Abahambe’ since 2008. A serious adult would not repeat the same thing over and over without taking stock of why things are not changing.”
As the discussion gathered momentum online, Chin’ono went further, alleging that senior South African political figures had openly sided with ZANU PF despite concerns raised by election observers and opposition groups.
“In the middle of celebrating an election that was rigged, Fikile Mbalula was shouting ‘Viva Mnangagwa’ from Harare in 2023. Do you think they were doing that for nothing? For free?
Ask yourself why South African politicians continue to side with ZANUPF while ordinary South Africans are left to deal with the consequences of Zimbabwe’s collapse.
Your leaders have been attacking our opposition, calling it Western-sponsored, and when our people become desperate, you tell them to go back and fight. That is silly. How do they fight when your government defends election rigging and takes bribes from ZANUPF?
It is like telling Oliver Tambo to go back to apartheid South Africa and fight. It would have been stupid to say so then, and it is stupid to say so to Zimbabweans who were shot in 2018 in front of international media and massacred in 2008.”
Zimbabwe and South Africa share deep historical ties dating back to the liberation struggle, with Zimbabwe having hosted many South African political activists during the fight against apartheid.
Drawing on that history, Chin’ono criticised South Africans for refusing to host Zimbabweans who are fleeing economic and political crises back home when the neighbours were there for them when they fled from the Apartheid government. He also accused successive South African leaders of ignoring the concerns of ordinary Zimbabweans while embracing those accused of driving the country’s crisis.
“Your former president Kgalema Motlanthe pocketed a six-figure payout from the Zimbabwean government in 2018 for chairing a silly commission of inquiry that sanitised the killings of innocent citizens by the army.
More than 600 Zimbabweans were killed in post-election violence in 2008, yet Thabo Mbeki came to Harare and declared that there was no crisis.
For years, South African leaders have dismissed the concerns of ordinary Zimbabweans while embracing the very people responsible for driving millions out of their country.
Then, when those same Zimbabweans seek refuge and opportunities elsewhere, they are told to go back and fight the system that your government helps to sustain.
You cannot help shield the architects of a crisis and then blame the victims of that crisis when they cross the border looking for survival. That is neither logical nor moral.”
The veteran journalist said he would continue speaking out despite criticism, arguing that silence would amount to abandoning millions of Zimbabweans affected by political and economic hardships.
“When I am in South Africa, I am there legally. I do not need a single penny from your government when I live there. I could be like many others who live in the leafy suburbs of Johannesburg, as I do, and keep quiet.
But I will continue to speak on behalf of my people who have no voice, who live in fear of violence, who are terrified, and who have been reduced to statistics. I will speak for those who are insulted, abused, and blamed for problems they did not create.
Silence is easy when you are comfortable as I am. Speaking out is harder when you know you will be attacked for doing so. But the fact that some people are uncomfortable with the truth does not make it any less true.
The people I speak for are human beings with families, dreams, and aspirations. They deserve dignity, respect, and the protection of the law, just like everyone else.
Wake up and live!”
The exchange has once again highlighted the complex relationship between Zimbabwe’s internal governance challenges, regional politics and migration pressures, issues that continue to shape public debate on both sides of the Limpopo River.
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