Blessed Geza Calls For 2-Day Stay-Away Shutdown, Shifts Strategy After Protest Flopped
War veteran and political fugitive Blessed Runesu Geza has called for a fresh national shutdown — this time encouraging Zimbabweans to stay at home — after his earlier call for street protests on 31 March failed to take off.
Geza, also known by his nickname “Bombshell,” now says staying at home is the new strategy to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of power.
“On Tuesday and Wednesday, the 22nd and 23rd of April 2025, everyone must stay home. We must shut down Zimbabwe completely,” he said in a video posted online.
Protest flopped, strategy shifts
Geza had initially called for mass street protests on 31 March 2025, but very few people took to the streets. Most Zimbabweans remained indoors, with businesses in many towns closed out of fear of violence or arrest.
That unintended stay-at-home response is now being rebranded by Geza as a deliberate form of resistance.
“This is to send a strong message to Mnangagwa and his ‘zvigananda’. Shops and industries will not open, and kombis will be parked,” he said.
“The police will not teargas you, but if they ever come to you, you have the right to defend yourselves.”
Geza’s latest call for a two-day shutdown on 22 and 23 April comes as he remains in hiding and wanted by police on charges including theft, inciting violence, and undermining the authority of the President.
He now claims that staying home is one of the most effective ways left for citizens to express disapproval.
“Mnangagwa has taken control of the judiciary and shuts down Parliament at his own discretion.”
“Zimbabwe stands out as the only country where public demonstrations are effectively banned, so we have discovered that staying at home is one of the few powerful tools we still have to make our voices heard.”
Shutdown call follows Mnangagwa’s warning
Geza’s statement was released just hours after President Mnangagwa’s Independence Day speech on 18 April in Gokwe, where the ZANU PF leader warned citizens against using social media to incite unrest.
Despite that warning, Geza posted a renewed call urging citizens not to leave their homes for two full days.
“I am pleading with you to stay home. I know it is hard considering we are living from hand to mouth,” he said.
“So, fellow Zimbabweans, we are staying away to force Mnangagwa to step down.”
Geza’s rebranded strategy comes after backlash from the 31 March incident. Although nearly 100 people were arrested in Harare in connection with the flash protest, critics said Geza did not offer assistance to those detained.
“We tried marching in the streets. They send riot police. They send dogs. They arrest and beat our brothers and sisters. Now we stay home,” said Geza.
It remains to be seen whether this week’s shutdown call will draw broader support.
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The post From Streets To Sofas: Blessed Geza Calls For 2-Day Stay-Away Shutdown After Protest Failed appeared first on iHarare News.
