admindebate has clearly been provoked by the absence of meaningful social development not only in Matabeleland, but also in the country as a whole.
The country has not been experiencing significant social development for more than a decade now.
Societies always yearn to fulfil their aspirations including social and economic goals through social development, and when this is non-existent they understandably become restless.
While the term development has tended to mean different things to different people, in simpler terms it can be defined as an upward social movement from lesser to greater levels of life quality and accomplishment.
Economically, development occurs when productivity rises, enabling people to earn more, thus raising their living standards.
Development is generally measured through the existence of higher life expectancy, higher literacy rates, higher incomes, and the existence of democracy, social freedoms and equal access to national resources, among other measurables.
The concerns being raised by people in Matabeleland if looked at in this perspective, are a genuine expression of frustrations that have built up in the country over the years.
But where they clearly miss the point is when they insinuate that lack of development is a result of marginalisation.
Contributing to the debate, former Midlands governor Cephas Msipa said: “Those who are raising the alarm in Matabelelend should not assume that everything is normal in other provinces, for the continuous closure of companies is also happening in other provinces.”
This is a correct observation. In fact, the whole country’s industrial base has literally shrunken to levels never imagined before.
The heavy industrial areas of Southerton and Workington in Harare today resemble a ghost town as most factories have been forced to close or drastically cut down on operations, and it is the same story in industrial sites of every town in the country including Belmont in Bulawayo.
The fact that the few surviving firms are opting to do business in Harare than in any other part of the country is simply a survival strategy.
At a micro level, shop owners in Harare are abandoning prestigious and once sought after shopping malls like Westgate opting for the central business district where there is a higher concentration of potential clients, as they hunt for the elusive dollar.
Life standards in the country have fallen heavily, and the economy is not creating wealth.
Instead there has been an observable transfer of wealth to a few “well-connected” individuals whose life standards have changed overnight and have become the envy of the impoverished many.
Surely, there are many things that have gone wrong in the country and the worst act of commission and omission has been to allow corruption to influence the distribution of national resources.
This has resulted in some individuals claiming it all for themselves and their close associates at the expense of national development.
Corruption has been allowed to destroy genuine aspirations of Zimbabweans to own means of production and be productive.
While different societies may develop at very different rates and in different directions under the same Government due to differences in social and cultural orientations, Government’s role in influencing development in societies is well documented.
Besides creating an enabling environment through laws and public policies, Government can initiate and propel social development.
Development in Third World countries has in most cases been through governments than private initiatives.
Rapid economic advancement in South East Asian countries which has been followed by even more stunning achievements in China show that development is primarily premised on strong political will.
The massive investments in health and education Government undertook after independence are some of the first forms of initiated social development programmes that generated national pride creating awareness of greater developmental possibilities in all communities, both rural and urban.
The pride and confidence generated by this remarkable and phenomenal achievement helped spur a dramatic need to participate in national development by all Zimbabweans, in the process attracting international development assistance into the country.
But events of the last decade have seen the dampening of this developmental spirit, and in some instances a complete reversal of the gains made since independence.
The formation of the Government of National Unity after a decade of political turmoil and economic decline once again raised the people’s hopes for social progress.
But these hopes remain an illusion as protagonists in Government continue to quarrel showing lack of trust and commitment towards the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement.
The business environment in the country has remained subdued, and the investment euphoria that was spurred by the signing of the GPA has all but died down.
Zimbabweans, particularly the younger generations, are seeing and hearing about social and economic development in neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique.
They are witnessing friends, relatives or others who were once of their class who migrated during the peak of the economic decline in the country having rose rapidly out of poverty into prosperity.
These issues are raising anxiety levels amongst the young generations in the country, and in turn igniting a new awakening.
The country and the people of Zimbabwe have suffered for too long without any meaningful development in their communities and the call that’s being echoed represents genuine need for positive social change.
People want the country’s rundown infrastructure to start working once again and are tired of excuses and empty promises.
The economic empowerment programme being championed by Government can be a very powerful tool to transform communities and people’s lives if due diligence is given precedence in the programme’s implementation, and when there is a demonstrable will to adhere to best practices.
Allowing caste privileges to dictate who gets what only helps to build cynicism around the noble agenda.
The younger generations are yearning for opportunities in which they not only dream, hope or work for higher levels of accomplishment, but those aspirations which are coalesced into a wider social developmental agenda.
The rising new concerns and aspirations amongst the people represent a new and very powerful force for national development, which should be acknowledged and nurtured and not overlooked or ridiculed.
- Bradwell Mhonderwa is the Managing Consultant of Business Ethics Centre, a Corporate Governance and Business Ethics Management firm. Phone 04-293 2948, 0712 420 090, 0772 913 875, or email [email protected]
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