Online Reporter
Gabriel Manyeruke
THERE was a time not too long ago when growing up in a Zimbabwean village meant being raised not just by your parents, but by every adult in the community.
If you were caught fighting, stealing mangoes from someone’s orchard or skipping school, any elder who saw you had the right and responsibility to discipline you.
And once your parents heard about it, you would face a second round of disciplinary action at home.
It was not cruelty. It was care. It was the village raising the child.
This communal approach instilled discipline, respect and a deep sense of accountability in young people.
Children grew up knowing that their actions mattered not just to their families, but to the entire community.
Adults were not feared, but respected.
Their guidance was a compass and their rebuke a lesson in ethics.
The village has gone silent
Fast forward to today — Urbanisation, modern parenting styles and the rise of individual rights have redefined childhood.
While some changes have empowered children to speak up and be protected from abuse, others have unintentionally weakened the social fabric that once held young people accountable.
Now, if a child is seen smoking behind a tuck shop or engaging in inappropriate behaviour on the streets, many adults hesitate to intervene. Why?
It is because some parents become hostile.
“Don’t touch my child,” they say. “You have no right.”
In some cases, even when a child is clearly in the wrong, parents blindly defend them, ignoring the long-term consequences of such actions. This overprotection has led to a troubling trend, which is the normalisation of bad behaviour.
Children nonchalantly roam the streets.
They disrespect elders, engage in substance abuse and mimic harmful behaviours from social media, fully aware that few will dare to correct them.
The village has gone silent. What a sad turn of events!
When communities stop holding children accountable, the young lose their moral compass. Discipline becomes a private affair and ethics a matter of opinion.
We begin to raise children who are clever but not wise, bold but not respectful, free but not responsible.
What can be done given these negative outcomes?
First, we must revisit the principle of shared responsibility.
Raising a child should never be the burden of one household alone.
Teachers, neighbours, church leaders and even kombi crews all have a role to play.
When a child misbehaves, correction should be seen as a communal act of love, not an attack.
Second, parents must learn to balance protection with accountability.
Defending your child from harm is noble. Defending them from correction is dangerous. Let us teach our children that being corrected is not a sign of rejection, but a pathway to growth.
Third, we must empower elders to speak again. The wise old woman who sits by the roadside, the retired teacher who watches from his veranda, the uncle who walks to the shops . . . all these voices must be heard. They are the village. And the village must rise.
Finally, we must teach our children that rights come with responsibilities. Freedom is not the absence of rules. It is the presence of values. In the end, it still takes a village to raise a child.
Let us rebuild that village, not with bricks and mortar, but with trust, respect and shared responsibility. Our children deserve it. And our future depends on it.
Gabriel Manyeruke is an author and educator at Wise Owl High School in Marondera. Contact details 0774122288, manyeruke4@ gmail.com
