No news is NOT good news! Why has Geza gone quiet, where is Chamisa and why doesn’t he address us? Why did Trump shut down VOA (Voice of America and Studio 7), we no longer have access to any news channels? I was asked these questions or something along those lines by several people this past weekend during a visit to my rural home in Matabeleland South province. Outspoken and now popular war veteran, Blessed Geza called for mass protests on March 31, urging citizens to voice their anger against the rule of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Instead, the masses chose a ‘stayaway’; which was still another powerful, but much safer, form of communication. Afterwards, Geza claimed plans were underway to impeach Mnangagwa. However, of late there hasn’t been a peep from the war vet and many are wondering why? Though none the wiser as to the cause of Geza’s sudden silence, those in urban centres at least have access to sources and sites where they can salvage other news. In my rural home and several other villages across the country, villagers relied entirely on Studio 7 and Voice of America. That is now history as the Trump administration recently shut down these famous radio channels. “He took away Voice of America’s voice,” one villager eloquently put. I must say my mother is not amused at all as she religiously follows current affairs and these were her major sources of information. “Make sure you always call whenever there is any breaking news,” she reminded me in parting when I was leaving. Another concern amongst many is opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa’s absence and silence at a time when his voice is needed more than ever before. Though he regularly sends messages on X, people expect more. While he has been without a party since January 2024 when he quit the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC), his followers still regard him as their leader especially after taking his former party so close to victory in 2023. When Geza called for protests, many asked Chamisa, 47, to openly throw his weight behind the war vet since he was also fighting in the corner of the ordinary man. But he ignored the call, and instead chose to write about his dream of having bullet trains in Zimbabwe, much to the annoyance of many. “The voice of the opposition is needed chief, you might have resigned from CCC but you still have MPs and councillors that won via your ticket. People still believe leadership, your voice is needed, there is a vacuum, lead,” declared journalist Brighton Ncube. On Sunday, Chamisa posted a picture of himself wearing a t-shirt and a cap adorned with his popular slogan ‘God is in it’. Many responded by asking him to be way more active on the ground; for others, it was the last straw.. “We need to move on from Chamisa. Yes we wasted our votes and learnt a lesson; we now need a strong new opposition in Zimbabwe with force and direction,” wrote one Cosmas Nyandoro in reaction to Chamisa’s picture. I, for one, can’t agree with him more!