Zimbabwe’s newly appointed ICT Minister, Tatenda Mavetera, has found herself in the midst of a social media storm after she shamelessly copy-pasted Bill Gates quote without providing due credit.
Tatenda Mavetera, a former actress famous for her role on the TV series Studio 263, was recently appointed to this critical government role by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
However, her recent appointment has been under a lot under scrutiny, and the plagiarism blunder along with the bad speech have further fueled criticism.
In a seemingly harmless post, she uploaded a photo of herself along with a quote:
“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.
Am ready to serve !!!”
The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.
The problem? It was a verbatim copy of a Bill Gates quote, and social media users wasted no time in exposing this act of plagiarism. Screenshots of the original Bill Gates quote were circulated, and Tatenda Mavetera faced an avalanche of backlash for not crediting the author or at least rephrasing the quote.
@InnoTechGenius;
Learn to acknowledge mazwi asiri enyu . This is not Studio263 where you just have to recite a written script with a shut mind!
@jazzly
🤣🤣🤣 Google fingers… You really have no idea what ICT is next time please quote the author of the statement that you googled 🚮🦓
@jackmunyati1;
Trying to sound all technically knowledgeable manje…. dzagoogler mabig words 😂😂😂 . Told you guys bla Jenfan was a level above this one. Kushandisa Iphone hakusi kuva technoligically advanced. Google I.P address and Mac Address and tell us the difference, totangira ipapo
It didn’t stop there. Tatenda Mavetera was accused of repeating this copy-paste trend when she shared another quote, this time by Matt Mullenweg, about technology.
The public’s patience was wearing thin, as many argued that such actions did not reflect the professionalism expected of an ICT minister.
The controversy didn’t end with plagiarism. Critics took aim at her qualifications for the role, suggesting that her background as an actress might not equip her with the necessary knowledge and experience for an ICT ministerial position.
To add insult to injury, social media users mercilessly mocked Tatenda’s inaugural speech as ICT minister. Many found it lacking in substance, with statements like,
“We need ICT , because you see ICT is important and ICT also to the rural areas. so ICT will be our key focus to make sure ICT reaches every corner of Zimbabwe as you can see ICT is not very popular right now, but we will take measures to ensure ICT advances” drawing ridicule.
Mnangagwa’s new Minister of ICT talking about her ICT agenda🤣🤣🤣
The road ahead is going to be really funny I tell you 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/wW0NShHeRc
Her speech quickly became the talk of the town, but not in the way she might have hoped.
Source Bulawayo24
