Sundaymail Editor
STEEP rises in the cost of goods and services have spawned a culture of individualism that is threatening to tear society apart.
The extended family unit is slowly but surely collapsing as people seek to save costs.
This, however, is making it difficult for people to benefit from the extended family’s in-built mechanisms to foster peace, unity and love.
It is now a dog-eat-dog affair with each man standing for himself.
Some people are secretly marrying off their daughters without the knowledge of close family members for fear of sharing groceries and the bride price.
“Tererai, tererai vana vangu. Nzwisisanai vana vangu vandakabara, pakukura vana vangu musashorane. Mazvake-mazvake vana vangu munosvika poi? Mazvake-mazvake vana vangu munosvika poiko?” sang Alick Macheso in this song called “Tererai” which aims to promote unity among families.
However, this is not what people are doing because of modernity and the prevailing economic challenges.
Embarrassed by constantly knocking on the doors of siblings and close relatives for assistance, and in the process becoming the butt of jokes, most financially-hamstrung characters are now choosing to keep to themselves and take each day as it comes.
It is not unusual in these challenging times to find someone being admitted to a hospital and not getting a single visitor because he would have not told anyone for fear of troubling others.
“My brother, I have been in hospital for the past three months, but I have asked my wife not to tell anyone. I just do not want to be a burden to people.
“I am on the mend and very soon I will be out of the hospital and start from there,” one frail old man told this writer while lying on a hospital bed where he is receiving treatment.
“Nguva ichauya ndozofara nevamwe kana nyama dzadzokedzana,” the old man said in a very low voice before letting out a cough which disturbed other patients and those who had visited them.
But the old man is not entirely wrong.
There are some relatives who when they help someone, go on a mission to tell whoever cares to listen how much they forked out and how kind-hearted they are.
As I commit pen to paper gentle reader, there are countless souls in the ghetto who will never seek assistance.
“Everyone has his own life plan. I cannot always be asking for food from my brothers because they have their own challenges to contend with. The Lord will smile upon me one day and things will be alright. Parizvino rega ndimbotamba iri kurira.
“My children were sent away from school recently for not paying school fees. I am doing everything in my capacity to work out a plan for them without asking for help because nzou hairemerwe nenyanga dzayo,” one defiant bloke told me straight in the face.
The level of individualism in our communities has reached levels where some families choose to go it alone even in calamities like funerals for fear of being ridiculed or disturbing other people.
“When my brother died recently, we had to go it alone and bury him because inviting other relatives would have meant having to cater for higher transport and food costs. We just had a small funeral and it was quite intimate,” one bloke who only identified himself as Nickson said.
Gentle reader, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, there is need to work collectively with others and cherish unity.
Inotambika mughetto.
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Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter