I have seen videos of a discreet handover ceremony that took place when Lewis and Wicknell were still doing business together. Let me be clear: that does not excuse or defend the insult directed at Lewis yesterday morning, nor does it diminish the principled stance he has taken. In fact, it even makes it more heroic because here is a person who has had dealings with Wicknell mustering the courage to say NO and giving good reasons for his rejection. That matters.
The videos do not however, tell any story at all. They do not speak to the circumstances under which the gift was given. We cannot be misled into attaching a context where none exists. What if that was payment for services rendered? And whilst on it, I must make it emphatically clear that Lewis has the right to represent whoever he wishes to represent.
More to the point. There is nothing wrong with friends privately gifting one another. The problem arises when manufactured generosity is used to advance a programme, promote intellectual submission, or serve a malicious agenda. We cannot accept having one of our finest being reduced to a public spectacle by a process that even invades their sanctified matrimony. What is presently at issue is a gift from a “stranger”, one with whom Lewis had “grown apart” and not communed with for over 2 years.
Imagine you are only hours away from acting against someone’s principal when their lackey; who has not spoken to you in years; suddenly appears with a vuvuzela gift intended to undermine your independence. The message is obvious: that you cannot be trusted by your own client, because you can be influenced by an opponent’s trinkets and displays of generosity. “Munhu wedu”, is the loud but false message.
That is why Lewis has rightly centred his response on independence. Some of us may have moved beyond that position, and that is our prerogative. But Lewis cannot be held responsible for the ego bruising comments made by the masses. Lewis accepts that he has represented Wicknell, made money from him but he disclaims insulting drama and has in doing so delivered a “treatise on professional ethics”.
Even if Lewis has made mistakes in the past, he has not erred on this occasion. He cannot be held to his past by a video taken by “friends” on a cheap and discolored phone. He has taken a position consistent with honour, principle, and integrity and that position deserves to be applauded. That’s where we are.
You have been rebuffed. Accept it, take it on the chin, and move on.
Your propaganda has moved from nothing, to nothing.
NOAH DIDN’T BUILD THE ARK ALONE…
He had a vision. He had faith. And he kept building, one step at a time.
That’s exactly how I feel about Torque Queens Auto Centre
I may not have everything I need today. I may not have the biggest workshop, the biggest equipment or unlimited resources… but I have a dream, determination and faith that this vision will become something great. 🙏🏾
And just like Noah didn’t build the Ark alone, I cannot build Torque Queens alone.
Every customer who walks through our doors.
Every person who recommends us.
Every person who shares our posts.
Every person who believes in us.
Every word of encouragement.
YOU ARE PART OF THIS JOURNEY.
Today we may be taking small steps, but one day we will look back and say:
“WE DID IT.”
So please, don’t just watch us grow — GROW WITH US.
Support Torque Queens Auto Centre.
Support women in the automotive industry.
Support the dream.
📍 No. 2 Charter Road, Harare
📞 0712 825 411 | 0781 191 119
TORQUE QUEENS AUTO CENTRE
Building the dream, one step at a time.
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