A dunderhead leader believes what he can't do is impossible for everyone else to accomplish!

Those who follow my articles are now all too familiar with how I regard with utter disdain those who make excuses for failing to fulfill their mandates.

Quite frankly, I seriously doubt if there is anyone I frown upon more than someone who actually believes that his failure to achieve has a reasonable justification.

There is nothing like that!

Of course, no single person on this planet is perfect and capable of accomplishing everything set before him - due to an undeniable human fact - that we all have limitations, are fallible, and as such, bound to make mistakes or even fail (in part or completely).

Obviously, I am one of those people.

What I find totally unacceptable and deplorable, nonetheless, is when one does not, or refuses to, acknowledge that this inability to achieve set goals is entirely one's own fault - which can never be transferred onto anyone else.

If I come short in my duties as the head of my family, or in my work - this can never be shifted onto anyone or anything else.

The buck stops squarely with me - since, as a leader, no matter how many an obstacle, or huge a hurdle, I encounter along the way - it is my sole responsibility to find a solution.

If I can not find a workable solution - something that is all too common in my life - I take full ownership of this failure, and acknowledge that it is entirely my fault.

I even resigned from a very good job many years ago, since I believed that I was unsuited for this role - whose objectives I felt were beyond my capabilities, and was failing to adequately fulfill.

I could not continue being paid for not satisfactorily fulfilling what was expected of me - which, I believed, was tantamount to stealing from the company.

The buck always stops with the leader, or the one given the task.

The tendency to fault others, or circumstances, is the ultimate sign of a disgraceful failed and useless leader.

Which, explains my indescribable revulsion and disgust with such leaders - who make up most of our local and national government structures.

As I was fetching water from the roof drainage gutters of our house in the wee hours of this morning - as God blessed our small town of Redcliff with some rain - these same feelings gripped me, to the very core of my heart.

Here we are, not having had potable water in our homes for one and half years - and yet, our so-called 'town fathers' keep making sickening excuses for their shameful inability to provide this basic right to residents.

In spite of the ever-present danger of a grave disease outbreak, especially in Redcliff suburb itself - which has borne more of the brunt than other residential areas in the town - both the opposition elected council, and ruling regime appointed management, keep making pathetic excuses.

The stories are never ending - most outstanding being broken down electricity equipment needed to pump water into tanks at the collapsed iron and steel making giant ZISCOSTEEL - which are now in the hands of Redcliff Municipality.

Regardless of the myriad of promises to have the machinery fixed, this has never been done - thereby, prompting our failed 'town fathers' into always moaning over the high costs of procuring diesel for fueling the generators being used.

This, despite numerous widely reported dubious deals - mostly involving the questionable disposal of town land, in exchange to luxury motor vehicles (such as Toyota Fortuners and Hiluxes) and expensive mobile phones - obviously, for the sole comfort of senior officials, who can even be sponsored to travel to South Korea, for yet to be explained 'business'.

Then, one hears these supposed 'town fathers' pretending as if they care - as they plead with disgruntled residents for ideas on how to move the town forward - and, finding a lasting solution for our water woes!

Really!

Are these guys for real!

They prodigiously wipe out, possibly hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of US dollars, on their own creature comforts - in the process, totally disregarding the procurement of functional water pumping equipment - and, they want us to give them 'ideas' on how to resolve this crisis?

It is akin to a father who blows all the family money on merry-making with his friends and 'side chicks' - then, approaches his starving and suffering children for 'advice' on how he can sufficiently provide for them.

Well, there is only one suggestion I have for our 'town fathers' in Redcliff - acknowledge your incompetence, corruption and mismanagement - and, step down!

There is no other sign of catastrophic unmitigated failure than being forever etched in the annals of the town's history,  as the people who finally hammered the death nail into Redcliff's coffin.

In fact, this tendency to always ask for 'ideas' on how to accomplish one's duties as a leader is quite despicable, and leaves me with an unpalatable bitter taste in my mouth.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for advice or help - since that is how we all learn and grow - but, when this becomes a dependency, then it is a huge problem.

This makes me picture a not-too-bright school pupil, who finds its most difficult understanding what he is being taught - but then, has to totally rely on other fellow students for answers to any given exercises, assignments, or tests.

Surely, how is that pupil expected to make it, when he can not do anything on his own, and has to always be told what to do, and what the solution are?

The same applies to our 'town fathers' in Redcliff - who have proven themselves not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Are they telling residents that they expect to run the town relying entirely on 'ideas' from residents - having proven completely incapable of proffering their own?
 
The only honorable thing to do, in this regard, is to call it quits - and, allowing others, who are endowed with brilliant and innovative ideas to take over.

There can never be a shortage of such people.

Just because a leader has failed to come up with a workable solution to a challenge, does not necessarily mean it is impossible to solve.

Similar to how I failed in my job at a company in Harare - it did not mean there were no other people who could perform more satisfactory - which is why I made way for them, by resigning.

If one can not fix a problem, it does not translate into it being unsolvable!

There is nothing under the sun that can not be solved - but, any challenge requires those with the intelligence to solve it.

This huge task can not be accomplished by a leader who is clueless - who constantly requires to be told what to do by those he is supposed to lead.

It is even more enraging and utterly unacceptable when we know that the main reason we are without water in Redcliff is on account of 'town fathers who would rather fulfill their childhood dreams of driving fancy cars, than attending to their duties.

Let me give them one more piece of 'advice' - occupying public office, and using public funds, is not an opportunity to access what you have failed to achieve in your own life.

- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate, writer, researcher, and social commentator. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com