BY VENERANDA LANGA

The ZUPCO bus hire scheme is costing Treasury $51 million a month which is not sustainable, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government said on Tuesday.

Government came up with the Zupco scheme in a bid to cushion the commuting public from high transport costs, but the subsidised fares have been costing government a lot of money.

While kombi operators are now charging $7 to $10 per trip depending on the distance, Zupco buses have been cheap at $1 despite the ever-rising cost of fuel.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, chaired by Miriam Chikukwa, in its report on the 2020 national budget said of the $638 million allocated to the Local Government ministry for 2020, almost all that amount would be gobbled by the Zupco subsidy.

“The Local Government ministry planned to undertake projects aimed at poverty reduction, improved sanitation and standards of living in line with vision 2030 growth objectives and to this end $638 million was allocated in the 2030 national budget,” Chikukwa said.

“Eighty-five percent of the amount ($638 million) is earmarked for Zupco bus hire management and the current bus hire is $51 million and if the current trend is to go on, the $540 million will only last for 10 months.”

The committee recommended that government should procure more buses for Zupco instead of hiring as it was gobbling a lot of money.

“Your committee noted that the Zupco scheme is taking a huge amount of the budget. We also acknowledge the social impact the scheme is having on the citizens. There is need to quicken the procurement of Zupco buses.

“Government is urged to consider a build operate and transfer scheme and public private partnerships to quicken the procurement of buses. Your committee flagged the situation in Harare South as a potential hazard and urged Treasury to reconsider this area,” the committee said.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE/RICHARD MUPONDE

Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo has again ruled out the use of external mediators to resolve the political and economic crises in the country, saying Zimbabweans must be allowed and afforded the space to find one another.

Referring to opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa while addressing diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe at the annual diplomatic reception on Wednesday, Moyo said some “stubborn” people were refusing to accepting the outcome of the 2018 elections won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“Some openly call for rolling out of mass action, even violent protests in order to oust a democratically-elected government,” he said.

“Some stubbornly refuse to accept the outcome of the 2018 election; refuse to lend themselves or their ideas to the national dialogue process initiated by the President. Some continue to call for sanctions and the diplomatic isolation of their own country, believing that only external mediation can heal the deep polarisation which continues to afflict our nation and our people.

“We believe that Zimbabweans must be allowed, encouraged and afforded the space to find one another, by themselves. Your excellences, you have an important role to play in this regard and we look to you to bring your undoubted influence to bear towards that objective.”

Moyo alleged there were elements within society who sought to exploit the collateral damage done by the current drought and natural challenges and by fair or foul means, they mobilise, encourage and provoke unrest across the country.

He urged the diplomats to dialogue with the government and to be open and candid and criticise where warranted, but also to acknowledge progress, effort and underlying commitment where that is patently clear.

“We are all diplomats no matter the situation and whatever disagreements we may have along the way, dialogue must always continue. Doors must always remain open. We must be open and candid with one another. Criticise where criticism is warranted,” Moyo said.

Dean of African diplomats and Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mawampanga Mwana Nanga, urged Zimbabwe to dump the re-engagement process with the West and focus on Africa and other friendly nations who have been with them for decades.

“My request for you, Zimbabwe, is not to put too much effort on the handful of countries which do not want to re-engage with you and focus on those that have been with you for decades,” Mwana Nanga said.

“But what I know is that the people of those countries have remained engaged with you and it’s important that the Zimbabwe government recognises that the engagements of the real people on the ground that have been with you for decades are important.”

BY CHARLES LAITON

Family members of the late former President Robert Mugabe yesterday appointed the late nationalist’s only daughter, Bona Mutsahuni-Chikore, the executor of her father’s multi-million dollar estate, during the edict meeting that was held at the Master of the High Court’s office.

Bona was elected ahead of all other family members at a meeting that was chaired by the Master of the High Court, Eldered Mutasa.

Present during the meeting were former First Lady Grace Mugabe, Bona, her husband Simbarashe Chikore, and an unidentified relative.

Mugabe’s two sons, Robert Junior and Chatunga Bellarmine, were not present and gave Mutasa power of attorney to appoint their sister as the executor.

The family lawyer, Advocate Terrence Hussein, of Hussein Ranchod & Company, confirmed the development, saying the meeting went on well without hitches and that Bona would soon begin the process of running the affairs of the estate, which apparently will take some time to complete.

“We attended the Master’s office this morning (yesterday) with the family after the Master had called the family to decide the status of the estate of the late former President, Comrade (Robert) Mugabe,” he said.

“As you know, this is an edict meeting whereby he briefed the family on what should be done and then he asked whom they would want to suggest as the executor to run the affairs of the estate. The family set down and unanimously agreed that it would be Mrs Chikore, the late President’s daughter.”

Hussein further said the whole process of appointing Bona as the executor had gone very well, adding that she would now be in the shoes of her late father in every matter that involves his wealth.

“The law requires the Master to appoint one of the family members and that is what we sat for today. Surprise, surprise, of all surprises, the apple of his eye, and first daughter, Bona Chikore, has been appointed the executor of her late father’s estate,” Hussein said.

The family lawyer also said now that Bona had been appointed the executor, a distribution account would soon be opened with a list of all the debtors and creditors following which beneficiaries of the estate would be paid accordingly.

Turning to conflicting reports about the ownership of Gushungo Dairies, which was said not to be part of Mugabe’s estate, Hussein said the dairy company did not belong to the former Head of State.

“Talking of Gushungo Dairies, which is a private limited company …, no one can own a company. What you can own in a company are shares. Cde Mugabe did not own Gushungo Dairies. It is owned by the Mugabe family. As such (it) cannot be treated as his personal property,” the lawyer said, dismissing further reports that Mugabe owned properties outside Zimbabwe.

“Since this is wealth, who would ever ignore that? You journalists are incisive, you surely would have told us the names of the properties. You didn’t because they don’t exist. They will always be a fabrication,” he said.

On October 21 this year, Bona notified the Master’s Office by disclosing that her late father had US$10 million in a CBZ Bank nostro account and a number of immovable and movable properties.

According to Bona, Mugabe owned house number 129 Forbes Road in Waterfalls; villa number 65 in Gunhill, Harare; number 27 Quorn Avenue in Mt Pleasant; Lot GB Helensvale and Lot 1 of subdivision B of Sub G of Helensvale; Highfield Farm, Zvimba rural farming plot (about five acres), Zvimba rural home (one hectare), Zvimba orchard (about five acres) and 10 cars.

In terms of the estate, Grace is listed as the sole surviving spouse, while Bona, Robert, Bellarmine and Russel Goreraza are listed as Mugabe’s surviving children.

Participants attending the Value Creation Challenge boot camp in Harare are hopeful that they will make it into the top ten after the adjudication stage today. The innovation challenge is a competition that is being supported by a partnership between Old Mutual Zimbabwe and the British Council.

The objective of the competition is to drive innovative and sustainable solutions to the socio-economic challenges being experienced today. The boot camp involves an intensive two-day training of the contestants to prepare them on how to effectively pitch their business ideas.

Top 25 Participants of the Value Creation Challenge Boot Camp.

The 25 shortlisted participants representing budding companies from across Zimbabwe relish the opportunity provided by the competition and look forward to pitching their ideas to an esteemed panel of judges.

One of the contestants is Alban Manjengwa, the co-founder of Blue Canary, a creative agency that connects businesses with their audiences and customers with the view to helping them meet their revenue targets. He said the boot camp has helped him gain the ability to define exactly what his company does and what their market is.

“We have initially struggled to create messages that reach prospective clients and this hampered our sales potential, making growth quite difficult. But this experience has enabled us to think critically and really identify who it is that we should be speaking to as well as the value we can really add,” Manjengwa said.

He added that he found several opportunities among those contesting who needed the services that his company is offering.

Another contestant who has used the boot camp as a ‘fishing pond’ for future business prospects is Joe Mtetwa from Rob Proctor, a data analytics company in Harare.

Head of Hatch Ideas Worldwide”, Yemisi Mokuolu

He says that the companies participating at the boot camp need to appreciate that the data they have is valuable in making business decisions. Data will be useful to them if it is properly analysed and explained.

“I have gained more knowledge and now appreciate the impact of upcoming businesses in a volatile business environment and economy. Winning the competition will ensure that our vision is achieved and will help the economy to change for the better,” he said

Yemisi Mokuolu, an award-winning social- entrepreneur who heads Hatch Ideas Worldwide, who with Stimulus Africa is part of the team of facilitators, believes that the contestants have what it takes to run profitable and impactful businesses in Zimbabwe.

“The contestants are very determined, and their ideas incredibly innovative and exciting. Apart from that, she believed they are very realistic. One of the things that I am most impressed about is that their ideas have a direct benefit for Zimbabwe,” said Ms Mokuolu.

“They are also determined to make sure that their ideas can create employment and also generate solid income not just for themselves but for their community. But also that their idea can support the country as a whole in its growth, she said.

Hatch Ideas Worldwide is a business development agency based in London, in the United Kingdom, that specialises in helping people develop their business ideas that have social or cultural impact.

They are partnering with Stimulus Africa to co-design and develop the Eight2Five Innovation Hub. This is an incubator that will host the 6-month training programme to support the top ten entrepreneurs whose innovative ideas will create social and economic change in Zimbabwe.

The Value Creation Challenge contestants pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges today and ten of the best will go forward to the next stage which is the 6 month incubation period.

At the end of that programme, 3 winning companies will receive financial, on-going business development support and mentorship from experts from both Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom.

BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE

A DUTCH firm, Vitens Evides International (VEI) that partnered City of Harare, has finally compiled a draft report and map aimed at reducing water losses in the city due to illegal connections and burst pipes.

VEI project manager, Toine Ramaker on Tuesday shared experiences on how water is preserved in other countries.

He said Harare was losing clean water due to burst pipes and illegal connections by the residents while more water was being billed but not reaching its intended beneficiaries.

“According to our findings in 2011, the city lost more than 59% of water due to burst pipes. 213 million cubic metres were loaded into the system but only 87 million cubic metres were billed, confirming the loss of water due to these challenges,” Ramaker said.

He said by replacing water and sewage pipes council would reduce water losses.

“In 2013 to 2018, Harare lost more than 60-65% of water and the billing is also irrational as some of the people who are using much water are not being billed, thereby eroding trust in service delivery,” said Ramaker.

He added that there was need to upgrade Morton Jaffray Water Works for it to pump 614 megalitres per day against the current 450 megalitres per day.

Ramaker said Harare also needed about US$1,6 billion in the next decade to repair all damages and rehabilitate old sewage and water pipes, pumping stations, reservoirs and provide more water sources.

Speaking at the same workshop, consultant Percy Toriro said the problem of water had been exacerbated by the population boom in the capital as the infrastructure was built for fewer people in the 1950s.

“Our water infrastructure in Harare was last developed in the 1950s, Seke Dam and Lake Chivero and the other dams built after 1980 are Darwendale and Cleveland dams so we now need a significant investment in infrastructure such as dams and also the pipes that were laid during that time for sewage and water are now obsolete,” Toriro said.

“We have also other challenges of construction on wetlands and pollution. We see people washing cars on the streets and rubbish is thrown in the water drainage system. This will block the free flow of water. The public must realise that the serious problem we have is water and it must be preserved at all cost.”

BY SILAS NKALA

National tree ambassador, Never Bonde, has challenged government to invest in fruit farming to cut the country’s import bill.

Bonde, who was appointed tree ambassador by the then Environment, Water and Climate minister Oppah Muchinguri in 2015, yesterday said most citrus projects had suffered neglect forcing the country to import fruit to produce cordials and other edibles.

The tree ambassador gave an example of the Esigodini orange plantation which was grabbed during the 2000 land reform programme, but has not been productive since. He said the orange trees which were lush and a wondrous sight to travellers along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Road dried up following the invasion of the property.

“If we are not serious about embarking into citrus trees farming, we will have to import fruits from across borders and this will be too expensive for us. I urge the government to invest a lot of money into fruit trees projects such as oranges, apples, bananas and so on,” Bonde said.

“It will be unfair and foolish for us to be seen importing such fruits when we have vast land where we can grow our own trees and become producers and suppliers of such fruits.”

Bonde, who donated 4 800 plants to various wards in Bulawayo with each ward getting 200 trees, said they will be conducting a tree planting event in Bulawayo.

He, however, said climate change, characterised by erratic rainfall, has affected the trees planted between September and November. The Forestry Commission, in conjunction with other environment and wildlife conservation organisations, will conduct a tree planting event at Silwane Nature Reserve in Bulawayo on Saturday.

editorial comment

DEFENCE deputy minister Victor Matemadanda has emphatically put paid to any possible hope of political tolerance ever visiting the troubled land of Zimbabwe after he promised fire and brimstone to anyone who attempts to protest against Zanu PF’s continued misrule and political dictatorship. It is very sad to hear a whole minister, in a government which purports to be reforming and abhors discrimination of any sort, to threaten innocent citizens with instant and swift death via the bullet at a time many Zimbabweans are dying of hunger and preventable illnesses in the midst of millions of hectares of fertile land and hundreds of well-built health institutions.

Matemadanda’s frame of mind, in this day and age, is more that shocking. It is heartrending that in this 21st century someone unequivocally tells us: “Soldiers are not trained to beat up demonstrators, but to kill …. last time the police were called first, but failed to contain the situation because they are not ruthless enough, but soldiers are trained to kill.

People should not dice with death to the extent of dancing in front of army tankers (sic). Politics is not a hugging and kissing game. People should not fool themselves by dancing in front of army tankers (sic), they will meet their fate.”

If indeed, the world over, politics was practiced in the manner Matemadanda is lecturing us on, then there would not be any real nation to talk of.

There would be complete anarchy and chaos as people fought each other to gain political power because those in power would perpetually be fighting tooth and nail to stay in power using tanks and guns.

We are hearing it for the first time that the police are trained to beat up citizens who express their concerns when government errs; and that soldiers are trained to kill the country’s citizens if they ever decide to speak truth to power.

So is Matemadanda, indeed, now confessing that the soldiers, who shot and killed dozens of unarmed and fleeing citizens in August last year and in January this year, were actually given specific orders to conduct those heinous act?

Surely how can a country prosper when the people are ruled by the gun and living under constant fear that if they protest, tanks will be rolled on the streets to blast them into pieces? The idea of using violence to force people into submitting to a certain viewpoint or agenda should be condemned.

Politics of violence should never be given a chance in our society because it breeds intolerance. It must be condemned and resisted. Only two year ago, Matemadanda cringed when he was bashed by the Augustine Chihuri led police force. One wonders, is this the Matemadanda (pronounced Matemedhanda) who accused late former President Robert Mugabe of dictatorship forcing him to briefly find succour in the opposition MDC at the height of divisive Zanu PF politics? Time will tell!

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

ZANU PF Bulawayo province is holding a fundraising event in the city tomorrow as it races against time to raise funds for the party’s annual people’s conference in Goromonzi next week.

Southern Eye has established that Zanu PF’s fundraising committee in the city is having sleepless nights as the party’s usual targets, private companies, have declared incapacitation to fund them.

Each province is expected to raise at least $500 000 to mainly feed Zanu PF delegates attending the conference.

Last week, chairperson of the Bulawayo fundraising committee Charles Chiponda claimed that the province had raised as much as 30% to 40% of their required budget.

But spokesperson of the fundraising committee Khumbulani Mpofu in an interview yesterday said the going has been tough for them with targeted traditional donors only making unfulfilled promises.

“We have traditional donors who we are targeting, but we are racing against time. As at present, they are just giving us promises since, as you know, the situation is difficult for many companies. It’s tough, but we are positive that some traditional donors will come through even at the last minute and assist,” Mpofu said.

In the past, the ruling party was accused of coercing some private companies to donate towards its conferences and other activities.

There have also been reports of some party activists taking advantage of the fundraising drive to divert donations for personal use.

In 2015, Zanu PF youth district chairpersons ousted their provincial executive – then led by Mpofu who is the current fundraising committee chairperson – on charges of corruption and using the party name to extort struggling companies of monies, groceries and fuel, which they later shared among themselves.

guest column:Lawrence Kamwi

Namibia went to the polls last Wednesday. A potential 717 809 women and 640 659 men were expected to vote. The run-up to the elections once more showed the immensity of the task of running a poll.

Using results of a mini-survey in August this year, Ofer Berenstein of the University of Calgary, spent time looking at how people should be encouraged to vote. He notes that, despite a cumulative increase of nearly 10% in voter turnout in Canadian federal elections between 2008 and 2015, it is possible that “governments are being formed with the support of a minority of the population.”

“One possible way to increase turnout is non-partisan campaigns to encourage people to vote,” he says.

He also says the group of people he calls non-habitual voters will only react positively to the invitation to vote if they are given “open-ended questions that invite them to think and discuss matters on their own terms.”

I still found his essay tame when compared to the bombast language associated with American elections. I have heard phrases like ‘prosecutorial passion,’ the ‘manic idealisation of party positions,’ the ‘casserole of deceit, and stew of mendacity,’ and ‘election-year excavations of character.’

But I digress. I wanted to write about crystal balls and other fortune-telling paraphernalia; obviously, old-time, esoteric subjects. A friend suggested instead that I should look at more contemporary methods of prediction.

Apparently, management and leadership publications are today’s crystal balls. Both local and external bulletins have eagle-eye and consistent focus on political, economic, social, and other seismic events, that can help in spotting or predicting long-term trends.

The chief scientist and vice-president of the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Research (CABER) Evan Sinar recently dedicated his time to studying 50 years of publishing by one of the world’s leading business journals.

His study looked at over 8 000 article titles written between January 1967 and June 2018.

While Sinar briefly looks back at terms from the past half-century of business topic trends, his final push is to “identify and discuss the terms with the strongest upward trajectory into and through the present day.”

He divides his study into ‘declining-focus terms,’ ‘increasing-focus terms,’ and ‘nuanced/stable-focus terms.’ He describes the nuanced/stable-focus group as “three terms showing either consistent interest or a relationship that doesn’t uniformly trend up or down, in some cases due to varying conceptualisations of the terms over time.”

At the simple level, one can think of consult, which can mean either to offer advice or to receive it. Garnish can relate to decorating or embellishing food. But it can alternatively give notice for the purpose of legally seizing money belonging to a debtor or defendant. Finally, depending on the speaker’s perspective, sanction denotes both approval or boycott.

Michael Brackett writes that “information technology in general, and data resource management in particular, have a major lexical challenge. Words and terms are created, often used interchangeably, misused, abused, corrupted and discarded without regard to the real meaning or any impact on the business. As a result, the data management profession today is lexically weak.”

Brackett gives his readers a rude awakening. “The promoter of a business said that their business operated 24-7-365. I thought about that for a minute and wondered if he really meant their business would be around for seven years. I’m sure he really meant either 24-365 or 24-7-52.”

One of the noticeable declining-focus terms is management. Sinar suggests that “one possible reason is a broader perspective on sources of business value than solely a company’s management structure. In particular, ‘leadership’ and ‘innovation’ became at the start of the 2000s and beyond the much more prominent article topics alongside the decline of management.”

The other unmissable decline is the use of ‘product.’ Sinar believes this is reflective of a “reorientation to customer-in rather than product and services-out views of a company’s market presence.”

Author and entrepreneur Seth Godin famously states that “this is marketing done right. Marketing where the marketer changes the product, not the ads.”

The seven terms that have “increased substantially across the 50-year period” include leadership and innovation – as already highlighted — team, women, customer, data and CEO.

“How to Pre-empt Team Conflict” has become one of the most-read articles over the years. Customers may “reflect stronger awareness of the external forces shaping a company’s success in generating market value, and the costly consequences of neglecting customer and end-user views.”

The article finally tackles the “steeply-increasing business terms through 2018.” CEO, which has been used to refer to country leaders as well, is on the ascendancy. Sinar says the other words to watch out for are problems, culture, growth, diversity, risk, agile and digital.

“As business risks – often stemming from political, social and technological forces – escalate, high-profile examples of missteps and mitigation strategies gain new heights of visibility. This in turn generates fear, awareness, and prioritisation for risk management as a corporate imperative.”

guest column:Blessing Machiva

Few weeks ago, there was a heated debate on the causes of poverty in Zimbabwe. Many, especially the ruling elite, have blamed the USA economic sanctions against our country. This is a naive argument since the effect of sanctions is insignificant in explaining our current state of poverty. Zimbabwe started failing economically in 1983 but many couldn’t notice until 1987 when the government started drafting some economic blue prints which they never implemented, anyway. When this country got independence in 1980, the liberators were too emotional from suppression and when they got power to rule, they thought what the country possessed was theirs per se; hence they enjoyed the returns without re-investing. There is nothing much that was done by this current administration in terms of capital investment, besides human capital which we all praise the former President for. That’s why we see that all companies that were operational in early 1980s are either limping or no longer functional today. We can mention them, NRZ, Air Zimbabwe, Ziscosteel, CSC, Zesa, African Distillers just to mention a few. Zimbabwe’s economic woes are a result of political corruption!

Zimbabwe has industries, mineral resources, good climatic conditions and soils for agriculture, good human brains to push investment and production, yet we are the poorest on the continent, with the majority surviving on less than US$0,35 per day. Botswana has nothing except diamonds and beef, yet for the past five decades, it has emerged as a growth miracle country with a GDP per capita of US$8 031,01 in 2018 and from 1965 to date it grew at an average rate of 7,7% (Acemoglu et al, 2001). Zimbabwe, during the same period, is becoming poorer by day, with a GDP per capita of US$1 322,34 in 2018, which is six times less than that of Botswana, and it grew at an average rate of 0,74% annually.

Economists have attributed the economic success of Botswana, with a highest growth rate than any country in the world, to orthodox economic policies and how the country managed to implement such policies is a puzzle because in Africa, good economics is bad politics. Botswana implemented inclusive institutions that support growth and development. Zimbabwe is failing today because of extractive institutions that don’t allow mass participation in the production process. Good economics in Zimbabwe is bad politics; suggesting good policies are seen as a ‘regime change agenda’ and the person becomes the enemy of the State. Why?

Corruption and bad economic systems benefit a few, especially the elite and those who are in power at the expense of the majority. Why those in power do not want to implement good systems and policies is because good systems will reduce their economic rents. An efficient bureaucratic system, rule of law, voice and accountability will expose corruption and make it difficult to practise it. No wonder why even if you see that the economic systems and policies being implemented are not working, those in power would continue to push them forward, they have personal interests to protect. So many years after independence, we have one TV station, State-controlled, why? Zimbabwe has gold, diamond and other precious minerals, who is benefiting from them remains a mystery and why good systems can’t be put in place to make sure that everyone benefits from such minerals, the revenue passing through Treasury is a puzzle. The country survives on a supermarket budget of US$4 billion when we have vast resources that are capable of bringing good revenue to our coffers, it’s so embarrassing.

Why we can’t revive NRZ so that we reduce the demand for fuel, damage to our roads, congestion and accidents requires deep investigation into the owners of haulage trucks, public transport like buses and service stations. Why we are underutilising our pipeline to transport fuel from Mozambique to Harare and prefer to use road is unknown. I remember two months ago when the EcoCash cash-out facility was suspended and later restored with a maximum limit of $100 per transaction, only a day after to see money changers cashing out thousands again and why the maximum limit was removed if it was believed to be worsening the economic situation is unknown. Recently, RBZ issued new bank notes and coins in order to allow depositors to access cash from their banks, only to see these new notes flooding the streets, someone in possession of more than $20 000 when the maximum withdrawal limit is $300 per week. How those involved got so much cash in a space of a day is unknown, then we have the audacity to blame sanctions, no its corruption.

I saw masses of Zimbabweans pinning their hopes on the 2020 budget that was announced by the Minister of Finance a few weeks ago but then analysing the paper work closely, you see a doomed Zimbabwe.

There are so many projects that have been allocated funds in previous budgets and continue to be allocated more funds even today, what happened to the money that was allocated to such projects before is unknown, the progress of such is unknown as well. How can one see hope in a supermarket budget of US$4 billion that has allocated more funds to defence and home affairs instead to industry, health and education? Many economists argue that many poor countries allocate more funds to security because how the money will be used is difficult to assess because of the secrecy involved, hence that money can be expropriated easily than the money allocated towards health and education.

If the current leadership was serious about economic recovery, they should target industry more, opening and reviving few big companies like Zisco steel, NRZ and Air Zimbabwe would make a huge impact in a very short space of time than the basket weaving and informal brick moulding activities that the camera and screen-loving politicians are targeting. After independence, Zimbabwe had very few big companies (with NRZ being the second largest employer of 20 000 workers) but with an unemployment rate of less that 5% of the total labour force but today we have more SMEs and informal business operating, with their head offices and branches encroaching residential areas near the city centre, but the unemployment rate stood at more than 90%. These informal businesses that the politicians are vying for in order to cover up for their failures destroy the economy worse than their marginal contribution. This country is becoming ungovernable because of such informal activities.

From the study of corruption I carried out in Africa, I discovered that a 1% decrease in corruption would increase per capita incomes by nearly US$9.60 across time, isn’t that a good improvement? Knack and Keefer (1995) argued that security of property rights, good policies and management of the public sector are significant determinants of economic growth.

Tanzi and Davoodi (1997) are worried by huge public investment with ribbon cutting ceremonies as these are vehicles for corruption and are done at the expense of operations and maintenance.

No wonder why we concentrate of constructing new power generators when we have many thermal power stations at Hwange and Harare; hydro-power stations in Kariba not functional or operating below capacity.

Mauro (1995) reiterates that an inefficient government acts as an obstacle to investment, entrepreneurship and innovation.