Zimbabwe-Societal Malaise- By Clem

There has been a downward trend in terms of the upholding of respect of adults in the Zimbabwean society since well, the inception of western values back in the ancient past and much recent since the rampant misrule of ZANU (PF). A friend wrote an article that highlighted something that caught my attention. In the past, in Zimbabwe, almost all movements were started by students. Almost all of the leaders of the nationalist movements in the 50s right through to independence and after were educated blacks who saw through enlightenment that white rule was unjust, unfair and black freedom was something that was long overdue. The likes of Joshua Nkomo, Clement Muneri Muchachi, Ndabaningi Sithole, Stanlake Samkange, Jason Moyo and even some less unknown names like Aaron Jacha, Edward Ndhlovu, B. Mandlela, and a whole lot of them emerged from a generation of schooled Africans who realized the same fact and hence nationalist movements that led to the independence of the country.

The same can be said even after independence where institutions of higher learning still provided an opportunity for individuals to look into the affairs of the nation and see whatever areas were not being run according to the rulebook and actually say something about it. This was the case in the 90s in free Zimbabwe where the likes of Arthur Mutambara the now president of an MDC faction MDC-M, the late Learnmore Jongwe, Phillip Pasirayi, Nkululeko Sibanda, Dr Ricky Musonza and many more, some who have contributed significantly to the politics scene in the country but have not been given any acclaim whatsoever due to reasons politics knows. Well, exaclty when the current trend I am talking about did begin? I am not sure about specific dates, but I sure know the results. I personally crossed paths with a gang of men who are in the ruling ZANU (PF) in my past and the experiences left me terrorized till this instant. I believe many young people in Zimbabwe have gone through the same gruelling experiences, an unfortunate experience for one to find themselves having to go through. In my diagnosis of this social malaise, I point the finger of blame at several individuals and institutions including myself. First, let me point at others. I was caught up in the 2008 elections and held against my will to participate in the election campaign of the ruling party and fell out because never on any single day would I agree with the amount of rottenness and badness that I saw being demonstrated by the men and women that we all think are what they somewhat portray to be. First, it was some well respected leaders (Whose names I have) of the party in Bulawayo, who went out abusing their constitutional powers to get whatever they did not work for. They forced cheated their wives with young desperate girls from local schools, colleges and University of Science and Technology who were struggling to make ends meet and pay school fees had with no money to do so, and thus they were easy prey. These men would drive up to these institutions, choose their picks, buy them food and clothing, promise to take care of them and eventually sleep with them, then discard them thereafter. A lot of older, well off men who got rich from ill- gotten means took control of affairs in many cities  in Zimbabwe and began to have multiple relations with young girls young enough to be their children and grandchildren. Having money, these girls ceased to respect their actual elders and parents because they were penniless and sometimes others would pay rent and buy food for their families while their parents could not and thus, in that regard they were incapacitated as parents. Young men also took to illegal means of making money. I remember those who willingly allowed the politicians to use them had so much power enough to fuel them to run amok. They started creating protection units, being hired by local businessmen to protect them, collecting their debts and getting paid for those services. Most importantly, they worked for the politicians doing things like campaigning for them, threatening people if they did not vote for them, selling the grain shares politicians got from the Grain Marketing Board to sell to people at subsidized prices. They never did.

These young men grew arrogant that they disrespected everyone except their masters who used them like puppets on a string. Many dropped out of school and pursued the new kind of lifestyle, both girls and boys. It seemed like a way out for may who had no hope whatsoever, with parents not employed, inflation of a runaway course, political  outlook very unfavorable, local government and local councils very helpless to alleviate the problems. From the year 2000 onwards, many companies were shut or operated at less than 50% capacity and that made a lot of people redundant and thus many resorted to seeking ways of sustaining themselves. The streets were suddenly filled by vendors selling everything from safety pins to chewing gum. Men and women who were educated,trained and qualified to do work were all out of work. That same period, many people migrated to foreign lands, to the United Kingdom, the US, South Africa, Botswana and many other nations in the world whose economies were intact. Many families were torn apart and some were led by children whose parents were abroad and children, growing up with no parental figure to stamp the rules and mould them in preparation for the future, they got out of hand as they navigated their ways way into adulthood. As a result many of these became drunkards, drug users and also many fell pregnant while still young. School became all of a sudden not a merit and a right as had been the intention at the birth of Zimbabwe's independence. Acceptance into university I remember in 2005 was not based upon merit, upon academic excellence. It was upon who you knew and how much you had just as in every other sect of the society. A friend of mine wanted to go to University of Science and Technology and study Accounting and had 12 points. He could not secure a place, however, a neighbor of mine who parents were wealthy business people had 0 points. He got into the Accounting programme at the same university the same day he applied for a place. Amid all these very depressing things going on in the country, there was also disease that was rampantly killing thousands by the day. The hospitals and clinics across the country's pharmacy shelves were all empty, mostly because the nurses, doctors and all the hospital staff were busy looting the drugs and selling them at highly inflated prices at private institutions somewhere else. What could they have done, they were not getting paid themselves but that is not justification for such acts of murder. HIV/AIDS was also wreaking havoc on the population. It was a typical case of a society accursed and laid siege from all angles, left, right and center.

The politicking lot of politicians made things uneasy as well for the people. In 2005 the government, knowing that it was the onset of winter launched one of the cruelest acts of destruction, mowing to ground people's dwellings that were out of the city's plans. Many people were left literally out in the cold and got no help from their protectors at all. The whole shenanigan was called Murambatsvina and many of us have vivid memories of how we used to huddle together in fear of what the government might announce that it was embarking on next. In a society engulfed in all this would you think that one may be able to stop to pause and try to act formal instead of running along with everyone going nowhere? The rest of young people tried to do legitimate business but the economic was rabid, the runaway inflation and the rhetorics of the governor of the central bank annoyed me and my friends a lot. In this period, business people saw a timely opportunity to charge as much as they could for their wares, sometimes ten times above the recommended prices and they were protected by youths and ZANU (PF) big wigs. Now that young people could do anything they could because of the political muscle they bore, because of the money they got from their older men friends, while their elders had none, all respect was thrown out of the window. As my friend mentioned in his article that at universities and colleges around the country, they have no more vigor to be involved in politics, he is right because back then, the government used to finance students' education, now they have to finance it themselves so much time is spent trying to find money for fees ad upkeep. It also may seem like a sign of fatigue from the Zimbabwean population, people are now tired to put up a fight against the political insurgents ruling and all they care about is their livelihood and nothing else. This has provided a leeway for the unruly gang to go on and plunder while they can.