Zimbabwe's potential stuck in 1979

For the sake of progress one must move, not only that but move in the right direction. Zimbabwe is moving, but are we moving in the right direction?

Are we moving towards a future where the country's youth will grow into adults who will fend for their families through honest means, through means that will help the nation grow and prosper?

Our current situation seems not to be agreeing with that. Each year schools, colleges and universities churn out individuals destined to a non- productive existence. Young men and women taught how to be employees in a country that has no employment avenues, if anything those in employment are getting retrenched, while some are going for months without earning their dues. Over 80% of the nation's productive labour force is under-utilised. Small wonder that we are in the midst of a liquidity crunch! We have too many mouths to feed from the handful of cobs in hand.

I find it amusing that the individuals in the echelons of power decide to lay the blame on the unemployed's doorstep. 'Be entrepreneurial' they are urged. 'Stop sitting on your laurels' they are admonished. But this is while there is so much red tape hampering such schemes. The ruling party claims that they have support schemes to this end, the most popular being a fund from the Ministry of Youth. A fund that the ordinary individual has no access to, much too often the grant finds its way into bank accounts held by those who are politically connected. I can not claim to know anyone who has benefited from this scheme, while those I hear of are soon driving one of these fancy vehicles from Asia after receiving it.

A walk in any location shows one that the desperate citizens are indeed trying, but to whom do you sell your eggs, tomatoes, green vegetables and such other when your neighbour is trying to sell you the same? Backyard hairsalons and barbershops compete with those at shopping complexes and in the heart of the city. Car wash enterprises are now found wherever there is a source of running water. Cellular phone dealers and repairmen. All available office space in the city is let to young Zimbabweans who offer typing and photocopying services. They hope to type and photocopy for their peers who continually apply for unavailable jobs.

This sad state of affairs has born the luring of thousands upon thousands of citizens into get rich schemes that leave them worse off than where they were. A company that sell aloe vera extract products has found a ready market, deluding individuals into thinking they are part of it when in actual sense they are purchasing these products for resale. This company is not one of a kind, and Zimbabweans are not willing prey because they are a greedy lot looking to become overnight millionaires. Rather they are trying to ease the burden of their own and the extended family's survival.

Small wonder that 'prosperity gospel' and 'miracle' based churches are recording record attendance number week in and week out, the millions of Zimbabweans are desperate for a way out of this mess they are caught up in.

I would say Zimbabwe is indeed moving in the wrong direction and no amount of hoodwinking can work at this point. Hired voices can parade as economic analysts and quote texts by prominent Western and Eastern economists, but as long as the current government does not realise that unemployment is the foremost evil afflicting the nation then we shall continue growing in the negative. And while this growth persists the gap between rich and poor will continue to grow. In this case the rich being the political elite.

And until they do get to view the masses not as servants or second class citizens, the suffering is yet to persist.

I become very afraid thinking upon this subject because it appears as though the traditional political major players are not losing sleep over this. The ruling party has shown its attitude since 1980 and we have spoken against this ad infinitum. The 'main' opposition looks quite comfortable playing opposition politics. They have lost the fire. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that their leader is a guest in a state mansion? Had he been evicted would that have put a little fire on his backside to get him off on a trot to deal with these issues? Whatever it is, they seem not bothered but instead to speak now and then and just flow with the tide.

Maybe my sentiments are flawed. If you think they are, take a look around you, at your neighbourhood, at your town or city and tell me if this nation is headed in the right direction. Look at all those young-men and women with high school certificates, college diplomas and university degrees selling domestic consumables by their gate, vending airtime all over the place, trying to deal mobile phones and their clones from Asia and tell me if we are headed in the right direction.

Ashirai Mtirikwi Mawere can be contact at a.m.mawere@gmail.com