Opinion / Columnist
When a government feels compelled to use the media to showcase its successes, there's really no success to speak about
3 hrs ago | Views
A person's actions often reveal more than their words ever could.
Recently, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, invited a group of journalists from various media houses on a provincial tour of what the government described as "key development projects in Matabeleland North."
According to the Ministry, this initiative was intended to provide these journalists with "first-hand insights into how the private sector, supported by sound government policies, is driving the country's economic transformation."
Among the projects showcased were ZPC Hwange Units 7 and 8, Hwange Colliery, the Victoria Falls road, and the Hwange Titan electricity project.
This is not the first time that the Zimbabwean government has arranged such media tours.
Similar excursions have been conducted in other provinces in what appears to be a broader attempt by the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration to demonstrate its developmental achievements.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this.
Any government has the right to showcase what it considers to be its successes.
A transparent administration should be open to public scrutiny and eager to show the progress it has made.
However, there is something deeply troubling and disingenuous about a government that feels compelled to organize choreographed tours of carefully selected "success stories."
The question that immediately arises is: why is it necessary for the government to shepherd journalists to specific locations, as though these are rare national treasures hidden from public view?
Why must success be curated and displayed like an exhibition in a museum?
Is this not, in itself, an implicit admission that genuine, widespread development is lacking?
If the government's developmental policies were truly transformative - if they were genuinely uplifting the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans - then there would be no need to highlight isolated projects.
Real development speaks for itself.
It is visible. It is felt. It is lived.
People experience it in their daily lives, in their homes, on their streets, in their hospitals and schools, and in their pockets.
They do not need to be told about it on national television or read about it in The Herald.
They would already know.
Let us take a moment to consider the reality on the ground for the average Zimbabwean.
In rural districts like Guruve, there are women dying of cancer and other preventable diseases simply because they cannot access treatment.
In cities such as Harare, urban families in places like Mbare still live in squalid, crumbling buildings from the colonial era, with leaking roofs, blocked sewers, and no reliable water supply.
In industrial towns like Redcliff, factories that once bustled with activity are now silent skeletons of a bygone era.
Across the country, millions of families go to bed hungry, jobless, and hopeless, unsure of where their next meal will come from.
In this context, what exactly is the value of being shown a newly tarred 10-kilometre stretch of road in faraway Mutare?
What comfort is there for the destitute grandmother in Tsholotsho to hear about the expansion of Beitbridge Border Post on ZBC News?
What relevance is there in seeing journalists tweet photos of a gleaming new terminal at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to a person in Chitungwiza who hasn't had clean tap water in months?
These examples expose the emptiness of such public relations campaigns.
They are not indicators of success but of desperation.
A government that must bend over backward to convince its citizens - and the world - of its achievements is likely aware that those supposed successes are neither obvious nor meaningful in the daily lives of the people.
The ruling elite knows that its development narrative is not convincing, which is why it tries to manufacture visibility through the media.
Moreover, these carefully managed media trips expose a troubling aspect of governance in Zimbabwe: the tendency to confuse infrastructure with development.
Paving a road, building a new terminal, or erecting power generation units are not in themselves evidence of national prosperity.
They are only part of the equation.
True development is holistic.
It is about uplifting people's quality of life, ensuring access to quality healthcare, education, jobs, clean water, and a decent standard of living.
Infrastructure without human dignity is meaningless.
Shiny airports are no consolation for the millions who can't afford a loaf of bread.
There is also something patronizing and manipulative about these guided tours.
They seek to control the narrative.
They attempt to put blinders on journalists, limiting their view to only what the government wants them to see.
But the press should not be a propaganda tool of the state.
Its duty is to report freely and independently on the reality of the country - not to be herded like schoolchildren on state-sponsored excursions.
What is most tragic is how the government continues to waste opportunities for meaningful reform.
Zimbabweans are not asking for miracles.
They are not expecting overnight transformations.
What they seek is honesty, commitment, and genuine progress.
They want a government that works tirelessly to improve their lives - not one that is obsessed with managing public perception.
The ruling elite should not worry about how they are viewed in the media.
They should worry about how they are experienced by the ordinary citizen.
A good government does not need to advertise its success.
It does not need to showcase cherry-picked projects to prove its worth.
Its achievements are evident in the wellbeing of its people.
Its popularity is reflected in their trust.
Its legacy is measured by the hope it inspires and the lives it transforms.
When the roads are smooth, the hospitals well-equipped, the schools functional, and people can put food on the table - there will be no need for media tours.
Journalists will report on development because it will be happening all around them.
Citizens will speak about it because they will be living it.
The government will be celebrated because the people will have reason to do so.
Until then, these flashy displays of progress are nothing more than an illusion.
A performance.
A desperate attempt to convince a weary population that all is well, when in reality, most are struggling just to survive.
Zimbabweans deserve more than curated narratives and polished optics.
They deserve real, tangible, and lasting development.
A decent life is not something they should be told about on a media tour - it is something they should experience every day, with dignity and pride.
● Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Recently, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, invited a group of journalists from various media houses on a provincial tour of what the government described as "key development projects in Matabeleland North."
According to the Ministry, this initiative was intended to provide these journalists with "first-hand insights into how the private sector, supported by sound government policies, is driving the country's economic transformation."
Among the projects showcased were ZPC Hwange Units 7 and 8, Hwange Colliery, the Victoria Falls road, and the Hwange Titan electricity project.
This is not the first time that the Zimbabwean government has arranged such media tours.
Similar excursions have been conducted in other provinces in what appears to be a broader attempt by the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration to demonstrate its developmental achievements.
On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this.
Any government has the right to showcase what it considers to be its successes.
A transparent administration should be open to public scrutiny and eager to show the progress it has made.
However, there is something deeply troubling and disingenuous about a government that feels compelled to organize choreographed tours of carefully selected "success stories."
The question that immediately arises is: why is it necessary for the government to shepherd journalists to specific locations, as though these are rare national treasures hidden from public view?
Why must success be curated and displayed like an exhibition in a museum?
Is this not, in itself, an implicit admission that genuine, widespread development is lacking?
If the government's developmental policies were truly transformative - if they were genuinely uplifting the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans - then there would be no need to highlight isolated projects.
Real development speaks for itself.
It is visible. It is felt. It is lived.
People experience it in their daily lives, in their homes, on their streets, in their hospitals and schools, and in their pockets.
They do not need to be told about it on national television or read about it in The Herald.
They would already know.
Let us take a moment to consider the reality on the ground for the average Zimbabwean.
In rural districts like Guruve, there are women dying of cancer and other preventable diseases simply because they cannot access treatment.
In cities such as Harare, urban families in places like Mbare still live in squalid, crumbling buildings from the colonial era, with leaking roofs, blocked sewers, and no reliable water supply.
In industrial towns like Redcliff, factories that once bustled with activity are now silent skeletons of a bygone era.
Across the country, millions of families go to bed hungry, jobless, and hopeless, unsure of where their next meal will come from.
In this context, what exactly is the value of being shown a newly tarred 10-kilometre stretch of road in faraway Mutare?
What comfort is there for the destitute grandmother in Tsholotsho to hear about the expansion of Beitbridge Border Post on ZBC News?
What relevance is there in seeing journalists tweet photos of a gleaming new terminal at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to a person in Chitungwiza who hasn't had clean tap water in months?
These examples expose the emptiness of such public relations campaigns.
They are not indicators of success but of desperation.
A government that must bend over backward to convince its citizens - and the world - of its achievements is likely aware that those supposed successes are neither obvious nor meaningful in the daily lives of the people.
The ruling elite knows that its development narrative is not convincing, which is why it tries to manufacture visibility through the media.
Moreover, these carefully managed media trips expose a troubling aspect of governance in Zimbabwe: the tendency to confuse infrastructure with development.
Paving a road, building a new terminal, or erecting power generation units are not in themselves evidence of national prosperity.
They are only part of the equation.
True development is holistic.
It is about uplifting people's quality of life, ensuring access to quality healthcare, education, jobs, clean water, and a decent standard of living.
Infrastructure without human dignity is meaningless.
Shiny airports are no consolation for the millions who can't afford a loaf of bread.
There is also something patronizing and manipulative about these guided tours.
They seek to control the narrative.
They attempt to put blinders on journalists, limiting their view to only what the government wants them to see.
But the press should not be a propaganda tool of the state.
Its duty is to report freely and independently on the reality of the country - not to be herded like schoolchildren on state-sponsored excursions.
What is most tragic is how the government continues to waste opportunities for meaningful reform.
Zimbabweans are not asking for miracles.
They are not expecting overnight transformations.
What they seek is honesty, commitment, and genuine progress.
They want a government that works tirelessly to improve their lives - not one that is obsessed with managing public perception.
The ruling elite should not worry about how they are viewed in the media.
They should worry about how they are experienced by the ordinary citizen.
A good government does not need to advertise its success.
It does not need to showcase cherry-picked projects to prove its worth.
Its achievements are evident in the wellbeing of its people.
Its popularity is reflected in their trust.
Its legacy is measured by the hope it inspires and the lives it transforms.
When the roads are smooth, the hospitals well-equipped, the schools functional, and people can put food on the table - there will be no need for media tours.
Journalists will report on development because it will be happening all around them.
Citizens will speak about it because they will be living it.
The government will be celebrated because the people will have reason to do so.
Until then, these flashy displays of progress are nothing more than an illusion.
A performance.
A desperate attempt to convince a weary population that all is well, when in reality, most are struggling just to survive.
Zimbabweans deserve more than curated narratives and polished optics.
They deserve real, tangible, and lasting development.
A decent life is not something they should be told about on a media tour - it is something they should experience every day, with dignity and pride.
● Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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