Andrew
The video of Heritage School head boy Nkosilathi Dube that has been trending left me spellbound.
The young man’s beautiful story of determination and triumph against all odds is amazing.
The fact that he says it with such simplicity, giving all glory and honour to God just did it for me. He is a star destined for greater heights.
It is often lost on most of us that there is much to learn from children and the youths. Spending time listening to them provides illuminating lessons.
Parents have the fiduciary function of grooming their children, taking care of their psychological, emotional, material and spiritual needs.
The irony, though, is that at times, it is the very kids we think we are grooming who provide some instructive lessons to us, the very people who are supposed to be grooming them.
I was moved by the speech given by Heritage head boy.
It is an exclusive school in an equally exclusive neighbourhood. That is not even half the story. It is not about a life of privilege and protection, of birthrights and endowments. It is about character and triumph against all odds.
It is a beautiful story of life challenges, of maintaining balance, of re-orientation and re-imagining, a life of serious adjustment.
The young man did year eight in 2017 on a rugby scholarship. Things took a nosedive the following year as family finances dipped. They had to relocate to Epworth.
Imagine, this boy had to commute in kombis (commuter omnibuses) going to a private school. Inevitably, the change in financial circumstances filled him with anger, frustration and indignation.
It would get worse, just when he thought they could not. In 2020, Covid-19 ravished.
But he learnt some lessons during this period. He says it is the little things that matter most in life, not the cars we drive, the houses we stay in or the holiday places we go to.
The characters we have, the balance and impact we make are the things that matter most. Quite profound and coming from someone his age.
His story gets better. He says he was a C student, who metamorphosed into an A one.
He attained seven As and two Bs at O level. The go-getter said he had always wished to be head boy and applied himself towards it against all odds.
At the announcement of his appointment to being head boy, he was naturally ecstatic as would anyone. He said he had 15 seconds of excitement. But that we should always remember there is a 16th second. What happens after the applause?
This kid slept on a couch in Epworth yet was head boy of this private school.
This humbling experience has taught him and many others that material things often spoil, that certain experiences are precluded by over-indulgence.
He makes a passionate plea that when kids are spoilt, it is tantamount to “killing” them.
It is refreshing to note that he never saw drug abuse as an alternative.
He has remained resolute that through hard work and support from the family, he will pull through. This has not been the case with many youngsters who have engaged in dangerous drugs because life is not going the way they anticipated it to.
Nkosilathi has spiritual grounding, referring to the bible in his speech. He quotes that “with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible”.
He leaves his last part to expressing his gratitude to God, his parents, uncles, aunts and other relatives who stood by him during the tough times.
A great speech he gave and very character-forming experiences he went through. It is loaded with meaning.
Nothing should be taken for granted. Situations and circumstances can and often change. That then prods us to be versatile and adaptable. That is not always an easy ask as it entails a number of changes, but there are inherent capabilities for us to, as so emphatically demonstrated by this head boy.
One, too, can rise beyond feelings of resentment, anger and disappointment, whatever the provocation.
It is rather ill-fated to wallow in negative thoughts and perceptions. They are not edifying. On the contrary, they retard progression.
Versatility is key, in business circles as in social lives. A presumably privileged boy had to deal with an entire spectrum of the populace.
In whatever sphere of life one finds himself or herself in, one will invariably need to deal with different people, from remarkably different backgrounds.
Only last week, I wrote on resilience for companies. It starts at an individual level and this boy has demonstrated it beyond doubt. Any situation can be overcome. At times, it is simply a matter of changing perception. There is much to be said for having fortitude.
Faulty coping strategies do not work. Had the head boy taken to drugs, his life would have irrevocably gone down the drain. He managed to maintain his perspective and kept eyes on the ball.
There are deeper issues than material ones, he admonishes.
We all need to be thankful as he eloquently put it. No man is an island, so the saying goes. Equally, no achievement is possible independently. Along the way, we have people who help us, and they need to be acknowledged, in thought, speech and deed. Above all, we thank God.
For Zimbabwe, we have faced challenges.
These have pricked us to various actions.
From sanctions to currency volatility, from trade deficit to liquidity, from diminishing customer spend to low business confidence. These we have fought and continue to. We have made significant strides, we have recorded growth against all odds, we have debunked notions of Armageddon.
We will continue on this path.
That we have people like Nkosilathi makes us realise that we have the pedigree.
We are singularly focused on inclusive growth. No one should or will be left behind. It is an imperative which is easy to discern. No community or nation can thrive without it.
It has to be all-encompassing.
The head boy tells us that he met, conversed, related and understood a whole range of people. Perhaps, had he not gone through the experiences he did, he would have been none the wiser.
Inclusive growth is an enduring theme, even with world bodies. We pursue it as we are.
In the end, the benefits will be there for all to see. We talk of youth empowerment. Zimbabwe as with Africa, has a youth demographic dividend.
Not only does it have the human capital, but it will provide the biggest market globally.
It makes me glad we have people like Nkosilathi — able, competent, grounded and blessed with wisdom.
We enjoy unparalleled comparative and competitive advantages. We cannot continue to mourn. Our trajectory has to change.
It strikes me as inappropriate, lethargic and imprudent when we have such talent at our disposal.
Africa as a whole is gifted with much, yet grossly underperforms.
Why is that the case for a continent blessed with much?
What precisely are our problems?
I ask rhetorically.
That speech from the young man elicited a lot of thoughts within me.
It provoked certain questions. It also vividly demonstrated the talent we have and ignited a greater sense of hope for the future.
It triggered a sense of pride, and put into perspective the elements we need to triumph. It is a difficult ask for anyone to convince me that our challenges are intractable. They are not.
As I stated at the beginning, children have a knack of providing lessons to adults, only if adults listen. Often-times we don’t. We should, no matter what station we are at.
In God I Trust!
Online Reporter