BY MOSES MATENGA

CATHOLIC Bishops from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi have called for emergency relief and offered “solidarity and spiritual proximity” to the three countries in the wake of hunger, political challenges and other socio-economic challenges.

Speaking after the first consultative meeting of the Catholic Bishops of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe last week in Lusaka, the bishops said the three countries were faced with almost similar problems socially, economically and politically, hence the need for emergency relief in the face of severe drought that threatens millions of people.

“We, the Catholic Bishops in the sub-region express our solidarity and spiritual proximity to the people of Zimbabwe who are experiencing continuing and chronic economic hardships and seemingly intractable governance conflicts,” partly reads the February 5 statement signed by Rt Reverend George Cosmas Zumaire Lungu of Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops, Most Reverend Thomas Luke Msusa of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi and Most Reverend Robert Ndlovu of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“To the people of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe who are experiencing hunger, we call for emergency relief support to the affected population.”

The Bishops also called for peace following the nullification by the Supreme Court of the Malawi Presidential election results and call by the same for a fresh poll.

“We, the Catholic Bishops in the sub-region express our solidarity and spiritual proximity to the people of Malawi who are currently going through socio-political difficulties. We call upon them to maintain peace as relevant institutions are preparing for fresh elections.

“To the people of Zambia; we call for dialogue, peace and reconciliation among political leaders and other key stakeholders.”

There were also calls for prayer for Zambia and Malawi in the wake of loss of life as a result of alleged ritual or witchcraft related deaths.

BY MOSES MATENGA

ZANU PF and the MDC shared the spoils of two by-elections in Mwenezi and Harare.

MDC Alliance lost dismally to Zanu PF in Mwenezi over the weekend with the ruling party’s Samuel Kwinika garnering 1 811 votes in the Ward 15 elections while the opposition candidate Shepherd Dzuda had a paltry 27.

In Kuwadzana, Adnonia Shoko of MDC won the by-election with 1 517 votes against Zanu PF candidate Lloyd Makuwe’s 718.

The opposition MDC yesterday said the by-elections in Harare and Masvingo were an indication of a serious need for reforms because the run up to the polls in both wards was marred by cases of vote-buying and intimidation.

“This tells you that it is not possible to have a proper election even in Harare. People were called to come and collect rice on the day of voting, Zanu PF was drilling a borehole a few metres from the polling station. These are not

elections. It is manipulation of people’s poverty. Weaponising poverty and food and it is the biggest challenge that we have,” the MDC secretary for elections, Jacob Mafume said yesterday.

“You can talk of figures and statistics, they are not a reflection of the people’s sentiments. People in the village are told to vote for Zanu PF for them to get food and secondly, if there is food, MDC supporters are deprived of that. If they vote MDC, they are beaten up after the elections and it is something we should work on to stop otherwise elections will remain useless without reforms.”

“It is politics of the stomach and the stomach is hungry so it is the stomach that expresses an opinion,” the opposition party charged.

Last week, the MDC launched an outreach programme targeted at rural voters.

The launch was held at the Morgan Tsvangirai Houses, the MDC headquarters in Harare and will see Chamisa meeting party structures in most provinces.

Zanu PF leader President Emmerson Mnangagwa also last week and directed his party to be visible in the rural areas, an indication he wanted to solidify control in a key constituent.

“He (Mnangagwa) further directed all ministers, accounting officers and senior officers spend more time with communities in the countryside, implementing and monitoring key government programmes that yield a better quality of life for all citizens,” Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa told journalists after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting in Harare.

BY MOSES MATENGA

THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption yesterday said it was investigating allegations of corruption levelled against business tycoons and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s allies Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Billy Rautenbach and Tafadzwa Musarara by suspended Zanu PF youth league bosses.

Zacc spokesperson John Makamure said Lewis Matutu and Godfrey Tsenengamu filed a report on Tuesday last week with the commission but were told to bring evidence, and that the anti-graft body was investigating the allegations while waiting for more information.

“They came the following day after their first Press conference (last week Monday) and we listened to them. We requested for any evidence that they might have. We are waiting for that evidence,” Makamure said.

“We said they should assist us with any evidence, not to say we are not investigating, we are investigating. If anyone makes a report, we investigate. We request those who file complaints to also assist with evidence. It makes our job easier.”

“We met them, we asked for evidence and we are waiting for that evidence, not to say we are not looking into that issue, no,” he added.

On Friday, Tsenengamu claimed they had submitted evidence to Zacc at a Press conference that was not attended by Matutu.

The naming of the business tycoons as part of the cartels bleeding the country’s economy has shaken the ruling Zanu PF party amid reports that there were some elements in the party who were compromised and benefitting from alleged corrupt activities.

Others said the fight was a factional Zanu PF war hence the divisions that rocked the Zanu PF politburo meeting last week.

Politburo member Christopher Mutsvangwa suggested, at the weekend, that part of the fight was over control of the Feruka oil pipeline and attempts to wrest it from the cartel.

“There is the denial to Zimbabwe of an eponymous financial and logistics service industry as it carters for the sub region. Limpopo and other northern regions of South Africa would be drinking from Mabvuku. Just as traditional clients Congo and Zambia, southern Malawi and central Mozambique,” Mutsvangwa said of the benefits of the pipeline to Zimbabwe if “rescued” from the cartel.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed acting Zanu PF secretary for administration in the youth league, Tendai Chirau said the war against corruption will not be won overnight and needed empirical evidence from those who claim it.

“The youth league remains deeply and heartily perturbed about the calamitous effects of corruption on the national economic growth and recovery. We are genuinely aware of the existence of institutions which are constitutionally mandated to combat corruption such as the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and Special Anti-Corruption Unit to aid the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the National Prosecution Authority and the Judicial Services Commission,” Chirau said.

“It is against this background that the youth league, as a vanguard of the ruling Zanu PF, we petition for perseverance from our patriotic youth since such an arduous fight cannot be won overnight. It must be borne in mind that most corruption cases fail on account of dearth of empirical evidence,” he said.

However, senior Zacc officials told NewsDay that the commission has forwarded over 100 dockets to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which was reportedly sitting on them.
“The criminal justice system has loopholes and this is slowing down how we as Zacc deliver, especially at the NPA, that is where the big problem is,” said a source who refused to be named.

BY KENNETH NYANGANI

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has threatened to fire party legislators and councillors who he says have abandoned their constituencies.

Speaking at Sakubva Beit Hall, in Mutare on Saturday, where he met Manicaland’s provincial district structures, Chamisa said there would be no imposition of candidates in future elections.

Chamisa said he was going to introduce a new criteria of choosing candidates, which will start from branch level, seeking opinion of traditional leaders on upright candidates who should serve constituencies.

“We are strengthening our rural constituencies, this is where we are going to spend most of our time, we need to work very hard on our rural constituencies,” he said
“We are having challenges with our MPs; they are not going to the people, we received reports that our MPs and councillors have abandoned their constituencies since they were voted into power in 2018, we are warning to recall them if they continue to do so,” he said

“We are aware that some MPs and councillors are taking their positions as jobs. We are not employment agents and we are not there to offer jobs, don’t expect to be employed or expect to be deployed by the party,” he said

“So I am warning you that if you MPs and councillors continue not to engage your people we are going to take your positions,” he said

“The MDC is the leading party and Zanu PF is the ruling party, and MDC is bigger that Zanu PF,” Chamisa said, adding that he wants to bring all the party’s veterans into the mainstream politics.

He also added that he wanted the army on the negotiating table.

“We want to bring out all our veterans into the mainstream of our politics, they have played a critical role since the formation of our party almost 20 years ago,” he said.

“As a party we have said no to government of national unity we need a transitional authority; there we can arrange for a credible election. We also want to bring the army on the negotiation table because Zanu PF has been using the soldiers, so we would want to know what the soldiers want,” he said.

“We want the army to serve the people and not to serve a party, that is all we want,” he added.

MOTIVATION: Ashley Thaba

AROUND this time of year, we all reflect on the past year and think about whether we would like to make some changes in the current year. Today I want to focus on how when we look towards the future, we need to let go of the bad and the good of the past.

My outlook on life is generally sunny and optimistic because I have no problems letting go of bad things in my past. I have made deliberate decisions to forgive those who have hurt me. I have trained my mind to focus on positive though tempted to think about the negative. I have chosen to love those who are mean to me. I am not saying I am perfect but these are intentional choices I mentally make on a regular basis.

But, there have been times when I am hesitant to let go of good things in the past. Some would say “oh the good old days when…” Maybe it is a friendship you used to have which has gone sour and you miss those days. Maybe it is a job position that you once held and felt powerful and useful. Maybe it is the early days of marriage that were full of love and happiness. Maybe it is when your kids were little and there was so much laughter around the house and now they are older and would prefer to stay in their room and really don’t care much whether you are in the house or not. There are so many scenarios where we get so caught up in missing what used to be that we don’t create a good life today.

Those days might have been good but you were a part of making them good so you can be a part of making your future good too! Also, let’s keep in mind that sometimes these “harder days” are building us up to go even higher in the future “glory days”.

Let me get personal in an effort to make this practical. I came to Botswana from America 20 years ago. I worked in all the junior and secondary government schools in Francistown in addition to working with the youth at Francistown Baptist Church. I loved it! Everyday I felt God was using my life to make positive impacts in these kids’ lives. Parents would tell me how their children’s lives had changed as they learned more about God and His truths. Youths would testify that they never felt anyone truly cared but now that they had met Jesus, they felt loved. Young men and women would vow that they wouldn’t follow in the immoral ways of their peers now that they understood God’s plan for purity and integrity in their lives. Headmasters of the schools thanked me for the noticeable difference observed since I began teaching the Bible. My life had a purpose and my heart was full of love for the Batswana youth I daily worked with. My days were spiritually fulfilling. I ended up meeting and marrying an unbelievable Motswana man and we went abroad while he studied computer engineering.

After obtaining his degree, we had to make a choice whether to stay in America where he had an awesome high paying job or come back to Botswana, where we knew jobs were scarce and the few that are available at his high level of IT skill and project management are generally hard to get if you aren’t willing to participate in corrupt practices. I knew it wouldn’t be easy financially, but I remembered those “glory days” — those days where everyday I felt like my presence in Botswana somehow made other people’s lives a little brighter. We decided to leave everything in America and return. But, now as a married woman with small children, it wasn’t like I remembered. As a hands on stay at home mom, I struggled to find time to get to the grocery store juggling keeping the house clean, breastfeeding, making meals, nap times, and trying to spend quality time bonding with my children. I yearned for the “glory days” — the days where my life felt like it “meant something”. God kept reminding me that this was a season. I needed to learn to see the beauty in this season and avail myself for the lessons He was trying to teach me. For ten years, I stayed at home full time — homeschooling my children and focusing almost exclusively on allowing God to use me to bless my kids and husband. Honestly, it was a lonely and boring decade because as an extrovert, I like being with people! As an intellectual, I craved stimulating conversation that I was not getting hanging with toddlers all day. As an evangelist, I missed teaching the Bible and sharing the gospel helping others with spiritual enlightenment. About three years ago, God finally availed the chance for me to step back a bit at home and venture more into the professional and public space again. He has opened up tremendous doors that now have me writing this column for five countries each week, being invited regularly for public motivational speaking gigs and now my husband and I have our own television marriage show called Talking with the Thabas, which you can follow on Facebook. I now realise that God had to humble me in those 10 years and train me in ways of marriage and home building so that my ministry reach could be even greater and more effective than it once was.

May I encourage you today — no matter what season you are in, this is the day the lord has made! Rejoice and be glad in it! Seek God first and everything else will fall into place and who knows… maybe your future is going to be brighter than your past if you allow yourself to go through the fire and be refined by the God who loves you and wants to work things out for your good if you will choose to trust Him with your life and walk in obedience to His word and will for you.

Ashley Thaba is a popular life-coach, team-building facilitator and motivational speaker. She is also the author of Conquering the Giants and Dive In. You can view some of her works on her YouTube channel: Ashley Thaba.

SUCCESS LIFE: Jonah Nyoni

HUMAN beings are constantly sending messages, these could be verbal or non-verbal, good or bad. People in love should learn how to use communication to build their relationship. Today, I (JN) have engaged Nozipho Maphala (NM) who is a love and marriage expert who will help those in love to communicate at a deeper level.

JN: Communication is the centre of marriage. What are the tips to effectively communicate with your spouse?

NM: If marriage were a wall made out of little bricks called love, respect, emotions, physical attraction among a host of others — then communication would be the cement that holds that wall together. In our last article we did mention that communication is about expressing yourself in a healthy manner, and for a marriage to thrive, it must be founded on effective communication where both positive and negative emotions are shared in an enabling environment. Effective communication is very critical as it allows couples to better handle any trials which they may later face in their marriage.

Avoid assumptions: Rather than assuming what one’s partner is going through, or what is going on in the home, it is always advisable to just ask. It’s so easy to misunderstand something and to reach a conclusion without having the full picture. Some things make more sense if you have context and asking questions guarantees that you will save yourself from embarrassment after having assumed the worst. However, the reverse of it is that one should also just speak if there is something they are not happy with. Spending the day in a foul mood benefits no one in a marriage — there is nothing like — “well s/he should have figured out what was wrong!” Your spouse cannot read minds, tell them when you have a concern lest they fall into the trap of assuming and getting the wrong idea if they ever get the idea at all.

Be kind even when experiencing a negative emotion: When in a state of anger, couples are tempted to say the most hurtful things in order to make their partner experience the emotion they are feeling. Does that help? Instead, it builds more resistance, hatred and resentment. Always remember that you can never “unsay” anything, whatever is said in a moment of madness can create a lifetime of pain and unhappiness. Sarcasm is another form of being unnecessarily unkind when faced with a challenge. It is better to simply say “the kids and I would love to spend time with you this weekend at the park” as opposed to “we will go to the park alone this weekend since you are married to that television and all you know is how to drink beer!” Such statements are bound to generate more negativity and anger. Even the Bible says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15.1)

Listen to understand, and not to respond: Often, when in arguments with our partners, all we are interested in is just a chance to get a word in when they pause for a breath, but we never really pay attention to what the issue is about. We even go to the extent of ordering them to be quiet and let us speak! Try not to be defensive when listening to your partner but rather yearn to understand and resolve the issue. Listening is a skill that both partners must learn, listening to the emotion behind the words, the sentiment in the voice and the issue beyond the present.
Make time for each other and create an environment of understanding. It is important for couples to create time for bonding. With our busy work schedules, parenting and social lives we have overlooked the husband and wife relationship where the two can simply bond without interruption.
It doesn’t need to cost a dime, a simple walk in the neighbourhood can do the trick, as can a movie played on a laptop on the bedroom floor. Allow each other a chance to really get close, sharing things that do not stress but rather build the marriage. Jokes and old happy memories are such mood boosters that can help create a platform to say other issues that may have been bothering either partner.

Apologise genuinely: Never underestimate the power of an apology! Today a lot of marriages are under strain because someone never got an apology they deserved. What that does is that it creates resentment as the aggrieved party feels underestimated, taken for granted and unloved. Couples should always strive to apologise genuinely. Sometimes one may not feel like they are wrong, but an apology may be necessary as it serves as an acknowledgement for being the cause of your partner’s negative emotion, whether you agree or not.

JN: Silence is communication. People suffer in silence in marriage! Does that have an effect?

NM: Silence is both good and bad in a marriage, it’s all an issue of context. There are times when perhaps it’s not best to speak — like where you can tell that your partner is just having a bad day. However, where a partner is suffering, silence has a detrimental effect on the marriage in that it creates a chain of more “oppression”, more silence and more suffering which ultimately leads to the collapse of the marriage. Where one may be scared to speak up, consider sharing your fears first with your partner before stating your issues. This could be said as: “I am afraid you will get angry if I tell you this, but I also am scared that this silence will tear us apart”. Such statements can lay the ground for a softer conversation as they may desire to show you that they will not be angered by your concern.

Where your spouse is silent about whatever is bothering them, speak to them respectfully and let them know that you realise something is not right and would prefer they told you and you worked on it together. Assure them of your willingness to improve the relationship and also to make them feel better than what they feel currently.

JN: How does forgiveness or the lack of it affect marriage?

NM: Forgiveness is that floodgate which when not opened, blocks the flow of love, happiness, respect, peace and harmony in a marriage. Without it, marriages tend to spiral quickly to a point of no return.

However, it is important to note that true forgiveness comes easier where a genuine, well-timed and sincere apology has been given. Apology is the first attempt at mending a relationship and at rebuilding trust. When one forgives, they let go of the anger and hatred that they attach to the memory of whatever their partner did wrong. Without forgiveness, both anger and hatred fester and stew into revenge and other terrible thoughts. Forgiveness creates the foundation for a new beginning through righting past wrongs and improving the future. It is not an easy thing to forgive someone, and it is important to take it very seriously and to commit to not repeating the same mistake again.

JN: Is there a perfect marriage Nozipho?

NM: I believe there is. “Perfect” is a different state of being for every couple. This is why communication is important; if the definition of perfect is clear to both parties in marriage and both are content with that, then they have a perfect marriage. The problem is that as a society we want to dictate what a perfect marriage is, forgetting that we all want different things in life and what may be ideal for me may not be ideal for my neighbour. As couples, we try so hard also to comply with this societal standard of a perfect marriage. So, if a couple agrees on what makes their relationship perfect, and they find those things, then they have a perfect marriage. No one else’s opinion on the issue matters or is even needed!

JN: Finally, is there a relationship between romance and communication?

NM: Without communication, it is much harder to determine the things that are deemed romantic because we all have different ideas of what “romance” is. It is therefore important to be able to communicate effectively in order to please your partner romantically, according to what their “love language” is. It is unfortunate that some partners are afraid to talk about the things that are romantic to them, while others belittle their partners’ choices. Marriage is about compromise and sometimes you may find yourself rubbing cracked feet — an activity you find totally pointless, yet it delights your partner and makes them feel loved and cared for. For them, that would then make you romantic, while you would have assumed there was absolutely no value in the act.

Effective communication opens up opportunities for romance to flow as your partner would feel loved and appreciated while a lack of communication allows for pretence in a marriage, and that romance spark slowly dies down into a boring, broken marriage. Keep the communication lines up and effective and watch your marriage blossom! Happy loving.

Jonah Nyoni is an author, success coach and certified leadership/business trainer. He is the author of Inspiration for Success and Success Within Reach.

Stir the pot: Paidamoyo Muzulu

IN the past few months I was amused by NetOne’s innovative advertisement that featured people searching for their simcards nearly everywhere in the home. It was a campaign based on trying to lure many people to register for the OneMoney mobile payment platform — a payment system to rival Cassava’s EcoCash after it experienced a “technical glitch” in November last year, throwing the whole national payment system into panic.

EcoCash handles more than 90% of all mobile money transfers, dwarfing any other financial or tech payment system because it is a service based on the mobile phone with over 10 million active subscribers.

Even government departments and ministers use Econet despite controlling the other two mobile network operators — NetOne and Telecel.

The advert was superb. However, for some fun reason I thought it could be an advertising concept that could well be at home depicting the ubiquitous nature of Econet in most Zimbabweans’ daily lives, especially those who live in the capital Harare.

Last week, at a low-key event probably meant to hide a key development that the MDC-led city was not only subcontracting one of its key functions — refuse collection — but privatising it and without going to tender awarded it to Clean City, a subsidiary of Cassava Smartech. Cassava is an Econet Zimbabwe spinoff company that is registered on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.

Clean City will be collecting refuse from houses for a fee paid in advance using the EcoCash platform. The development is in its infancy, but one can clearly see that it has a potential to deliver a “clean city” for those with the financial wherewithal — the majority poor working class would be left to live in squalor if they cannot afford making prepayments for the service.

I’m not sure whether it is incompetence or deliberate or both for the city council to fail to regularly collect refuse from residential areas.

On the face of it, refuse collection seems to be one of the easiest services that a city or local authority can give even without a competent administration — it simply needs few serviceable refuse trucks and semi-literate employees to haul the bins. It cannot be easier than that.

However, that failure has created an opportunity that was never there for Econet to fill in the gap — making money from residents’ trash.

Cassava is simply becoming the new city administrators — it has of late started offering services that residents relied on their council to deliver. It launched a public transport system Vaya, a mobile health service Maisha and an emergency ambulance service. These are now operational not only in Harare but nationally.

The company also used a disaster — cholera epidemic in Glen View — to improve its relationship with the city administration and woeful central government.

It fits squarely with what Naomi Klein writes in her book — Disaster Capitalism. Plans are underway for Econet or its subsidiaries to revamp the sewage and water reticulation systems in the south western suburbs of Harare in return for privately running those services.

The city has struggled perennially to consistently supply its residents with potable water, creating a window of opportunity to water merchants who have mushroomed in the capital.

Econet, under its smart city project has adopted First Street Mall, in a new experimental project being implemented all over the world to increase security in urban areas through installation of surveillance cameras in public places to control crime.

As noble as the concept appears, it is also used for mass surveillance. In Johannesburg activists have complained the technology was used to single out their leaders during protests.

However, the most worrying aspect of this initiative is that it is happening in a legal vacuum. There is no law that regulates use of personal data.

“Data is the new oil,” crowed Cassava in its listing prospectus. Outside government, it has the most comprehensive personal data of over 10 million individuals.

It knows who you are, your date of birth, national identity number, where you reside, where you spend your time, where you shop and how much you frequently spend or even your medical condition if you use Maisha.

It even knows what you are studying or reading if you use its Akello/Ruzivo digital educational applications.

Harare, the capital has plunged into the laboratory of privatised public services and it will not be a surprise if most urban councils follow suit soon.

However, the results would not be different to other cities of the same proportion that did the same — creation of the most unequal society — and the contradiction between Johannesburg’s affluent Sandton and squalid Alexandra Park that are only less than two kilometres apart is the most telling.

Welcome to the age of privatisation of public services. The big question is: Are governments necessary in this new age if their new job is simply doling out contracts?

Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist and writes here in his personal capacity.

BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI

ORDINARY people, including civil servants and many in the informal sector, have become increasingly disillusioned with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s highly touted “new dispensation” anchored on economic development, which seemingly have collapsed in spectacular fashion.

A snap survey by NewsDay Weekender revealed that many ordinary people believe the political elites, who live in the lap of comfort and luxury, were far removed from the hardships of a population at its wits’ end on how to live through the next day.

When it was first rumoured that Mnangagwa was considering Mthuli Ncube for the post of Finance minister, there was a ripple of public excitement given the man’s glossy CV.

But in just two years, those who have been hit hard by the continued downward spiral of the economy have even been suggesting that for all his ills, the late former President Robert Mugabe was probably a better leader who felt for the people and pushed pro-poor policies.

With the majority of ordinary Zimbabweans earning less than $2 000 a month, surviving through the month has become a tall order.

According to the Poverty Reduction Forum Trust (PRFT)’s Basic Needs Basket survey — which monitors the cost of accessing basic needs in urban areas — by October last year, a family of five required $4 307,16 for their basic needs.

Before the re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar, US$100 was sufficient to fill a trolley of groceries, but now, $100 in local currency is not even sufficient to purchase four litres of cooking oil.

Several people who spoke to this publication revealed that they were no longer doing monthly budgets like in the past, but were now living from day to day.

A researcher and development economist with PRFT, Tafara Chiremba, said the increasing cost of living demanded families to be more prudent in their spending habits.

“They need to have a plan on the basic needs, when they will need to buy and where they can buy goods at cheaper prices,” he said.

“Given availability of income, there is need for households to buy goods that can last a month. In the face of increasing inflation and cost of transport, this strategy can help households to save money.”

In January this year, civil servants agreed to a 140% pay hike after the top public workers union, Apex Council, had earlier rejected a government offer to double the pay for the government employees, saying it was too little.

They eventually settled for a pay deal where the lowest paid State employees would get $2 450, up from $1 033, a month.

With people forking out between $8 and $10 for a single trip into the central business district using public transport, that translates to between $320 and $500 for transport the whole month.
If the individual has three children who commute to school everyday, the figure would treble.

In a bid to alleviate the transport woes, the government availed a subsidised facility for public transport through the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco), where an individual would pay just $1 or $2 for a single trip into town, but the buses have proved too few in light of the demand for affordable transport.

In December last year, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government indicated that the Zupco bus management scheme was gobbling $51 million per month, with committee chairperson Miriam Chikukwa claiming the money was not enough.

According to Chiremba, while it was the responsibility of government to provide social protection to vulnerable groups, such did not have to be reactionary.

“By any standard, the Zupco buses are also in limited supply, hence they are not able to cater for all Zimbabweans who need cheaper transport in the face of inflation and general increase in cost of living,” he observed. “The programme itself is a reactionary measure and it is not addressing the root of the problems that have led the country to where it is right now.”

Rentals in high-density suburbs, where landlords have now opted to charge in United States dollars to lock value, are now going for between US$10 and US$12 a room, which roughly translates to about $250 in local currency.

With a kilogramme of beef costing between $85 and $150, many families have cut their beef rations for alternatives such as soya mince, beans and a variety of vegetables to remain within their monthly budgets.

Though dismissed in government as a joke, Mnangagwa’s encouragement for people to opt for vegetables following concerns that meat was now too expensive, was viewed as a show of how those in power were far removed from the hardships experienced by ordinary people.

“You should eat vegetables, they are recommended by doctors. Doctors want you to eat vegetables so that you stay healthy. Meat is not good at all. We have differed there; I listen to doctors, so I eat vegetables. They said vitamins are found in vegetables and potatoes. You see,” he said, amid grumbling from the crowd during a clean-up campaign in Harare’s Kuwadzana high-density suburb last month.

Vegetables have also become expensive, with a small bundle of between three and five leaves going for between $4 and $5.

There have been concerns that the re-introduction of the local currency has fuelled the instability on the market as life was relatively affordable before that.

“The introduction of the local currency was not properly thought of and this has caused untold suffering on people,” Chiremba noted.

“The government should make sure it addresses the root causes of the problems, which is in this case lack of a broader and shared national policy framework, corruption and mismanagement of public resources.”

Harare-based social worker Robert Mapurisa said the disconnect between salaries and human needs was huge given that prices of basic commodities were shooting up everyday.

He said many working people were increasingly under pressure to support their families and meet society’s expectations by virtue of going to work.

“This has many social and psychological implications. You will end up with stress because your mind is failing to process all the forces that are coming in. You will be thinking too much about how to solve problems and meet the needs,” Mapurisa said.

“It can then lead to depression, and you can end up sick. Poor health kicks in, things like hypertension.”

He cited other ills such as children developing anti-social behaviours, a spike in divorces, family disintegration and an increase in suicides.

“You end up with low self-esteem. You can lose your dignity before your family and friends. You end up ashamed of telling people that you are working,” he said, adding that in the worst case scenarios, where the individual has no alternative source of income, they would end up engaging in corruption.

Prior to Ncube being appointed Finance minister, he drew up a list of alternatives that he said he would consider, including re-introducing the US dollar or considering the use of the South African rand, but none of those suggestions has been implemented, amid indications that he could have faced stiff resistance from some Zanu PF hardliners.

With indications that extensive consumer spending was a significant contributor to economic development in the Asian tigers and other countries whose economies are growing, economic prospects for Zimbabwe remain dim as the public’s spending power is continually diminished.

Editorial Comment

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube seems to like quoting economic principles found in textbooks.

But, for some reason, the Treasury boss forgets the most basic economic principle: economic growth is driven by consumer spending. No consumer spending means no economic growth.

According to American financial literacy website, Investopedia, consumer spending is “the total money spent on final goods and services by individuals and households for personal use and enjoyment in an economy.”

Many economists, especially those in the tradition of John Maynard Keynes, a renowned 20th century economist whose ideas shaped economics, believe consumer spending is the most important short-run determinant of economic performance and is a primary component of aggregate demand.

As such, consumer spending is the largest component of gross domestic product in any economy and the target of Keynesian fiscal and monetary policies in macroeconomics. Keynesian economics is an economic theory premised on total spending in the economy and its effect on output and inflation.

The reason we digress is to show that consumer spending essentially drives economic growth.

However, in Zimbabwe consumer spending is falling and is falling fast.

Ncube seems to have forgotten the five components of consumer spending, namely, disposable income, income per capita, income inequality, household debt and consumer expectations.

And where Zimbabwe is involved, these five components are all down.

Disposable income is shrinking because of a devaluing ZWL that is eroding wages. Income per capita is being determined by hyperinflation against shrinking salaries and income inequality is growing as the gap between the rich and poor is widening.

The “learned” professor should also note that household debt is rising as families or individuals are getting into more debt to meet rising costs. Lastly, consumer expectations are down because simply put, there is no confidence in this government.

Despite stopping the publication of annual inflation reports, the truth is the devaluing ZWL has forced businesses to change their prices almost on a daily basis to protect the value of their goods or services.

As a result, most consumers are unable to afford a lot of goods in the hyperinflationary environment, with individuals and families living way below the poverty datum line.

The devaluing ZWL is also eroding the wages to a point where a person’s salary has lost a significant amount of its value by month-end from the start of the month.

So, zero consumer spending means zero growth and the sooner Ncube realises this the sooner the economy can grow.

Or maybe, just maybe, the time has now come for Ncube to resign and retire to his “theories”.