Zimbabwe pastor Evan Mawarire, who has initiated the social media campaign #ThisFlag, has triggered a response from government in the form of a counter-campaign.

#ThisFlag calls on citizens to use the country's flag as a symbol of discontent with the government. According to the pastor the campaign started as a personal expression of frustration that many citizens feel over the economic, social and political situation in Zimbabwe, but are too afraid to express themselves.

In an initial video posted on YouTube, Mawarire says: "This flag, this beautiful flag, they tell me that the green is for the vegetation and the crops. I don't see any crops in my country. The yellow is for all the minerals... I don't know how much is left. I don't know who they sold it to and how much they got for it."

The post sparked a reaction from Zimbabwe's Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo who described the pastor's movement as "a political stunt" and subsequently launched #OurFlag as a counter-measure.

Moyo tweeted: "#OurFlag! Nice try. But nobody is fooled. Evidence of an exposed cat coming out of a see-through bag. The May 6 lunch to launch #ThisFlag was of course after the April 20 to May 5 testing period. The full story is known! US envoys used lunches (and) dinners in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya to start social media revolutions. Result: bloodshed."

Moyo has accused US ambassador to Zimbabwe Harry Thomas of founding and funding #Thisflag campaign, but this has been refuted by the US Embassy.

Information minister Christopher Mushohwe said the government will investigate the US ambassador's alleged involvement in #ThisFlag.

Social media expert and media lecturer at UK's Northumbria University, Dr Bruce Mutsvairo says the impact of the pastor's campaign is yet to be tested. "The infamous baba Jukwa facebook page had not succeeded in advancing offline political participation among citizens".

"Will Zimbabwe's revolution be tweeted, Facebooked or Whatsapped?," asks Mutsavairo.

Another social media expert, Blessing Ivan Vava, from the University of Witwatersrand, concurs with Dr Mutvairo. "The campaign needs to clearly define itself and what it seeks to achieve in the long term ... my worry is that we have had such initiatives but they suffer still-birth mainly because of failure to have long term strategies that also harness the support of every citizen who wants change in Zimbabwe. I hope this one won't go the same."

In April Zimbabwe's government stated its intention to implement its own 'Great Firewall of China' to enforce regulation of Over-The-Top (OTT) messaging and social media services.