Resolve and Press Forward: A Young Person's Response

A few days ago, John Ncube who signed off as a very loyal subscriber to Econet, wrote an open letter to Strive Masiyiwa about how Econet Wireless Zimbabwe does not employ Ndebele people.

 After reading the letter, I knew I needed to say something. Because it is my responsibility as a young citizen of Zimbabwe, who cares about it and its future.

This is my response, written in my personal capacity.

Before going further, please allow me to share about myself so you can know where I am coming from.

My name is Dalumuzi Mhlanga. I am a Ndebele Econet employee, born and bred in Bulawayo. NgiliNdebele qho.

I studied at Greenfield Primary in Montrose, and did my high school at Mzingwane, Esigodini. I was on the Econet-funded Joshua Nkomo Scholarship, after O'Level, in 2006. I have studied and worked abroad, in the US and UK. My love for my city and my people is fierce. I have invested in developing the skills of our young people through not-for-profit projects that have reached every high school in Bulawayo and dozens in Mat. South and Mat. North.

All of this is to say: My place of birth is a deep and central part of me. It is dear to me. At the same time, Econet has made a difference in my life notwithstanding my place of birth.

Given this background, I read the letter with concern. It pained me to learn and realize how our company is viewed as discriminatory in its recruitment of staff and treatment of customers. It pained me even more to read the Facebook comments, which very quickly erupted into heated exchange between, broadly speaking, Shona and Ndebele users of the platform.

Through his letter, John Ncube clearly hit a nerve.

I cannot respond to everything that John Ncube raised. What I can do, though, is to share from my own perspective and open all of us up to a richer understanding of the issues at hand.

First, I have personal experience of Econet's impact in my own life and those of others. As it happens, my first proper job was with Capernaum Trust (now called the Higherlife Foundation, which is fully funded by Econet and runs its scholarship programs) back in 2009. Together with the Regional Manager, we drove the length and breadth of Matebeleland – literally, from Beitbridge to Binga, into Tsholotsho, Nkayi and Filabusi. We had one goal: to get as many as 10,000 orphans, vulnerable children and exceptional students onto the company-funded scholarship programs. To this day, the company goes to great lengths to support the education of underprivileged young people in my place of birth. While we will not all hear of this impact, it is real and I personally know of dozens and dozens of young people who can attest to this.

Surely, if Econet fully discriminated against my people in Matebeleland, they would not invest millions of dollars in educating our children.

Second, I know how seriously Strive Masiyiwa and Econet take the company's core values of ethical conduct and professionalism. I am aware that we have a policy of non-discrimination, inclusiveness and enhancing diversity in all its forms.

I may not be privy to all the discussions within the company that were sparked by John Ncube's letter. However, from what I have always observed when there are real or perceived breaches of our company's core values and policies, I am certain there are already serious conversations taking place to carefully look into and resolve the issues raised.

Finally, and at a deeper level: after reading John Ncube's letter and the comments it elicited, I recognized that he was, at the same time, writing about Econet and not writing just about Econet. He was writing about broader and deeper challenges that our country faces. He very well could have written a similar letter directed at one of the banks, construction companies or large retailers. I am not saying this to divert attention from Econet, but to focus our attention on the deeper issues at stake.

As I read through the comments accompanying the letter, pitting people against each other along tribal lines, five words rang loud in my mind:

We have work to do.

"We" in this instance is, us, young people.

I am 27. And my generation is entering a phase where we now need to make serious and long-term contributions to taking our country forward. We need to focus on the dynamics that tear us apart, keep us down, and prevent us from making collective progress. This is, in fact, a challenge that is not specific to Zimbabwe.

The title to John Ncube's letter could very well have been, "Safaricom in Kenya does not employ Luo" or "MTN Nigeria does not employ Hausa" or "Airtel Zambia does not employ Tonga". These are examples.

My point is not to trivialize what John Ncube pointed out. But to draw our attention to a broader struggle.

It is my generation's responsibility to rid ourselves of historical baggage that weighs us down as we pursue better lives for our families, communities and nations. I do not direct this to Shona or Ndebele. And I mention this outside of the specific context that John Ncube wrote about. It is a reality of our lifetime, if we are to make progress. We need to press on forward, to keep our eyes on the prize.

I do not hold the formula to how we can achieve this. We all hold pieces of the puzzle.

In his own way, John Ncube has brought this to the surface.

Because of our company's core values, I believe what he has specifically raised is already being looked into by our leaders.

Equally important, let's get to work young people.

Let us resolve our issues, lay them aside and run the race that will take us forward.