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Is Zimbabwe punching above its belt?

by Leonard Koni
26 Feb 2024 at 16:47hrs | Views
Once a bread basket of Africa, Zimbabwe is now a case of the continent. A once-promising country is now mired with challenges like election rigging, economic collapse, high inflation and abuse of state apparatus and democracy.

Previously the country started at a very good note in all sectors of the economy especially in manufacturing mining and agriculture during the early 80s.

It was known as the breadbasket of Africa until 2000, exporting wheat, tobacco, and maize to the wider world, especially to other African nations. However today, Zimbabwe, is a net importer of foodstuffs from the Western World.

The country was a jewel of Africa. We could do even better in sport disciplines like boxing where we had the likes of Proud Chinembiri popularly known as Kilimanjaro, Langton School Boy just to mention a few. In cricket, we produced best cricket players such as Henry Olonga, Victor Olonga and Tatenda Taibu just to mention a few.

Zimbabwe gained a reputation in the global world of doing very. Today Zimbabweans across the globe are on high demand due to their hard working and work ethics. They are trustworthy and very reliable. Unfortunately the people have now lost trust in the regime.

Selfishness and greediness is now the order of the day. People no longer respect each other in the society. That culture of giving and sharing has been eroded. Corruption in government's institutions has become rampant such that one needs to pay a police officer in order to get their finger prints done. Police officers are now demanding bribes right in front of the public. The social cohesion and national building of the country is now a pipe dream.  

Corruption has become a cancerous disease. For one to acquire a driver's  licence or even a simple provisional learners licence one must part out with hard earned cash. Without that nothing will move. We used to laugh at other countries' level of corruption but we are now rated amongst the most corrupt countries in the world.

Zimbabwe was ranked 157th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked last is perceived to have the most corrupt public sector.

Last year Al Jazeera in a documentary dubbed Gold Mafia investigated and exposed the plundering of gold and mone laundering on government officials who were smuggling the precious mineral out of the country but the story just died a silent death. All those involved were not even interrogated or arrested.

The country has become a breeding ground of a sophisticated high breed of generational thieves. This must be corrected and bring. back the country to its former glory.

Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
X - @Leokoni

Source - Leonard Koni