Mwovochena unobayisa

Kuita tsitsi nenyasha dzakawandisa kupinzisa munhu munjodzi

A kind heart gets one killed.

Kindness and good deeds can easily open someone up to harm or betrayal. Another way of putting it is “kind hearts are soonest wronged”

This proverb appears to be based on lessons learnt over numerous acts of betrayal or observations of vulnerability as a result of good heartedness. Often kind people are hurt by this that have benefitted from their good deeds because those people are in a position to take advantage of those good deeds. It is not an admonishment on the kind hearted person but rather a reality of life that we do not all share the same values and morals hence kindness can sometime be abused. This is a lesson then was explained in a rather painful way by our elders in saying that it can lead to the death to be too kind.

The proverb is used to advise kind or generous people to be cautious of over indulging themselves and to exercise some discretion in their kind deeds. It is not meant to prevent acts of magnanimity but rather to warn that even that require some caution lest someone opens themselves up to being taken advantage off.