Violet Gonda Productions

Violet Gonda Productions Violet Gonda Productions is an independent Zimbabwean media house focussing primarily on Zimbabwe.

The goal is to improve the citizens' access to critical information by disseminating investigative & analytical mini-video features via social media. The primary goal is to improve Zimbabweans' access to critical information by disseminating investigative, analytical and general interest media mini-features via social media. Violet Gonda is an award-winning journalist, producer and presenter base

d in London. The situation for outspoken journalists in Zimbabwe precludes her operating from there. Her team is based in Zimbabwe and their on-the-ground-presence combined with Violet's unparalleled contacts and reputation enables the production of high-quality videos. Violet Gonda Productions will put the 'Spotlight' on the election environment in Zimbabwe, corruption, the economy, education and areas of general interest. In addition to the programmes broadcast, the team will also conduct and disseminate interviews and quick-response analysis of unfolding issues. The VGP team produced the Ballots then Bullets documentary that analysed the unlawful killing of civilians on the streets of Harare by the military on August 2018 - the last national elections in Zimbabwe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elEUbcQ0fW8

Lord Jonny Oates urges UK parliamentarians to question and challenge Zimbabwe's First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, about th...
25/04/2025

Lord Jonny Oates urges UK parliamentarians to question and challenge Zimbabwe's First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, about the “continued detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga and the regime's brutality that she represents”, during her upcoming visit to the UK in June.

Speaking in the House of Lords on Thursday, Lord Oates highlighted the case of Blessed Mhlanga, detained for 59 days for doing his work.

He emphasised the need for consequences if media freedoms are not respected: “…and I hope the government will continue to make clear that there will be no resumption of normal relationships with Zimbabwe while the ZANU PF regime continues to detain journalists, denie media freedoms and defy democratic norms. As Baroness Mobarik said in her speech - there must be consequences for such actions.”

Click here for full video presentation: http://tinyurl.com/y2esev3h

House of Lords

Dispatch from Zimbabwe: A Front-Row Seat to a Failed Uprising: By Glen Mpani I was in Zimbabwe when Blessed Geza’s much-...
22/04/2025

Dispatch from Zimbabwe: A Front-Row Seat to a Failed Uprising:

By Glen Mpani

I was in Zimbabwe when Blessed Geza’s much-hyped, self-declared national stay-away fell flat. What I witnessed wasn’t a revolution—it was a revelation. Here are six sobering takeaways:
1. The Crisis Is Real.
Zimbabweans are not apathetic—they are agitated, anxious, and angry about the country’s lack of direction. They crave a genuine, lasting political wayforward. But…
2. Desperation Is Not Blind.
Even in their apparent despair, Zimbabweans refuse to rally behind fly by night leaders or causes they cannot trust. They will not gamble with their lives, livelihoods, or freedoms for opportunists masquerading as liberators.
3. Strategy Matters. Always.
Geza’s protest lacked the fundamentals: planning, strategy, coherent message, and organised ex*****on. Name-dropping “deep state” allies who never showed up only exposed him as a political grifter, not a fighter.
4. The People Saw Through It.
Though cloaked in national rhetoric, Geza’s agenda was decoded by the masses as a personal quest for power—a desperate bid to join the feeding trough. Zimbabweans know a self-serving hustle when they see one.
5. Agency Is Not Automatic.
If you want to mobilize Zimbabweans, you must invest—deeply. Build trust, foster civic education, construct structures, and develop a credible plan. There are no shortcuts to collective action in a society like Zimbabwe, where agency has been systematically eroded.
6. Geza’s Political Obituary May Be Premature, But His Options Are Dwindling.
His only remaining card appears to be a military coup—an ill-fated path that is both improbable and perilous. If that’s his endgame, then history has already begun to write his irrelevance.



In the end, this failed stay-away wasn’t just Geza’s reckoning—it was a case study in how not to attempt regime change. Zimbabweans are ready for transformation, but not for theatrics.

Click link to listen: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VjQ0dDff0Qjdh4Pi0WiVK1n9ukY5ZTVt/view?usp=drivesdkAs Zimbabwe tur...
19/04/2025

Click link to listen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VjQ0dDff0Qjdh4Pi0WiVK1n9ukY5ZTVt/view?usp=drivesdk

As Zimbabwe turns 45, Sounds On Saturday this week brings you an ‘Independence Day’ themed show, including a special acoustic set by talented Singer/Songwriter Michael Lannas (of Talking Drum fame)! Join presenter John Matinde for great music and more. SOS is the soundtrack to your lives, playing the sound tracks of your lives!

09/04/2025

“Zimbabwe’s Coup Culture: The Shortcut That’s Destroying Our Political Soul”

By Glen Mpani

Let me set the record straight: when I condemned the 2017 coup that toppled Robert Mugabe, it wasn’t because I supported his leadership. Far from it. Mugabe’s reign had long overstayed its welcome. But as a student of democratic governance and political systems, I knew one undeniable truth: bad leadership is painful—but the death of democratic norms is fatal.
We didn’t just remove a man—we rewrote the script of political transition. We told every future leader, every citizen, and every young activist watching: “You don’t need votes or vision to lead—just force.”And once that idea creeps into a nation’s bloodstream, it spreads like cancer.

It hollows out institutions. It kills the value of the vote. It tells citizens that organizing, voting, holding leaders accountable—all of it is useless.

Fast forward six years and look at Zimbabwe. We’ve normalized coups.The same public that once danced in the streets now whispers, prays, and even openly wishes for another military intervention. The coup mindset isn’t just alive—it’s flourishing. It’s now a go-to fantasy when democracy feels too slow, too messy, or too frustrating.

Participation in public life is seen as a performance.Elections are dismissed as theatre.Debate is drowned out by desperation.
And here’s the hypocrisy we must confront:Some of the loudest voices condemning ED’s 2030 ambitions are the same ones secretly (or not so secretly) plotting his removal before his term is up—by unconstitutional means.

Let me ask the uncomfortable question:
How does one defend the Constitution while endorsing a coup?
How can you say “no to 2030” and in the same breath chant “yes” to a military fix?
Are we even thinking this through—or are we trapped in our addiction to political shortcuts?

This is what I feared in 2017.
That a culture of forceful, extra-legal change would replace the long, hard slog of democratic renewal. That we’d get drunk on the thrill of removal without building the muscle for reform.

That expediency would triumph over principle.And today, that fear has become our lived reality.
Zimbabwe’s political culture is broken.We don’t trust the ballot. We don’t trust each other.
We want change—but not the kind that takes time. We want shock therapy, not surgery.And here’s the kicker—it’s not just about ZANU-PF. It’s about us.We’ve become cynical spectators in our own democracy.

We want strongmen to clean up the mess we refuse to organize against.
We want instant results without investing in long-term change.
But democracy doesn’t work like that.

It’s slow. It’s frustrating. It demands patience, participation, and painful conversations. It requires brains over brawn, structure over spontaneity, and most of all—principle over performance.

We need a reset.
Not just of leadership—but of our values.
Of how we think about power.
Of how we understand responsibility.
Of how we define patriotism.
Because if we don’t recalibrate now—
We’ll wake up one day with no rules left to defend, and no institutions left to rebuild.

It’s time for an honest conversation. The kind that makes us uncomfortable. The kind that forces us to ask: Are we building a democracy—or just staging it?

Glen Mpani is a Zimbabwean working in political Campaigns across Africa writing in my/his personal capacity.

03/04/2025

Blessed Geza Moves to Impeach Emmerson Mnangagwa. "Today, I am announcing a further step in our struggle to save Zimbabwe from Emmerson and

11/04/2024

Can the tribunal process proposed by President Mnangagwa to address the Gukurahundi massacres succeed when it does not seek testimony from the alleged perpetrators of the violence? Spotlight on Zimbabwe presents: ED’s Justice - don’t mention the perpetrators

US Treasury Sanctions Zimbabwe’s President and Key Actors for Corruption and Serious Human Rights Abuse
04/03/2024

US Treasury Sanctions Zimbabwe’s President and Key Actors for Corruption and Serious Human Rights Abuse

Following U.S. termination of the Zimbabwe Sanctions Program, Treasury designates key actors under the Global Magnitsky ProgramWASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 11 individuals, including Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangag...

'Spotlight on Zimbabwe' explores the country’s chaotic opposition following the exit of CCC President Nelson Chamisa. In...
19/02/2024

'Spotlight on Zimbabwe' explores the country’s chaotic opposition following the exit of CCC President Nelson Chamisa. In just under half a year, Chamisa's stance has shifted significantly, from relying on divine intervention for a positive 2023 election outcome for his CCC party to proclaiming that God will facilitate change through a fresh entity. Following his resignation, he stated the Holy Spirit as his advisor. Chamisa's moves raise questions about the state of leadership in the country. Is Zimbabwe’s problem weak leadership from both government and opposition? Journalist Violet Gonda presents: ‘Nelson says CCC you later’

'Spotlight on Zimbabwe' examines the chaotic opposition after CCC leader Nelson Chamisa quit. Chamisa went from seeking divine intervention for his party’s v...

05/02/2024

David Coltart explains why he will not resign as Mayor of Bulawayo

Full statement by David Coltart, Mayor of Bulawayo

Since the resignation of Nelson Chamisa as President of the CCC, and from the party itself, on Thursday the 25th January, followed by the subsequent resignation from Parliament of some respected colleagues I have been considering my own position.

As I indicated last week my main concern was to consult widely before making any decision. In this regard I have consulted a wide cross section of people, particularly in Bulawayo. I have indicated on social media sites, such as X and Whatsapp, that I am consulting and have invited people to let me have their views. During this past week I have received numerous responses on X, Whatsapp and e mail.

The overwhelming response, particularly from the Bulawayo public, has been to remain in office. I have also been written to by people I deeply respect, some of whom have been involved in the struggle to bring democracy and freedom to Zimbabwe for over 6 decades, asking me not to resign. These are people who have fought consistently during their entire lives for freedom and I take their views exceptionally seriously.

Bulawayo faces unique challenges at the present time. Aside from being in a disastrous state after decades of neglect, it is running out of water and faces severe water shortages this coming year. Whilst of course there is little that I as one person can do to remedy this, I have been involved in critically important initiatives during the last few months to provide short, medium and long term solutions to the crisis. If I were to resign now some of these initiatives may be undermined to the detriment of the City as a whole. Whilst the resignation of any MP is of course tragic, and a great loss to debate in Parliament, it does not have the same direct impact on citizens as would the resignation of the Mayor of a city.

It is also pertinent to mention that when Nelson Chamisa telephoned me to notify me in advance of his intention to resign I asked him what his expectations were of me. His response was that I should keep on the work I have been doing. At no point has he asked me to resign.

It is also important for me to state my own views regarding resignation in general. Whilst I have no doubt that Parliament has become an intolerable place, and that its Constitutional role has been severely undermined, I have always believed that it is important to not to cede whatever democratic space which has been obtained in the struggle against tyranny.

As a Christian I believe in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 that we are to be salt and light in corrupt and darkened society. In other words tiny grains of salt, and single shafts of light from a candle, can prevent blocks of meat from corrupting and provide guidance to people stumbling around in the dark. And history is replete with individuals, such as Wilberforce, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and, closer to home and much lesser known, Ahrn Palley, who have done just this - namely spoken truth to power as individuals against powerful forces and governments.

This may seem irrelevant to many but as the Mexican philosopher George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The danger we face in Zimbabwe today is that in our anger with all that has happened in the past year to undermine the will of the people and to subvert constitutionalism and the rule of law, we take steps which will end up consolidating ZANU PF’s grip on all institutions including Parliament and our Cities. So whilst I deeply respect and understand when principled people resign from Parliament, I remain saddened that they will no longer be able to exercise Parliamentary privilege (which is unique) to expose corruption and to fight against undemocratic and unconstitutional laws. It may seem a pointless exercise with ZANU PF being able to ride roughshod over them, but it will now be so much easier for ZANU PF to do this, without any comeback or exposure in Parliament.

The same considerations apply to Bulawayo. If I resign as Mayor I have no doubt that ZANU PF will simply be provided with a foot in the door to assume much greater power in the running of the City, with all that that entails, and the entrenchment of their corrupt politics at the local level. As difficult as the current situation is in running Bulawayo, the fact is that we do have an opportunity to do whatever we can to stabilise and develop the City for the benefit of all its residents.

In closing I need to address two further issues, the one being any false perception that a decision not to resign is an indication that I have turned against Nelson Chamisa, the other being that I have made any such decision solely on the grounds of what I will gain out of it personally.

Long before Nelson Chamisa resigned I publicly expressed my sadness and regret about the apparent rift between Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube. All three of these men are friends of mine with whom I have been in the trenches ever since the MDC was launched on the 11th September 1999. I have admired their resilience, bravery and commitment to democracy and freedom all these years. I refuse to be cajoled into a zero sum game which pits me against any of these old and trusted colleagues.

Regarding Nelson Chamisa himself I deeply sympathise with and understand the decision he has taken. Although my political instincts have always been to hold on to whatever democratic space one has, I understand his deep frustration with the brazen breaches of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the Political Parties Finance Act, both before and after the election. I have been appalled by the conduct of unscrupulous politicians over the past few months to cause the destructive recalls, undermine our institutions and hand a two-thirds majority in Parliament to ZANU PF. I have been shocked by successive decisions of our Courts which have ignored, in my opinion, centuries old legal principles in order to deny citizens the right to elected representatives of their choice. The point is that a decision not to resign as Mayor of Bulawayo should not be interpreted as a hostile act against Nelson Chamisa. I stand with him against this brazen attempt by the regime to create a one party state. I remain utterly committed to our overall collective and common strategy to bring about a new democratic and free Zimbabwe.

Regarding any argument that I am making any decision for personal gain, that is simply risible. I reiterate that I did not seek this office; I was asked to take on this role by Nelson Chamisa and several other church, civic and political leaders in Bulawayo. I have always viewed it as a poisoned chalice, and after four months in office I am more convinced of that now than when I started - Bulawayo is in a terrible mess. What many may not know is the fact that my sole income for being Mayor of Bulawayo is a monthly allowance of US$25. That may seem ludicrous but it is true - it is a fact that any person can confirm by contacting the City of Bulawayo. So if anyone thinks that I am in it for the money they do not understand the facts.

In other words one of the ironies for me is that any decision to resign as Mayor, far from being principled, would in fact be in my own self interest. At present I have two jobs, one as Senior Partner of my law firm, which includes running a busy practice, the other as Mayor of Bulawayo. I have never worked this hard as Mayor for so little remuneration in my life. It would suit me and my family perfectly to step back from the immense challenges Bulawayo faces; far from being a principled decision it would in fact be a selfish decision which would result in me having a far easier life going forward.

In conclusion my decision is that I will not resign as Mayor of Bulawayo and will endeavour to see out my 5 year term. I am conscious that I can be recalled at any time, but so be it. I would rather be removed from office by unscrupulous politicians than betray the trust and goodwill of innocent, hard working and principled residents of Bulawayo by resigning.

Senator David Coltart
Mayor of Bulawayo
5th February 2024

30/01/2024

I had the incredible honour of serving as the Master of Ceremonies at the inaugural global conference on Artificial Intelligence in Political Campaigns, held in Cape Town, South Africa this past week.

With 130 delegates from almost 30 countries, I understand this event achieved two significant milestones: hosting the world's first political campaign expo and the first conference focused on AI in Political Campaigns.

The conference explored pressing topics such as:
- the role of AI in shaping modern political campaigns,
- AI and big data in political campaigns,
- navigating truth and deception in political communication in the AI era, - and the regulation of AI in political campaigns.

These discussions shed light on Africa's readiness for this technological advancement and the unique challenges it presents, ensuring our continent's active participation in shaping the future of AI.

It was particularly encouraging to see more than 20 African countries represented, including representatives of electoral management bodies and members of ruling and opposition parties all in one room.

The theme of the conference was "Transforming Political Campaigns: How AI and Big Data Amplify Voter Engagement and Shape Political Campaigns in Africa".

Supported by International IDEA, Afrobarometer, 22 @ Sloan, and Shikamo Political Advisory and Campaigns Services, the event brought together global experts in political campaigns, researchers and academics, policymakers, and tech giants to explore the potential of AI.

The conference provided valuable insights into pressing issues
and raised important questions regarding the regulation of a technology that is still developing; Africa's readiness to embrace AI; the impact of deepfake videos during elections especially in Africa; and the prioritisation of legislative efforts over adaptation to the African context
- attendees asked why people were more concerned with legislating the use of AI as opposed to adapting it to the African context and making it fit for purpose on the continent.

With more than 60 elections taking place worldwide in 2024, including 24 in Africa, it promises to be an exciting year for electoral processes.

The İPE initiative will continue, and we look forward to the next follow-up expo.

So don’t miss IPE25 on the 23 & 24th January in Cape Town next year.

'The Controversial By-elections in Zimbabwe: CCC You Later?'Is history repeating itself? In this episode of our 'Spotlig...
05/12/2023

'The Controversial By-elections in Zimbabwe: CCC You Later?'

Is history repeating itself? In this episode of our 'Spotlight on Zimbabwe' series, we dive into the ongoing political turmoil surrounding the upcoming by-elections on December 9.

Join us as we explore the controversy of the ruling ZANU PF party's support for a proxy candidate, aimed at removing recently elected opposition MPs and local government councillors from office.

Is another political circus looming as both President Nelson Chamisa's and controversial ‘rebel Secretary General’, Sengezo Tshabangu's factions are set to compete under the same party name while fielding candidates for these crucial elections?

Tune in to 'CCC You Later' and let's expose the intricacies of this developing situation in Zimbabwe.

Like, comment, and subscribe on Violet Gonda’s YouTube,
Twitter: https://twitter.com/violetgonda, page and TikTok for more thought-provoking content on the political landscape in Zimbabwe.

https://youtu.be/Y3kimLF02Is

Is history repeating itself? In this episode of our 'Spotlight on Zimbabwe' series, we dive into the ongoing political turmoil surrounding the upcoming by-el...

16/09/2023

The moment in 2018 when Jealousy Mawarire exposed President ED’s family member, ‘Tarirai David Mnangagwa of running a corruption ring at the RBZ’. The heated debate included a response from ZANU PF’s Chris Mutsvangwa.
NB: Tarirai is not the Mnangagwa that has been appointed to government.

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Harare

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