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Dumisani O Nkomo: Being African Not An Excuse For Mediocrity

Dumisani O Nkomo: Being African Not An Excuse For Mediocrity: Being Africans or Zimbabweans is No Excuse ! BY Dumisani O. Nkomo The advent and rapid advance of Information Communication Technology has n...

Being African Not An Excuse For Mediocrity

Being Africans or Zimbabweans is No Excuse ! BY Dumisani O. Nkomo The advent and rapid advance of Information Communication Technology has not only reduced the influence of the modern nation state as we know it but has placed a burden of responsibility for Africans to match global standards in any and every field of human endeavour . The global citizen is characterized by access to the best of information and other products from any part of the world at any given time .The time for sympathetic consumption of African goods and services is over as global citizens have access to the best services from any part of the world . A young Zimbabwean of 16 or 18 will consume a media product not because it is Zimbabwean or African but it is the best . What does this mean for the film industry for example ? . It places a tremendous burden to produce local films and television products that are able to compete with products from Europe , the United States , Nigeria ,South Korea and India .The availability of literally hundreds of television channels , You Tube and other online platforms means that Africans do not have to necessarily watch African films just because they are African . Whilst we are Africans and should love being Africans , our love for our African-nnes cannot replace the demands that competition now places on us as a global village . A fourteen year old teenager will not care whether a film is from South Africa , Nigeria or Europe but will switch to the best television channel and the best action movie . He will not be moved by sympathy for African movies or films but by the desire to watch quality . This places a disproportionate burden for example on the African and specifically the Zimbabwean film industry because it means that with budgets which are a hundred times less than American films they have to produce equally competitive films because the global citizen has the luxury of watching anything anywhere and is only limited by lack of access to internet or digital satellite television which may be a deterrent . The average African is increasingly becoming a global citizen as evidenced by their tastes and preferences accentuated by the exponential growth of social media which has reduced the distance between countries . Consequently social and business transactions can be done literally within seconds .It is possible for one to get advice on film production from someone in New York as long as one is sufficiently connected than it may be to get tips from a producer in Harare .It is also possible to share files and even footage via internet within hours if not minutes thus reducing the need for travel and so forth .The world is evolving and content and product producers also need to rapidly adapt or else they will be reduced to a modern day Jurassic Park starring as latter day Dinosaurs . A movie lover does not care whether a film is made in Timbuktu or New York as long it provides entertainment value . Bigger African countries such as Nigeria and South Africa have the luxury of relatively large populations which provide ready markets for their products but Zimbabwe ,Malawi , Zambia , Lesotho ,Botswana and Swaziland do not boast of such advantages and thus have to produce competitively . In the film industry Nigeria or Nolly wood has emerged as one of the largest players in the world but aided by the fact that Nigeria has a large population which can consume a vast quantity of media products such as D.V.D. ‘s in a short space of time . Zimbabwe and other countries have to start producing film content that is of global quality capable of competing with the best in the continent and recent call for proposals or concepts by Multi Choice for Zimbabwean based content for the African market is a step in the right direction . We cannot continue shooting so called movies over three days using home video cameras and hope to compete globally . There has to be deliberate step by the government to invest in the film sector and to incentivize film and arts corporate sponsors by offering tax waivers and other incentives to grow this industry which has the potential of generating downstream economic activity .The long and the short though is that nobody will watch a Zimbabwean film , read a Zimbabwean book ,book a Zimbabwean hotel just because it is Zimbabwean .The global citizen demands quality service and quality products without apology .The global citizen demands good customer service whether they are at Heathrow Airport ,O.R Tambo AIRPORT or Joshua Mqabuko Airport . It is unacceptable for example for a flight to be delayed by up to two or so hours without the powers that be proffering an apology or explanation . We cannot hide behind being Zimbabwean or Africans it is just not acceptable .We cannot be made to watch sub standard content on Z.B.C or anywhere else when the global citizen can just switch to another channel and not be subjected to poor picture quality ,questionable sound and endless propaganda . There are just too many alternatives for people to choose from now and the last option will be poor local content . Local content should compete with the best so that we are also able to export our culture , values and language .Pan Africanism or patriotism cannot be an excuse for sub standard material or content . It is increasingly difficult for locals to enjoy local soccer given the easy access to British, Italian and Spanish and German soccer at sports bars and courtesy of satellite television . That is why the average soccer fan can tell you the whole Manchester United , Chelsea or Liverpool F.C line up but stutter and stammer when asked to name any five Highlanders or Dynamos or even Whawha United or is it F.C players . Would i prefer to watch my favourite team Highlanders F.C playing slow motion soccer at Barbourfields stadium or watch my other favourite team Liverpool at Anfield with rich picture and sound quality not to mention better standards of football ? The answer is obvious and points to the imperative of delivering quality products that are able to compete globally . Neo colonialism and Neo Liberalism are realities but these realities should not stop us from liberating ourselves from ourselves . The world will not lower the bar of excellence to accommodate us , we need to raise the bar ourselves . Mayibuye!!!

Dumisani O Nkomo: OPPOSITION PARTIES IN ZIM HAVE BETRAYED THE PEOPLE...

Dumisani O Nkomo: OPPOSITION PARTIES IN ZIM HAVE BETRAYED THE PEOPLE...: Opposition Parties Have Betrayed The People Opposition political parties in Zimbabwe especially the various M.D.C formations are a disapp...

OPPOSITION PARTIES IN ZIM HAVE BETRAYED THE PEOPLE

Opposition Parties Have Betrayed The People Opposition political parties in Zimbabwe especially the various M.D.C formations are a disappointing lot that have continued to let down the people and the struggle for a just, democratic Zimbabwe . Instead of focussing on mobilizing the people on issues affecting them they have continued to major on minor things and in effect have taken opposition politics back to the mid nineties .They have become a micro cosmism of ZANU P.F only that they are a lot weaker since they do not enjoy incumbency and the support of the coercive structures of the state such as the army ,police and intelligence forces .I would like to point out several factors that have weakened the opposition and continue to weaken opposition parties especially the various M.D.C ‘s .The foremost reason why the opposition parties have and will fail is their failure to unite as pointed out by ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa .The fact is the opposition will never win elections unless they form a formidable united front capable of challenging and defeating ZANU P.F . United Front The only way the opposition can unseat ZANU P.F in the next elections is by forming a formidable issue based united democratic front which has segments of progressive breakaway ZANU P.F members and a whole lot of new leaders between the ages of 25 to fifty .This united democratic front should be inclusive including the M.D.C –T ,M.D.C-Renewal ,M.D.C Green ,N.C.A and ZAPU as well as progressive individuals and institutions .I do not agree with many antics of the M.D.C –T including blatant blundering by their leader Morgan Tsvangirai and cases of violence ,intimidation etc within their party but the fact is a united front without Tsvangirai and his party will be very weak . Likewise a United Front without M.D.C Renewal and M.D.C – Green will be very weak because the two parties have rich intellectual capital and political history but questionable grassroots support . ZAPU would be crucial with it’s rich ideology and links with former and current members of the military establishment .No one should come into this united front thinking that they ware or will be the automatic leader because it may be actually be the best idea to choose somebody who is not even leading any of those parties to lead this new coalition so as to do away with all the history and excess baggage . The M.D.C –T has let down the people of Zimbabwe by engaging in an exercise of political suicide by literally donating 21 seats to ZANU P.F after “expelling “21 M.P’s .If the M.D.C – t decides not to contest in the by elections it will be literally donating the seats to ZANU P.F hence betraying the people by failing to defend democratic space that they gained through the 2013 elections . If they participate they will confirm their status as perpetual flip flops and masters of political acrobatics as a party that has no permanent position on anything and everything except being in perpetual opposition to anything and everything .The recalling of the 21 will also adversely affect any chances of a united opposition for the elections much to the joy of ZANU P.F . The U.M.D.C is being affected by small mindedness ,personal interests and in some cases personal ambitions which override capacity .This will lead to a weak and fragmented opposition .Obviously infiltration can never be ruled out as it is expected in politics in any country .To enter into the rough domain of African politics and not expect infiltration would be the height of political naivety hence opposition parties need sound intelligence infrastructure and stratagem built into their systems in order to deal with this ever present threat Representation Age number of opposition members of parliament have been established themselves as Missing Persons [M.P’s ] both in their constituencies and in parliament . Nauseatingly they enjoy being called “honourables”without understanding the first thing about being honourable . May late uncle Sihambile Jeqe Stephen Nkomo was an M.P for over 20 years and i don’t remember him even once wanting to be called honourable unlike this undeserving horde of .M.P’s who have failed to hold constituency feed back meetings for the their constituents to hear their grievances or to give feed back on parliamentary proceedings . Some have failed to visit their constituencies and a vast majority have decided to be virtually non speaking , non acting legislators in parliament . This is unlike the days of Micah Bhebhe ,Sidney Malunga ,Byron Hove ,Edward Ndlovu and Lazaruzas Nzarayabani who gave ministers a tough time in parliament even though there were only one or two news outlets at the time .There are exceptions of course like Jesse Majome and few others but most of the others have failed to represent the people in parliament . With the advent of Information Communication Technology one would have thought opposition members of parliament would take advantage of Twitter and Face book to engage their constituents but alas they are waiting for the next elections before they open Face book pages and Vote so and so Twitter accounts .Those who are active in social media expend their energy on internal character assassination ,petty fights amongst themselves and social media subsidized ego trips .Our opposition political parties have failed to resonate with issues affecting ordinary people and have failed dismally to take advantage of factionalism within ZANU P.F and instead they continue to disintegrate like amoebas or is it replicate . Unlike in South Africa ,the United States and the United Kingdom where politicians actively contribute their views on pertinent issues in newspaper columns so that people understand their policies and perspectives most of out opposition politicians seem to unable or unwilling or unable and unwilling to engage these mediums .It was therefore pleasing to see Moses Mzila Ndlovu writing on the Maleme issue in a local paper .Others that have done well in this regard include David Coltart ,Eddie Cross ,Nhlanhla Ncube and Obert Gutu . The times have changed and we need leaders that can engage the public on issues by taking their ideas onto public platforms .

Dumisani O Nkomo: Dumisani O Nkomo: STOP THE HIGHWAY ROBBERS

Dumisani O Nkomo: Dumisani O Nkomo: STOP THE HIGHWAY ROBBERS: Dumisani O Nkomo: STOP THE HIGHWAY ROBBERS : STOP THE UNIFORMED HIGHWAY ROBBERS The number of roadblocks and policeman on the roads is just ...

Opposition Parties Have Betrayed The People Opposition political parties in Zimbabwe especially the various M.D.C formations are a disappointing lot that have continued to let down the people and the struggle for a just, democratic Zimbabwe . Instead of focussing on mobilizing the people on issues affecting them they have continued to major on minor things and in effect have taken opposition politics back to the mid nineties .They have become a micro cosmism of ZANU P.F only that they are a lot weaker since they do not enjoy incumbency and the support of the coercive structures of the state such as the army ,police and intelligence forces .I would like to point out several factors that have weakened the opposition and continue to weaken opposition parties especially the various M.D.C ‘s .The foremost reason why the opposition parties have and will fail is their failure to unite as pointed out by ZAPU leader Dumiso Dabengwa .The fact is the opposition will never win elections unless they form a formidable united front capable of challenging and defeating ZANU P.F . United Front The only way the opposition can unseat ZANU P.F in the next elections is by forming a formidable issue based united democratic front which has segments of progressive breakaway ZANU P.F members and a whole lot of new leaders between the ages of 25 to fifty .This united democratic front should be inclusive including the M.D.C –T ,M.D.C-Renewal ,M.D.C Green ,N.C.A and ZAPU as well as progressive individuals and institutions .I do not agree with many antics of the M.D.C –T including blatant blundering by their leader Morgan Tsvangirai and cases of violence ,intimidation etc within their party but the fact is a united front without Tsvangirai and his party will be very weak . Likewise a United Front without M.D.C Renewal and M.D.C – Green will be very weak because the two parties have rich intellectual capital and political history but questionable grassroots support . ZAPU would be crucial with it’s rich ideology and links with former and current members of the military establishment .No one should come into this united front thinking that they ware or will be the automatic leader because it may be actually be the best idea to choose somebody who is not even leading any of those parties to lead this new coalition so as to do away with all the history and excess baggage . The M.D.C –T has let down the people of Zimbabwe by engaging in an exercise of political suicide by literally donating 21 seats to ZANU P.F after “expelling “21 M.P’s .If the M.D.C – t decides not to contest in the by elections it will be literally donating the seats to ZANU P.F hence betraying the people by failing to defend democratic space that they gained through the 2013 elections . If they participate they will confirm their status as perpetual flip flops and masters of political acrobatics as a party that has no permanent position on anything and everything except being in perpetual opposition to anything and everything .The recalling of the 21 will also adversely affect any chances of a united opposition for the elections much to the joy of ZANU P.F . The U.M.D.C is being affected by small mindedness ,personal interests and in some cases personal ambitions which override capacity .This will lead to a weak and fragmented opposition .Obviously infiltration can never be ruled out as it is expected in politics in any country .To enter into the rough domain of African politics and not expect infiltration would be the height of political naivety hence opposition parties need sound intelligence infrastructure and stratagem built into their systems in order to deal with this ever present threat Representation Age number of opposition members of parliament have been established themselves as Missing Persons [M.P’s ] both in their constituencies and in parliament . Nauseatingly they enjoy being called “honourables”without understanding the first thing about being honourable . May late uncle Sihambile Jeqe Stephen Nkomo was an M.P for over 20 years and i don’t remember him even once wanting to be called honourable unlike this undeserving horde of .M.P’s who have failed to hold constituency feed back meetings for the their constituents to hear their grievances or to give feed back on parliamentary proceedings . Some have failed to visit their constituencies and a vast majority have decided to be virtually non speaking , non acting legislators in parliament . This is unlike the days of Micah Bhebhe ,Sidney Malunga ,Byron Hove ,Edward Ndlovu and Lazaruzas Nzarayabani who gave ministers a tough time in parliament even though there were only one or two news outlets at the time .There are exceptions of course like Jesse Majome and few others but most of the others have failed to represent the people in parliament . With the advent of Information Communication Technology one would have thought opposition members of parliament would take advantage of Twitter and Face book to engage their constituents but alas they are waiting for the next elections before they open Face book pages and Vote so and so Twitter accounts .Those who are active in social media expend their energy on internal character assassination ,petty fights amongst themselves and social media subsidized ego trips .Our opposition political parties have failed to resonate with issues affecting ordinary people and have failed dismally to take advantage of factionalism within ZANU P.F and instead they continue to disintegrate like amoebas or is it replicate . Unlike in South Africa ,the United States and the United Kingdom where politicians actively contribute their views on pertinent issues in newspaper columns so that people understand their policies and perspectives most of out opposition politicians seem to unable or unwilling or unable and unwilling to engage these mediums .It was therefore pleasing to see Moses Mzila Ndlovu writing on the Maleme issue in a local paper .Others that have done well in this regard include David Coltart ,Eddie Cross ,Nhlanhla Ncube and Obert Gutu . The times have changed and we need leaders that can engage the public on issues by taking their ideas onto public platforms .

Dumisani O Nkomo: STOP THE HIGHWAY ROBBERS

Dumisani O Nkomo: STOP THE HIGHWAY ROBBERS: STOP THE UNIFORMED HIGHWAY ROBBERS The number of roadblocks and policeman on the roads is just not acceptable for a country that is not at w...

STOP THE HIGHWAY ROBBERS

STOP THE UNIFORMED HIGHWAY ROBBERS The number of roadblocks and policeman on the roads is just not acceptable for a country that is not at war [at least we hope the police are not at war with us the citizens ] and some of the actions of the traffic policemen are reminiscent of the actions of the legendary highway robbers that terrorized residents of Victorian England . Today motorists and passengers in Zimbabwe are not terrorized by masked robbers armed with swords or rifles but uniformed and at times uninformed police officers who are more common than traffic lights .Some places such as 12 the avenue and Hillside in Bulawayo now have permanent roadblocks manned by at least four government departments including the local municipality . Whilst it is acceptable that the police have to carry out their constitutional mandate of maintaining law and order on the roads the Zimbabwean scenario is now just unacceptable and tantamount to modern day highway robbery carried out in the guise of enforcing traffic regulations whilst actually siphoning increasingly poor motorists with endless spot fines .The actions of the police have attracted the attention of senior public officials such as Justice Francis Bere and Vice President Emmerson Mnangwagwa who have spoken out against this expression of obscenity by a component of state apparatus which is supposed to be the depository of public confidence and security .In his address to the 2015 Masvingo Legal Year Justice Bere described the practise of spot fines and confiscation of vehicles [popularly called confistication by police officers] as illegal citing section 356 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act .Quite clearly the police now see cash strapped and stressed motorists as a source of revenue to finance either the activities of the police or to line the pockets of a cabal of corrupt police officers whilst milking the fiscus of much needed revenue .The practise of spot fines whist administratively noble is not sufficiently legal as it has occasioned the official abuse of Zimbabweans who are subjected to endless roadblocks and fines .It is actually an open secret that some motorists have resorted to bribing their way through roadblocks and in essence roadblocks have become the seedbed of corruption . Financial Probity and Stewardship The public has a right to know how much of these spot fines are collected every month and whether or not they are deposited into the Consolidated Revenue Fund as espoused in section 302 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which states that : There s is a Consolidated Revenue Fund into which must be paid all fees ,taxes and borrowings and all other revenue of the Government whatever their source ,unless an Act of Parliament provides otherwise . The scourge of corruption has made the practise of spot fines at variance with the norms of good Financial Management which should is provided for in section 298 [d] of the Zimbabwean constitution . It is in this context that i propose that the Police should embark upon a programme of educating motorists about various laws governing them including but not limited to the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act ,the Road Traffic Act and relevant statutory instruments . The current ambush antics of the police who are quick to quote sections of the law to clueless motorists is not acceptable in a modern democracy .In this age of the internet it should be possible for the Police to have interactive Face book and Twitter accounts to share such information or even use applications such as Whats App to inform the motoring public about their obligations .I also propose that the Auditor General carries out an audit of Zimbabwe Republic Police specifically focussing on Spot Fines as a revenue collecting tool vis a vis good corporate governance . In the long term the police should consider investing in cameras and other surveillance equipment as in the case in other countries .This will increase efficiency and reduce corruption on the roads . The development of a virtual electronic system that can track deviant motorist should be in the 10 year strategy plan of the police to ensure technologically compliant policing . In short however there are just too many roadblocks in Zimbabwe and too many traffic policemen and this has become outright harassment of ordinary citizens

will zanu p.f cope without mugabe

HOW WILL ZANU P.F AND OPPOSSITION COPE WITHOUT NONAGERIAN MUGABE President Mugabe this year celebrates his 91 st birthday amidst unmitigated praise singing and an unprecedented bootlicking scramble from his political acolytes alongside desperate political party pilgrims desperate to pay homage to their Nonagenarian leader at the temple of a modern day Gerontocracy[rule of the elderly ]. What is of great concern however to any responsible citizen is what will happen if and when inevitably due to natural attrition ,biological inevitability and the call of divinity the President is unable to continue with his journey in life . At the age of 91 such a possibility inevitably increases by the day and any institution or political party which ignores this reality is oblivious and impervious to both reason and wisdom . Whilst in our culture it is taboo to talk about issues of death in regards to the living in the case of a country ruled by a Nonagenarian such thoughts and debates are critical not only in terms of succession planning but also in terms of futuristic planning and scenario management . It is as a clear as the sky that there is no unanimity about Emerson Mnangwaga being the “anointed successor “of Robert Mugabe as stated by Jonathan Moyo who argued that the Vice President was not “anointed but appointed” . The fight for succession is far from over and importantly the death or demise of Mugabe could trigger a crisis not only in ZANU P.F but also in the opposition. The demise or death of Mugabe could leave the opposition in shambles as for years the departure of Mugabe has been a rallying call and when this finally happens outside the confines of electoral processes but due to natural and inevitable natural processes the opposition will be left without a clarion call or rallying point since Mugabe would have gone . This would be more problematic for the opposition if he is replaced by a younger ,reform minded individual as this would render the opposition irrelevant . The continued existence and presence of Mugabe on the political scene has thus been oxymoronic for them since he has created a groundswell of popular sentiment against himself but at the same time his presence seems to have gelled ZANU P.F together and none of the factions are capable of removing him whilst he is still alive .His demise could however also be the demise of the fractious ZANU P.F which has only survived because of four factors namely : 1.Backing of the military and other state security apparatus 2.The existence of a strong dictatorial nationalist figure epitomizing the liberation struggle [ Mugabe ]. 3.Incumbency 4.Brute force – through coercive legislation . ZANU P.F in spite of all its structures and liberation ideology is likely to crumble into fragments once Mugabe goes as this could also mean the collapse of an entire patronage system and the re emergence of old and new camps .It is already clear that those who are purported to be in vice president Mnangwagwa’s camp were or are united more for their desire to eliminate Mujuru from the political scene rather than mere friendship . Machiavellian politics is driven by interests not friendship . It is quite possible and probable that once Mugabe goes some in that some will attempt to torpedo the Ngwena from that post [Mnangwagwa ] from within the Mnangwagwa camp ] .Joyce Mujury is not totally finished as she still has a sizeable number of Members of Parliament that are in her camp and if the next president is then chosen by the party which has the majority number of seats in parliament and if then this is left to parliament to vote Mujuru still has a chance to emerge as a presidential hopeful assuming that it is not the Politburo which will do that .This is only possible technically but practically and politically the party and the government according to ZANU P.F are one . Complications will arise upon Mugabe’s demise because the party will no longer have a central rallying figure who was/is able to glue the party together either by virtue of age or through playing the factions against each other in order to remain relevant .The hate speech which ZANU P.F factions have been using against each other is likely to then translate into open conflict which may have direct consequences on national stability .Sections of the military may choose to openly associate or back one faction or the other a situation which is untenable at the moment with Mugabe being alive .. On the other hand it is possible but unlikely that there will be a smooth transition with a new leader possibly Mnangwagwa being elected as president from within ZANU P.F but if this happens the Mujuru faction may join forces with the opposition either covertly or overtly and challenge ZANU P.F in 2018 . If his happens Emmerson Mnangwagwa may win the battle for succession in the short term but in the long term lose the 20 18 elections . Mayibuye !

Does Electoral Democracy Work In Africa

DOES ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY WORK ? I regard myself as a proponent and advocate of democracy but i strongly believe that we need to interrogate the very concept of democracy ,its applicability and more importantly its evolution especially in African societies and specifically in Zimbabwe .This is critical because modern democracy evolved from ancient Greek civilization and metamorphosed over centuries in Europe in the form of parliamentary democracy and then the Americas through constitutional democracy , .Importantly not only did it metamorphose over centuries but democracy is also dependent on other key factors without which it becomes a facade or a political ritual carried out with religious fervour but with disappointing returns or dividends . Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg speech famously remarked that a “government of the people , by the people ,from the people will not perish “and in some contexts this has been used a definition of democracy – a government of the people , by the people , from the people .In spite of this the Americans still had to undergo almost a century of political evolution before civil rights could be granted to black people .This was centuries after the Emancipation Proclamation which in effect supposedly ended slavery and the American Declaration of Independence which eloquently declared “we declare that all people are created equal “ . In spite of all these pronouncements and edicts America was not really democratized for centuries afterwards and it took the likes of Dr Martin Luther King Junior ,Rosa Parks ,the Black Panthers , Malcolm X and much later on Reverend Jesse Jackson to challenge the system in order for democraticization to take place . Typically democracy is epitomized by regular , free and fair elections , a free media ,a good constitution and constitutionalism ,respect for fundamental freedoms and citizen participation in decision-making .I will not attempt to make a wholesale analysis of democracy in this instalment as this would require broader and deeper academic combat .However i am deeply concerned at what we term electoral democracy for a number of reasons . Assuming that an election is free and fair and nobody is beaten ,threatened or killed but totally useless people are elected does this make the whole process successful ? In the first place do people have all the required information about the process ,the political parties and the individuals they are voting for ? . I would like to argue that in the Zimbabwean context people’s choices are limited by lack of robust debate ,a free press [more specifically the broadcast media ]. At the level of political parties primary elections are dominated by internal and eternal rigging ,characterized by bussing of voters ,manipulation of the voters rolls ,voter buying and candidate imposition .There is very little debate on the quality of candidates and what they have to offer but a lot depends on patronage networks within the parties both ruling and opposition . Quality candidates are thus sidelined at this level as the toughest “gangsters “are the ones that make it to the top and not necessarily the best brains or the best or most suitable candidates .These candidates then represent their parties in national elections and contest against other thugs from other parties and the result is all too familiar opportunists ,kleptocracts win elections and carry on with their trade in official public positions disappointingly to the shock of the electorate . At the end of the day elections in Africa especially in Zimbabwe are not a contest of ideas but a contest of “fists “as even President Robert Mugabe admitted . How do you explain that some of the best achieving members of parliament such as David Coltart were beaten in elections and the majority of those elected have distinguished themselves by their deafening silence .There are quality people on either side of the political divide but unfortunately they have fallen victim to gangster politics or a politically intoxicated environment which has little room for ideas and plenty of room for hot air and sloganeering . Until such a time that we have free debate , free movement of ideas and ideas we will continue with this facade of elections were those with the capacity to outmuscle opponents are elected at the expense of quality leaders imbued with vision , courage ,selflessness and innovation . Electoral democracy should work well in a context were there is freedom of speech , freedom of association , a robust media ,internal party democracy [ whatever that is] and above all an understanding that elections are contests of ideas not a platform for the clueless .There just too many followers that are leading and too many leaders that are following in Zimbabwe because of the emphasis on the primitive politics of patronage ,hate and partisanship .Quality leadership is not necessarily about academic qualifications but craft competence ,social enterprise ,vision and a willingness to serve people rather than be served by them . Our biggest tragedy in Africa is that we pay scant attention to the policy blueprints [manifestoes ] of political parties and the credentials of candidates in terms of what they can offer and instead just vote blindly in a political ritual we call elections as part of what we ignorantly call democracy . Mayibuye !

Dumisani O Nkomo: REVERSE RASICM

Dumisani O Nkomo: REVERSE RASICM: REVERSE RASICM IS WRONG There is a somewhat misplaced belief amongst us as blacks that racism is alright as long as we are the ones that pr...

REVERSE RASICM

REVERSE RASICM IS WRONG There is a somewhat misplaced belief amongst us as blacks that racism is alright as long as we are the ones that practise it and we are not the ones that have it practised upon us . Recently the Southern Eye carried a story on how Maleme Ranch has been targeted by a government official for takeover barely a few months after David Connolly had his farm being taken over by another leading government official who up to then was a respectable bureaucrat . Nobody in their right mind opposes the land reform process as it has been done to reverse the injustices of processes such as the Lippert Concessions ,the Rudd Concession and the Land Tenure Act which reduced blacks to paupers in their own land . This however does not give us the licence to substitute the blatant racism and fascism of the colonialists with our own brand of Africanized racism which alienates whites ,Asians ,Coloureds and people of other races . It is public record that the Cunninghams who own Maleme Ranch are a rare breed of people who have done more for the country and indeed more for black people than many kleptocrats in the higher echelons of power some of whom have made corruption a glorified national institution .The Ranch houses Shalom Campsite which has benefitted thousands of children and youths from the eighties through church and Scripture Union Camps . The Ranch also has an agricultural training centre and a project to empower local communities through chicken and ostrich out grower schemes has been done .A significant proportion of the ranch [ almost 1,000 hectares ] has already been ceded to the community for grazing out of a total of around 2,500 hectares . Indeed it would be sad if we allowed racism to blind both our vision and our judgement .Section 289 of the constitution actually grants every Zimbabwean regardless of race or colour .The letter and spirit of the constitution is therefore to address historical imbalances in land distribution whilst at the same ensuring that reverse racism is not practiced by alienating minorities .Every Zimbabwean has a right to land and indeed even this writer who has for many years sought legal ,moral and ethical ways of purchasing ,acquiring or leasing land as constitutionally provided . The issue of colour should not be the sole determinant of land apportionment as there are many productive white farmers who have actually worked well with black communities .The country will actually be better off if there were partnerships between New Farmers and established farmers . This is what was envisioned in Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU’S vision document “The New Zimbabwe :which was published after independence providing a framework for productive re organization of land without spreading poverty but emphasizing partnerships and wealth creation . There are many white people such as Judith Todd ,Jeremy and Paul Brickhill that contributed to the liberation of this country .Judith Todd the daughter to former Southern African Prime Minister Garfield Todd actually started speaking against white tyranny in the early sixties . Jeremy Brickhill joined ZAPU’s intelligence wing during the struggle whilst his brother the late Paul Brickhill was part of Umkhonto We Sizwe and ZAPU .David Coltart contributed immensely to the revitalization of the education sector and made sure that there textbooks in every school .The president rightfully credited him with the hosting of the Youth Games in Bulawayo and the Sports minister Andrew Langa was also gracious enough to acknowledge Coltart’s efforts by extending a red carpet to the former minister .The late Eric Bloch was one person i knew was committed to the country and whenever we called upon him to attend a meeting or deliver a speech he never disappointed and only declined if it clashed with his beloved Jewish Sabbath .We also have outstanding people from the Indian community such as the Narans ,the Desais[ we called them desires ] and the Naiks who aided the armed struggle . We need to build a new Zimbabwe which is not based on hatred but on love ,liberty and diversity .As Joshua Nkomo said “we do not seek to bring down Brown ,but to lift up Ndlovu so that they are equal “.

Reverse Rasicm

REVERSE RASICM IS WRONG There is a somewhat misplaced belief amongst us as blacks that racism is alright as long as we are the ones that practise it and we are not the ones that have it practised upon us . Recently the Southern Eye carried a story on how Maleme Ranch has been targeted by a government official for takeover barely a few months after David Connolly had his farm being taken over by another leading government official who up to then was a respectable bureaucrat . Nobody in their right mind opposes the land reform process as it has been done to reverse the injustices of processes such as the Lippert Concessions ,the Rudd Concession and the Land Tenure Act which reduced blacks to paupers in their own land . This however does not give us the licence to substitute the blatant racism and fascism of the colonialists with our own brand of Africanized racism which alienates whites ,Asians ,Coloureds and people of other races . It is public record that the Cunninghams who own Maleme Ranch are a rare breed of people who have done more for the country and indeed more for black people than many kleptocrats in the higher echelons of power some of whom have made corruption a glorified national institution .The Ranch houses Shalom Campsite which has benefitted thousands of children and youths from the eighties through church and Scripture Union Camps . The Ranch also has an agricultural training centre and a project to empower local communities through chicken and ostrich out grower schemes has been done .A significant proportion of the ranch [ almost 1,000 hectares ] has already been ceded to the community for grazing out of a total of around 2,500 hectares . Indeed it would be sad if we allowed racism to blind both our vision and our judgement .Section 289 of the constitution actually grants every Zimbabwean regardless of race or colour .The letter and spirit of the constitution is therefore to address historical imbalances in land distribution whilst at the same ensuring that reverse racism is not practiced by alienating minorities .Every Zimbabwean has a right to land and indeed even this writer who has for many years sought legal ,moral and ethical ways of purchasing ,acquiring or leasing land as constitutionally provided . The issue of colour should not be the sole determinant of land apportionment as there are many productive white farmers who have actually worked well with black communities .The country will actually be better off if there were partnerships between New Farmers and established farmers . This is what was envisioned in Joshua Nkomo and ZAPU’S vision document “The New Zimbabwe :which was published after independence providing a framework for productive re organization of land without spreading poverty but emphasizing partnerships and wealth creation . There are many white people such as Judith Todd ,Jeremy and Paul Brickhill that contributed to the liberation of this country .Judith Todd the daughter to former Southern African Prime Minister Garfield Todd actually started speaking against white tyranny in the early sixties . Jeremy Brickhill joined ZAPU’s intelligence wing during the struggle whilst his brother the late Paul Brickhill was part of Umkhonto We Sizwe and ZAPU .David Coltart contributed immensely to the revitalization of the education sector and made sure that there textbooks in every school .The president rightfully credited him with the hosting of the Youth Games in Bulawayo and the Sports minister Andrew Langa was also gracious enough to acknowledge Coltart’s efforts by extending a red carpet to the former minister .The late Eric Bloch was one person i knew was committed to the country and whenever we called upon him to attend a meeting or deliver a speech he never disappointed and only declined if it clashed with his beloved Jewish Sabbath .We also have outstanding people from the Indian community such as the Narans ,the Desais[ we called them desires ] and the Naiks who aided the armed struggle . We need to build a new Zimbabwe which is not based on hatred but on love ,liberty and diversity .As Joshua Nkomo said “we do not seek to bring down Brown ,but to lift up Ndlovu so that they are equal “.

Africa

AFRICA – The CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION ? One of the biggest challenges that the continent has faced since time the slave trade days is the enormous challenge of the net loss or exportation of human resources .Today thousands of Africa’s best engineers ,lawyers ,scientists ,economists are no longer resident in Africa but are found in the capitals of France ,the United States of America ,Canada and the United Kingdom .How will Africa deal with the brain drain issue and how can the continent cope with rapid globalization and the diminishing strength of geographic nation states . Functional Illiteracy There is no debate or question about the incredible human talent that the continent possesses in abundance from Cape to Cairo .Historically and currently Africa has always had brilliant leaders blessed with academic acumen and with quite a number including the Zimbabwean head of state boasting of a string of degrees .In fact the first government of independent Zimbabwe had than more than 10 P.h.d holders .The problem of Africa is therefore not academic poverty but the failure to convert that knowledge ,intellect and academic energy into practical socio economic development .African scholarship and academic leadership is useless as long as it does not result in the transformation of the standards of living of the people of Africa .Prominent African scholar George Ayitey opined that the problem of Africa is that of functional illiteracy which he defined as the failure to translate academic or technical knowledge to practical action .He eloquently argues that Africa has more than enough Professors ,Doctors ,universities and academic debates but what is lacking is praxis .The tragedy today is that Africa is not taking enough time to reflect but it continues to mass produce graduates who at times are not able to interrogate and improve their conditions .I am not against the building of more universities but what is more critical is the quality ,relevance and craft competence of the people produced . The Global Village One of the most critical challenges the continent faces is that of rapid globalization and digitalization contrasted against slow regional and continental integration .Vertical integration a result of technological advances makes it easier for a company or individual in Mutare ,Zimbabwe to order a lap top from E bay or a car from Japan without even thinking twice or blinking ,without considering a similar product in South Africa or elsewhere .The advent of information communication technology has made it easier for African countries to trade with Europe or Brazil ,Russia ,India [the Brics] and the United States of America at the expense of lateral trade relations with each other . Capital and good can be moved from one part of the planet to another at the mere click of a button and the fact that the continent still continues to lag behind in terms of the digital gap means that the continent is paced at a great disadvantage .Geographical location in this age of technology is important but but the reality of globalization is that what is more important is harnessing of Information Communication Technology and bridging the digital gap . A Virtual Continent We need to start imaging Africa not just as a geographic space but also as a virtual concept which embraces Africans in the Diaspora as part of the socio economic development of the continent .Africa as a virtual concept would bring on board African scholars ,scientists ,entrepreneurs and social scientists where ever they may be .We do not need to have them to be physically in Africa but we can still benefit from their skills , ideas ,research and innovation through information communication platforms .Some may argue that these people are not tax payers or rate payers but empirical evidence suggests that remittances from the Diaspora accounts for a significant proportion of revenue in African countries . Africa can still benefit from the creativity ,innovation and scientific pace of Africans beyond the borders of the continent .In addition African scholars and leaders need to practical leadership .Importantly the continent should build a strong scientific and technological base .Africa centric innovations which are of global relevance need to be encouraged . The Global Citizen Next week i will dwell on the phenomenon of the African global citizen as a new concept which needs to be understood and managed . Let us start re imagining Africa !

Africa Rich Yet Poor Part two

Africa So Rich and Yet So Poor Part Two This week i continue with my discourse on the oxymoronic nature of Africa , a continent so rich and yet so poor . Just as a means of comparison British Premier Football League clubs spent over 843,000 pounds [roughly over 1,2 billion U.S] during this transfer window in signing on fees for new players .This is over half of the 2 billion dollars that China has promised Africa through an African Development Bank facility through which critical development projects will be financed .Africa does have the potential to be a powerhouse but the reality is that currently the continent has to overcome a number of debilitating challenges in order to realize its potential . Civil War and Terror The continent has had to spend more time resolving conflicts than on economic development and just when it appeared that southern Africa was becoming a haven of peace the military in Lesotho thought otherwise with a coup that ditched the constitutionally legitimate government of the mountain kingdom .Civil conflict in Libya ,the Central African Republic and the terrorist threat of Boko Harram and El Shabab continue to be thorn in the flesh in Nigerai and Somalia .The Arab spring appears to have been inconclusive in solving governance challenges in Egypt and Libya .These conflicts have severely affected the ability of African countries to focus on economic development .The scourge of Ebola in West Africa has added to the plethora of challenges that the continent faces .It is however important for Africa to remind itself of the pledge that African leaders made in 2001 through the New Africa for Africa’s Development document which states “Across the continent ,Africans declare that we will no longer allow ourselves to be conditioned by circumstance .We will determine our own destiny and call on the rest of the world to complement our efforts “ Thirteen years later Africa appears to have forgotten this pledge and once again we find ourselves continuously being conditioned by our circumstances . Victimise The victim narrative which has pervaded the discourse of even the best African leaders and scholars needs to be replaced by a pro active actions premised on what Africa can do for itself not what the world can do for Africa . It is folly to continue to blame colonialism or neo colonialism for the under development in Africa even though these twin evil have contributed immensely to the historical impoverishment of the continent .Which country for example did Iceland colonize or indeed Sweden ,Norway or Denmark .These countries did not colonize any African country and yet their economies are comparatively far more diverse and stable than most of African economies . Infrastructural Development The NEPAD document of 20001 correctly identified regional infrastructural development as a frontier of African growth and development .Africa needs to invest in the development of energy ,water ,road and rail infrastructure at regional level so as to catalyze economic development and investment thereby creating jobs and opportunities for her people .These infrastructural projects need to be carried out at regional and sub regional level so as to broaden the productive and market base of the continent .Funding for such initiates’ could take the form of the following : 1.Private sector investment in infrastructure and principally exploration of various models of private –public partnerships including Build Own Operate [B.OT],Build Operate and Own[B.O.O.] ,Build Own Operate and Transfer [B.O.OT] . African countries need to create the necessary enabling regulatory frameworks to make this a reality . 2.Africa Development Bank – the Africa development Bank could play a key role in the financing of huge sub regional infrastructural projects .The Chinese government has already unveiled a facility with the bank to fund projects in Africa as of 2014 . 3.World Bank and Multilateral Institutions The World Bank is providing some funding for the 14 billion dollar Inga 111 dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo which is expected to provide electricity for other southern African countries such as South Africa and potentially Zambia and Zimbabwe[ The Africa Report ,July 2014 ].There is need for such regional energy and transport infrastructure projects in Africa . Mozambique is currently sitting on some of the world’s best coal reserves in terms of quality but the poor transport infrastructure in the country is hindering optimum utilization of the mineral . The imperative of infrastructural development is undergirded in the N.E.PA.D blueprint of 2001 which notes that “energy ,transport ,telecommunications and water projects are crucial to Africa’s integrated development “.The challenge of infrastructural development cannot and should not be ignored but there are also issues of funding countries or institutions gaining more from the infrastructural projects than the actual “beneficiary” countries .This has been the case with the Chinese “infrastructure for minerals approach where African countries have lost more than what they have gained through poorly negotiated deals which have seen African countries having infrastructure built but largely by Chinese companies using Chinese labour and at the end of the day very little money finding its way into the African countries . In spite of these multi faceted challenges yes Africa can make it Mayibuye !

Africa so rich yet so poor

Africa – Why Are We So Poor and Yet So Rich? The greatest challenge facing Africa is its oxymoronic economic state where the continent on one had boasts of unequalled natural resource endowment and yet on the other hand the continent continues to labour under the yoke of poverty and under development .Interestingly according to a paper produced by Trust Africa on “Illicit Financial Flows “Africa has lost between $1,2 trillion to $1,4 trillion in a thirty year period from 1980 to 2009 . This is in spite of the fact that Africa contributes almost 42% of the worlds gold reserves not to mention a significant proportion of the world’s diamond ,chrome and platinum deposits .In spite of this Africa continues to suffer the indecency of poor human development indicators such as lack of access to health ,education ,,water and even basic food security .Why is Africa so rich and yet so poor? Lessons From the Bible The Christian bible tells of an interesting episode in the history of the nation of Israel when there was not a single “blacksmith in Israel “”because the Philistines feared that if the Israelites had their own blacksmiths they would make their own weapons .The net result of the lack of blacksmiths was that the Israelites went to their “rivals “ to have their “agricultural implements sharpened “. The key lesson here is that any nation or any group of nations that does not have the technology or means of processing their own raw materials will remain forever a slave to other nations .This brings to the fore some key imperatives for African countries namely : 1.Beneficiation and value addition- This is not a revelation as African activists from the time of Patrcie Lumumbu and Nkwame Nkrumah have been harping on the importance of Africa producing finished products instead of exporting raw materials to the North or is it West and then re importing finished goods from the same countries at a higher prices .Some 60 years later after numerous heads of state summits ,regional SADC ,ECOWAS ,COMESA and African Union Summits there has been a spectacular failure to translate the language of Pan African economic renaissance from the mumbo jumbo of rhetoric into practical action . The imperative of value addition is noted in the Zimbabwe Government’s ZIMASSET policy blueprint and more recently at the SADC heads of state and government’s summit it was a key motif . 2.Curbing Illicit Financial Outflows The SADC Peoples’ Summit hosted by the Southern Africa People’s Solidarity Network [ a consortium of civil society organizations] met in Bulawayo recently and robustly proposed that African nations needed to curb the “illicit financial flows from Southern Africa “ .Importantly it must be noted that the amount of money which southern Africa and generally Africa loses as a result of illicit outflows is much more than what Africa seeks in aid .In effect Africa is like a man who carries a huge bag which has gold and diamonds and every treasure imaginable .However the bag has a huge hole and the man keeps on losing his treasure .Instead of fixing the hole ,the man begs for money from his neighbours to get food for his family .What an irony and what a tragedy ?There is need for African countries to ensure that leakages are plugged through tighter revenue collection mechanisms and anti corruption structures .Sadly it is not just multi national corporations that contribute to the illicit outflows of finances from Africa but also corrupt African leaders many of whom have more money in European capitals than in their home countries . Regional Integration I feel it is critical for African countries to expedite regional integration through Regional Economic Groupings {R.E.G.’s] such as SADC ,ECOWAS and COMESA .Traditionally these groupings have been too immersed in issues of politics and security at the detriment of economic development and integration . It is critical for regional economic integration to be prioritized so that African countries do not compete against each other for markets but are able to harness their collective potential and thus collect a larger economic dividend through greater leverage .Currently most African countries do not have the leverage to negotiate with both western and Chinese companies and institutions because of a lack of harmonized regional markets and processes .Imagine Zimbabwe ,Zambia and Mozambique as individual countries trying to compete with the European Union which already has a common currency and political level political structures and systems . Regional Economic Development Projects It is imperative for Southern Africa in general and southern Africa to vigorously explore the formulation of regional ,sub regional and continental infrastructure projects so as to ensure even economic development and greater value for capital and investment . Such projects should focus on energy ,water ,transport and extractives .Funding models could be premised on Private Public Partnerships which are well articulated in the New Partnership For Africa Development [NEPAD 2001] blueprint ] . A good example of such projects is the West Africa Power Pool [WAPP[ which seeks to create a regional electricity market for west African countries by ensuring that countries in ECOWAS have critical energy infrastructure .Quite possibly the Zambezi Water Project could be viewed a regional project that could also benefit Botswana and Zambia amongst other countries .This would ensure a broader funding /investment foundation with greater social and economic returns .Regional integration will fail as long as there is uneven infrastructural development within lets say SADC countries as it would then be difficult for good and services to move within the region due to poor road or rail infrastructure . Africa also needs innovative leaders who are not stuck in history or steeped in the politics of blame and corruption . Mayibuye

africans as Global citizens

Africa –The Age Of The Global Citizen The tremendous strides in information communication technology has literally revolutionized the manner in which individuals ,corparates and states go about their business .We now have mobile banking ,electronic commerce , e – commerce ,e governance ,internet banking and it has become possible to do business without physically travelling thousands of kilometres of to seal a deal .Nation states which are traditionally defined by territory ,population ,geographic borders and government now have to manage the unstoppable phenomenon of globalization which is transforming people and institutions into global citizens who are only limited by geography in their socio economic and political activities . Global Media It is a fact that most Zimbabweans and indeed Swazis and Sothos have more access to South African television channels than their own media content .Conversely the influence of international news agencies such as Al Jaazeera ,C.N.A. ,France 24 ,B.B.C and to a lesser extent E .T.V and S.A.B.C is much more profound than of local news stations .The failure of the country [Zimbabwe ]to rapidly liberalize the airwaves has meant that people have managed to access independent media on their own without the assistance of the state .Globalization and the impact of satellite T.V cannot be limited in this day and age and politicians have to understand that even if they limit people’s choices to “independent “or “private T.V and radio stations at a national level there will always be international media alternatives .The rapid rise of the internet and the “citizen journalist ‘ also renders efforts at censorship pointless as people now have unlimited access to information through the internet . It is estimated that over 8 million Zimbabweans have access to mobile phones and literally this means every other person excluding babies and small children have mobile phones . Increasingly most phones have access to the internet and thus access to global social connections through face book ,what ‘s app or twitter [ albeit to a lesser extent ]. In countries such as Uganda and Kenya mobile technology has had a profound impact on agro business with mobile applications being developed to suit the needs of farmers in those countries .In the last four years we have also seen how social media literally catalyzed the demise of regimes in Tunisia ,Libya and Egypt although the problems in those countries are far from over .Only China has managed to effectively control internet traffic through the state’s superior coercive superstructure . The Global Citizen Today’s young person is only limited by geographic boundaries , a factor which is increasingly under threat because a person can wake up in the morning and greet face book friend in Ghana ,tweet to a hundred people in the U.K ,and send a what’s app message to another person in Canada .The very same person can spend one year without seeing their uncle in Magwegwe or Gwanda but be in more regular contact with somebody in Canada or Dubai .Business can be conducted through Skype calls or Skype conferences hence reducing the gap between people in different countries . Global Citizen and Sports Why is it that on a Monday morning you are more likely to hear a heated debate about how Manchester United ,Liverpool ,Arsenal or Chelsea performed rather than how Highlanders F.C or Dynamos ,Kaiser Chiefs or Green Buffaloes[ can a buffalo be actually Green] performed ?.Its all about globalization and not necessarily the fact that our local soccer is dying [ although it is ] .It is a function of global culture and access to information .That is why it is possible today for someone to tell you the whole Real Madrid or Barcelona line up and not know a single CAPS United or F.C Chiredzi player . It is not lack patriotism it is just the manner in which the world is rapidly metamorphosing and at the slow pace of integration of I .C.T ‘s in sport ,music ,art ,development ,governance and literally everything in Africa .At the click of a button you can Google any player or any team from Europe and you will have access to updated information through well maintained websites and spaces .We cannot say the same for government ministries , soccer teams and so forth in Africa Zimbabwe in particular . We are still holding on to information dearly as sacrosanct when the world has moved on and left us in the sanctuary of a latter day “stone age “. African individuals however still have access to information about global music ,film , sports ,political or business icons and thus it becomes easier for them to identify with them .It is not just about patriotism but the imperative of ensuring that African entities be they corporate , political ,artistic or sport ensure are techno centric in their approach or else Africa will become irrelevant to its own people who have become ‘global citizens only limited by time zones and geographical locations .

Dumisani O Nkomo: Cuatomer Service Goes To The Dogs

Dumisani O Nkomo: Cuatomer Service Goes To The Dogs: Customer Care Goes To The Dogs Customer care is central to building brand loyalty and cultivating a broad customer base . However if the tru...

Cuatomer Service Goes To The Dogs

Customer Care Goes To The Dogs Customer care is central to building brand loyalty and cultivating a broad customer base . However if the truth be told it is now commonplace for retailers and service providers to routinely abuse customers .Just three weeks ago i was horrified to discover that a huge snake had make its way into our yard and as a loyal and responsible citizen i immediately decided to report the matter to the Department of Parks . Much to my disappointment i received a lukewarm reception from everybody at the Parks department and an indifferent officer called Godfrey coldly told me that i should wait until i saw the snake again and then call him .He was too busy with other business to attend to this “trivial issue ‘ . In my naivety i had thought that the officer would at least offer some advice on how we could deal with the snake . But alas the young officer did not often bother to find out what kind of snake it was or what precautionary measures could be taken to ensure that children where safe .The Department of Parks is not alone in this indifference to customers as other government departments and private retailers have gained notoriety for abusing customers after having institutionalized rudeness . Till Operators On a number of occasions after having patiently waited in supermarket queues for long periods of time my temperament has been tested by till operators who decide to close their tills just when you get to their tills and then rudely tell me to join the next long winding queue without even an apology .I understand that till operators also endure abuse from customers some of whom shout obscenities at them for no apparent reason but there is no reason to then abuse innocent customers who bring business to them and ensure that they are employed . I recently had an unpleasant brush at a popular fast foods outlet which is known for serving fresh hot chips and Russian chips when a grumpy till operator angrily told me to take my chips and go away . I tried to tell her to speak courteously to customers but was met with refined coldness and rudeness . The young girl really thought she was the best thing that has happened to Bulawayo since Bosso won the championship in 2006 .I tried to request to speak to the manager but was told that there was no manager . imagine a shop without a manager or even a proper complaints structure .After a full thirty minutes remonstrating with this rather dull till operator i received a rude “sorry phela “and left The Police and Roadblocks Zimbabwe has virtually become a police state with roadblock on every major road and to crown it off almost every other department manns these roadblocks . It must only be Zimbabwe where you find four government departments and the local authority at a roadblock .Motorists are subjected to on site interrogation not only from the police but ZINARA ,the City Council and it wont be long before we see ZESA ,ZINWA and ZIFA manning roadblocks as well .Comedy aside it is not healthy for a country which is it peace to have so many roadblocks as this is not a good reflection of the country as a tourist attraction .After all how come there is no institution that is checking the innumerable number of potholes in the country’s roads but instead people are harassed for the condition of their cars when the condition of the roads has crippled many cars . In any case i digress and may i however emphasize that in spite of the large number of roadblocks the police have improved their public relations in most roadblocks as officers are now courteous to motorists .The number of roadblocks is however not warranted as this slows down business .My parting shot is that the police are now to be referred as the Police Service under the new constitution and should thus reflect the aspect of delivering security services to the public . I would like to urge government departments and local authorities to improve their customer signage so that customers are aware of what kind of services they can receive from which offices . At times one is told rather rudely ’Kanti awukwazi ukuthi information inga ?“[ you don’t know where the information department /office is ].Services to customers should be timely as outlined in Chapter 9 of the constitution and organizations , institutions as well as other organs should ensure that frontline officers such as receptionists and till operators are trained in public relations and customer care . The customer is king .

Dumisani O Nkomo: Are New Year's Celebrations Now Illegal In Zim

Dumisani O Nkomo: Are New Year's Celebrations Now Illegal In Zim: Are New Year’s Celebrations Now Illegal? I had an unpleasant brush with the law on New Year’s Day when my nephew and niece alongside two fr...

Are New Year's Celebrations Now Illegal In Zim

Are New Year’s Celebrations Now Illegal? I had an unpleasant brush with the law on New Year’s Day when my nephew and niece alongside two friends who they had invited for an all night prayer service were arrested by a bunch of over zealous junior police officers . They had just gone out for a breather during the official all night break when we got news just five minutes afterwards that they had been hounded by the police who apparently where on a spree of arresting every other young person or female .These actions were largely unconstitutional ,illegal and an affront if not a calculated assault on civil liberties as enshrined in the supreme law of the land . This is not the first time where law enforcement agents have been caught on the wrong side of the law as last year there were numerous reports of armed policemen beating up and arbitrarily arresting people in places such as Lobengula ,Nkulumane and the city centre . On New Year’s Day they took it a step further by arresting hundreds of innocent people allegedly for loitering . Has it become a crime let alone a sin for one to be seen on streets of Bulawayo on New Year’s Eve . Virtually the whole world breaks into celebrations during this time and in most civilized countries there are impressive fireworks displays with hundreds of thousands of peoples massing the streets in joyous celebration . Not so in Zimbabwe and specifically in Bulawayo were the police decided that it was illegal for people to be seen on the streets of Bulawayo . The police do have a big role to play in maintaining law and order as well as preventing crime .However on New Year’s Eve they took it too far by arresting people that were coming from church services and even others who were not necessarily coming from church but who have a right by virtue of the fact that they are human beings and have a right to join in the merriment of celebrating the New Year without infringing on the rights of others . On this horrendous and harrowing morning or rather night young police officers were moving through the streets of Bulawayo and arresting any and every other person they thought was loitering . For goodness sake there will be normal people on any normal city in any normal country celebrating New Years Day unless a new draconian law in gazetted clearly making New Year’s Celebrations an offence .In the first place the constitution which is the supreme law of land grants Zimbabwean fundamental rights and freedoms which allow they to peacefully and responsibly move freely ,associate freely within the borders of the land .Section 2 of the country’s constitution is abundantly clear in stating that “the constitution is the supreme law of Zimbabwe and any law , practice ,custom or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid “ .Quite clearly the practise of arbitrarily arresting people without even telling them of their crime is at variance with the supreme law of the land and should be condemned by all law abiding citizens . The constitution further protects citizens against such blatant disregard of their rights by entrenching the following freedoms : 1. The right to personal liberty which includes the right not to be detained without trial and not to be deprived of their liberty without just cause [Chapter 4,Section 49 Zimbabwe Constitution] . 2.Rights of arrested and detained persons-this includes the right to be informed of the reason of arrest at the time of arrest ,access to a spouse ,partner or relative . The right to consult a legal practitioner . All arrested persons should be treated humanely and with respect for their inherent dignity . [Section 50,Zimbabwe Constitution]. 3.Right to human dignity[section 51] 4.Freedom form torture or cruel ,Inhuman and degrading treatment[section 53] 5. Freedom of association and assembly[section58]is that loitering ? 6.Freedom of movement[ section 66] I witnessed with my own eyes these constitutional provisions being torn to shreds by overzealous police officers who are inviting unwarranted litigation upon the state and especially the ministry of Home Affairs through this shameful and unconstitutional conduct .I tried in vain to remonstrate with an uninformed uniformed female police officer at Central Police Station that five people had been unlawfully arrested when coming from a church service but i was rudely told to come at eight o ‘ clock the next day . This implied that my young nieces and nephews had to spend a night in jail without eating [ this qualifies as inhuman treatment],when they had not committed a crime and in conditions which were sub human because that evening it rained the whole night and female prisoners had been bunched into a “game park “like fence in the open like wild animals whilst the rain pounded their fair skins . [These conditions were clearly inhuman and degrading ] . Fortunately section 85 of the constitutions gives citizens recourse to justice because it allows citizens whether on their own behalf or on behalf of others to approach the courts in cases where their rights and freedoms have been suppressed [This is a route i will happily take] . Section 243 empowers the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission to investigate any person alleged to have infringed on any human right or freedom ,to secure redress and even recommend the prosecution of offenders ,where human rights or freedoms have been violated ] .The role of the security services including the police is to uphold the law and the constitution which includes fundamental rights and freedoms [section 206] .The police should therefore not violate the very constitution which they should uphold and guard jealously . By undermining fundamental rights and freedoms they are undermining the constitution and by undermining the constitution they are compromising the “territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation “ which they are supposed t protect . These human rights abuses should be immediately investigated and the individual perpetrators brought to book . I will continue with part two of the instalment next week . Views and opinions from the public are welcome . Mayibuye !