MAKING MY VOICE COUNT

I wrote this article when I was only 19 years old for some essay competition, and I reproduce it today.

YETT ESSAY COMPETITION 2012

The United Nations Human Rights Commission clearly states the freedom of expression as one of the main and fundamental rights of children. Such a legally binding document declaring such freedoms for the child suggest the immense importance of expression. Voting, as a form of expression is the most significant way of declaring such.

Many a times, youths and teenagers alike have the perception or rather, misconception that casting a ballot smacks of dirty politics, not forgetting the phobia of presumed after effects such as violence, instability and insecurity. Contrary to such belief, voting is an expression of our confidence in a candidate`s ability and capability. It is a bold declaration of our inner feelings on the direction we want to take. In summary, casting of the ballot therefore becomes a single but sure step in, presumably, the right direction.

Due to the impatient nature of youths today we always expect changes over night and when we do not see them, we show our disappointment by taking the back seat. This only signifies someone else on the driving wheel and whatever direction they take, we unwillingly follow. A random survey of many youths shows that 70% do not want to be involved in politics. However such a platform created seeks to disillusion and enlighten these youths on the fact that we can never run away from politics. The food we eat, the schools we attend, the houses we have and even those other freedoms we have, are greatly influenced by politics. In actual fact, our lives are politics. We are what we are because of politics. Imagine a scenario where an MP or President, voted into office, bans education or declares bread illegal in a country. Would that not have affected the lives of the so called politically disengaged youths? As a friendly reminder my peers it is not the process of voting that is referred to as politics but rather  the act of influencing the people to vote for a certain person or party. I think it is high time we break out of our imagined safe shells and think outside the box. There is need for those blinkers we are putting on to be removed so that we see far and wide.

From grassroots level where we vote for councilors up to the president we can only make our voices count by having our votes counted. From a single tap spills a thousand gallons of water and so, that single drop will lead to the formation of an ocean, without which it wouldn`t be so called.

For me, taking such a platform to highlight the importance of voting is not propaganda but rather, conscientisation. I stand for no man lest I fall into the dark pit of oblivion, but I stand for the ideology that represent most youth of today. Casting of the ballot is an act of trying to address every spectrum of our lives which include education, employment and safety. Let me hasten to say I cant be able to and must not, tell you where to place that precious X, but my duty is to make sure you make the most out of that simple but sophisticated act of casting your vote. As the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) rightfully says, your vote is your right. No one can be able to take it away from you, not even in exchange for a bowl of soup. Violence, my brothers and sisters, is just but a state of mind which no normal man can and must reach.

So, dear youth, desist from such acts and vote for a better place. As Dambudzo Marechera once wrote, “the past is a ghost, the future is a dream, all we have now” I rest my case  

Valentine Tafadzwa Masaiti, 19 years Marondera

Animals vs Humans

Ok, so I did not want to be viewed as an opportunist and ride on the wave of worldwide mass discontent against a certain American Dentist-cum-hunter, Dr Palmer for the brutal 'murder' of Cecil the lion. Yes, murder. Oh my, i just cant help it sometimes.

For almost a month now, the issue of Cecil has been a popular trend on social media. Who is this Cecil? First of all, i have to make it clear from the very start that his name is something i will always frown upon. He is indisputably named after Cecil John Rhodes, one of the pioneers of British conquest in Africa with his Cape to Cairo dream. This is a man who wanted to paint the whole of Africa "red". I would certainly understand the anger of the British merely in this regard, the bitterness multiplied by the fact that it was their friend, an American, who delivered the fatal shot. Ahem to that, I'm no animal hater. To put this anger in context, I will direct myself to President Mugabe's speech on this Lion. He spoke about it from a point of this lion having been part of Zimbabwe's wildlife heritage. It is from this angle that i can understand this whole Cecil debacle. Anything other than that, i sense a hidden Agenda. I will expand on that later on. I will continue with what or, as widely reported now, "who" Cecil is.

What really made Cecil popular was the fact that he was the subject of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge's research, collectively referred to as OXBRIDGE. He was under their surveillance. Now just imagine their anger when they discovered that their beloved lion had been the subject of a successful trophy hunt? Dear me, they went into overdrive about it. They just had to let the whole world know, and probably having produced the media gurus in BBC and CNN, the Oxbridge found a media all too willing to sell their agenda on their love of an African lion. I shall not condemn them for that, it clearly is their own business what or who they should mourn. My honest opinion however, is that this is a case of an outsider wailing and crying more than the bereaved. Surely, a very smelly rat should be somewhere nearby. 

In order to sell this "agenda", however, it would not have been enough to state that Cecil was a lion in Hwange National Park living in captivity with the simba like dark mane. That would never sell. They had to cloak all that with the convenient banner of how much Zimbabwe would lose out from this "tragic" event. Imagine my bewilderment when i heard that a very popular lion by the name Cecil had been killed in Zimbabwe. My goodness me. Up to that time I, nor 99% of Zimbabweans, had never heard that there was one special animal, let alone a Lion, with that name. I mean, after all, we are not in the habit of naming the thousands of wildlife teeming in our virgin forests. We have lions, yes, we have elephants, yes, we have antelope and wildebeest, yes. But we don't have the cecils, the joshuas(Cecil's brother,fyi), the cecilias or other named special animals. No we don't. We have wildlife. This then brings me to the question-Was Cecil really that popular, even when he was a virtual nobody in his own land with countless of lions roaming around, or somebody lapped on his death for media attention and made him a martyr? Should we say that he was a prophet without honour in his own land? I don't know. What i do know, however, with how this panned out, if i had been shot the same way Cecil was, the international media would have given my death little or no mention at all. It would still have been all about Cecil the lion, my sorry self being left to my small family's tears. Animals vs Humans.

Following the Cecil issue in papers and on the internet really makes fascinating reading. I cant help but wonder if anybody has ever been given so much attention for their death, well of course with the exception of MJ and princess Diana. So i guess Cecil The Lion is our very own MJ in death then. CTL. In order to understand the intensity of the whole outcry, you should not look further than our own Government department responsible for animals, the ministry of environment. A whole minister, Honourable Oppah Muchinguri, had to hurriedly convene a press conference and roundly condemn the brutal killing of the "well known Cecil" whilst calling for the extradition of Dr Palmer to face charges of killing Cecil in Zimbabwe. Dear me. I don't think it was ill informed, but i think our minister should have been very careful, especially considering that she was seemingly succumbing to pressure from the west, something ill advised in Zimbabwe. But then again, i should go beyond the pressure to who was giving the pressure. These are what we call animal lovers with different organisations dedicated to ensuring the safety and safe treatment of animals and speaking out against cruelty to animals in all forms. For a minister to have commented, i can only imagine the pressure. And now, my thrust becomes clear.

Further from home, in America, the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision to repeal Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Article 125 of the UCMJ makes it illegal to engage in both sodomy with humans and sex with animals. Its repeal would, in theory at least, make bestiality not illegal. the effects of such a provision are enormous, and of unprecedented proportions. And yet, in their wisdom, animal lovers choose to focus on the death of Cecil than on a law that has the potential to effect cruelty of great levels to animals than death itself. But then again, who, or what, the Americans chose to have sex with is none of my business. My problem is with the animal lovers who find an excuse for silence when he who pays the piper makes potentially explosive decisions but makes all sorts of cacophony when it comes to poor old Africa. Animals vs Humans. I almost give credit to the animal rights groups, but my sympathy for them far outweighs my admiration of their work, or lack thereof. How many conflicts are currently experienced in the whole world? Iraq, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Libya, Nigeria? Endless. Thousands of people die due to these human caused tragedies. And yet, the voice agitating for Animal rights drowns, by far, the voice agitating for Human rights. Animals vs Humans. Where have we got it wrong, if ever we believe we have? 

And so, what is this agenda that I was talking about. The furore over the death of Cecil has mainly been propagated by the western media. It dovetails with the west's agenda to prove that, for all intents and purposes, Zimbabwe is a failed state, and cannot even take care of its wildlife. The failed state aspect is another discussion for another day, but my point is, this death, rather than being called for what it is, an unfortunate event, has become so deep to the point of deserving the title, in bold and black "A NATIONAL DISASTER". Maybe even old Cecil deserves a hero's status as well, i don't know. (He was thirteen years old, and generally, Lions can live up to a maximum of twenty years in captivity, and fifteen years in the wild.) I shall follow all the sub stories with interest.

So do i think Cecil and his contribution is overrated? yes

Do i think humans are worth more than animals? definitely

Do i think there is more to this story? of course.

Like it or not, animal lovers really know how to make noise. If only some of that enthusiasm could be transferred to observing and protecting the sanctity of human life. Recently, a friend of mine told me that there exist some extremists who, when they see you wearing leather shoes, will insult and assault you for cruelty to the "poor" animal whose hide you are now putting on.

Lord of mercy.

Invest in the youth, invest in the future

As most universities open, the most obvious concern in any parent’s mind is tuition. Anyone with a basic understanding of arithmetics can do the math. Most, if not all parents who put their children through the Zimbabwe tertiary education system are civil servants, earning an average salary of US$350. Tuition at a university ranges anything from US$500 to US$800. This is minus other ancillary costs such as transport, food and accommodation. This brings the total to well over US$1000. To the civil servant, this is a headache. The math just does not add up. True, the education system in Zimbabwe is one of the cheapest in Africa, if not in the world. However, as it stands, it is still out of the reach of many dear Zimbabweans.

Over the years, we have seen the government going into overdrive stressing and emphasizing the importance of education. The result has been that Zimbabwe has recorded the highest literacy rate in Africa, which currently stands at 92 percent. This has been propagated mainly by the idea that education is the key to a successful and well developed economy, which translates to a prosperous nation. This has hardly been the case with Zimbabwe. Statistics have shown that Zimbabwe is the largest exporter of skilled labour to other nations in Africa, especially the neighbouring and seemingly lucrative South African market. To the newly graduated student, who has been put through four years of university teaching and training at a very ‘high’ cost, the idea of working and getting a net salary of US$350 is unattractive, if not downright insulting. Most of these graduates end up working in the civil service, not because they want to, but because they have no other option. It does not need a rocket scientist to determine what kind of a worker such a person, driven by desperation rather than determination, will turn out to be in the field.

The question in everyone’s head in general, and the government in particular becomes, “how do we make the civil service attractive to the most educated and dedicated student, whilst at the same time maintaining sustainability in the economy?”In Zimbabwe’s case, this seems like a mammoth task, quite unachievable. But that is only if education is not a priority to the government, and as we have already established, it actually is a priority. Resuscitating the economy, another top priority of the Zimbabwean government goes hand in glove, I believe, with education. Since 2000, the government has been putting up measures in place to counter the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the western countries. To what extent the government has actually managed to do that can only be best explained by the person on the ground, that is, the Zimbabwean himself. However, although the learning part of the education process has remained of the highest quality, the mechanisms, or lack of them, have not been very impressing. More emphasis has now been placed on resuscitation of the economy, mostly using imported ideas yet homegrown solutions are being nipped in the bud by making university education only accessible to a few, the few who will end up either in foreign countries or under employment out of desperation, and not by choice. The pattern is so clear and the consequences open for all to see. Zimbabwe does not need anyone to grow and become attractive. Zimbabwe needs Zimbabweans to make Zimbabwe attractive to the rest of the world. That is the simplest of all equations, on paper.

Currently, the policy document that has everyone talking is the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation: Zim Asset. This is a national blueprint meant to revive Zimbabwe’s fortunes and help it climb out of the economic quagmire that it finds itself in. The blueprint has been divided into four “result based” clusters which are Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty Eradication, Infrastructure and Utilities and Value Addition and Beneficiation. As youths, our participation in all of these clusters is very much needed, but the areas of concern, particularly, are the Social Services and Poverty Eradication and the Value Addition and Beneficiation clusters. Under the Social Services cluster, government sets out to improve the quality and access to education and training at all levels. Improving the access to education means more people get to have access to education without a lot of hindrances. In actual fact, government commits itself to shouldering or removing some of those situations which makes it difficult for people to access education, and I believe the high tuition fees are one such example of a barrier to education for most Zimbabweans. It is of no doubt that the majority of Zimbabweans are intelligent or skilled enough to require tertiary education. The importance of such cannot be stressed any less. Under the value addition cluster, government seeks to fetch more value for our wealth by establishing processing plants in Zimbabwe. This will be achieved by improving linkages among academia, research institutions, industries and government. The chain becomes very apparent. All tertiary institutions are also research institutions and these feed directly into the industry which is then meant to provide the economic spark we desperately need.

It therefore becomes clear that the students in tertiary institutions are the biggest stakeholders in the successful implementation of Zim-Asset. We are the strategic tool, through our research capabilities, to influence the development agenda in the correct direction and translate the Zim-Asset implementation plan into reality. This all boils down to, in essence, the attractiveness of government policies to the youth vis a vis the sustainability of such attractive measures being put in place. We believe in the possibility of a balance being struck between these two conflicting but mutually related interests. The first port of call would be to consider the re-introduction of student grants and cadetship to cover the majority of the students. Many stories, real and imagined, have been told by the spin doctors and this is one area which has been a fertile campaign line for many a student activist, and has found favour with the student. Through Zim Asset, this might just be a reality.

A nation that anchors its policies on the youth and youth development will definitely prosper and grow. It is only prudent that the government taps into the large resource base that is the youth and exploit it for the economic development of the country. President Mugabe is quoted extensively in the media saying that “if you invest in the youth, you invest in the future”. That is a clear demonstration of his unwavering dedication towards the empowerment of youths as we poise to take over the reins from our fathers. Investing in the future of the nation is the definition of sustainability.

To quote from the President, during a courtesy call by students, he said, “our sun is setting, and yours is rising. Just make sure yours does not set soon.” These are the wise words of the most celebrated leader on the African continent and world over to the youth. He clearly believes that the future is safe in the hands of the youth, of the students. As such, Zim Asset, and the government as the medium of implementation, should look into ways of establishing a direct link with the youth today for the best leaders tomorrow.

There is more than meets the eye

A year and half ago, i wrote some publication for an essay competition on my own view about corruption and bribery. below is the full unedited but very short essay:

There is more than meets the eye-by Valentine Masaiti

Two months ago, Zimbabweans woke up to the devastating news in The Herald that exposed the ‘obscene’ salaries senior employees at Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation were receiving. Since then, a plethora of such obscenely salaried bosses have hit the headlines day in day out. The investigative journalists had a field day, going into overdrive to expose the next batch of heartless ‘shefs’ milking their respective companies dry at the expense of service delivery. What still boggles the mind though is how all this time these purported leaders who took oaths of office promising to serve and deliver efficiently continued with their shenanigans unperturbed, unabashed and unabated. It is a grave cause for concern that a few, probably chosen along family lines and ties with the powers that be, connived to deny the economy of the resuscitation it desperately needed. They celebrated the demise of the country and presided over its downfall. They surely have a case to answer. The unanswered question that still lingers heavily above us is how such rot was left to eat away the country. Can we safely declare that we have dealt away with such criminal activities which happened on such a magnitude? Are we seeing the real culprits or those who harvested the benefits are still fooling the public, their millions safely tucked away in offshore bank accounts? I believe there is more than meets the eye.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines corruption as “willing to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain” and bribery as “to dishonestly persuade someone to act in one’s favour by a payment or other inducement” It does not take a rocket scientist to connect the dots. These two are linked. Leaders of these companies were drawn across the private and public sector. A very important point of study is that of PSMAS. The medical aid provider had its members, who pay monthly subscriptions, turned away from hospitals because their medical aids were not being paid for. Some even had to pay more money. The effect was that members were paying money to PSMAS without getting the services they had paid for. Taken in the lightest sense possible, the company was stealing members’ money under the convenient banner of subscriptions for a service that never was. Their excuse was that there was no money. Therein lies the problem. The Chief Executive Officer was getting more that US $320 000 a month. It follows therefore that the company was willing to, and actually did, act dishonestly by misrepresenting that it had no money for its members to access health services and in return, they gained-corruption defined. The President, in his address to Parliament, condemned corruption in all its forms but,  it still rears its ugly head. All the companies and parastatals exposed fall under different ministries, whose heads should be very much aware of who gets what in a company under that ministry’s control. Is it then remotely possible that the ministers themselves did not know? There definitely is more than meets the eye.

Corruption and bribery are institutionalized in the people of Zimbabwe such that it would take a whole generational change for the rot to disappear in its entirety. The deleterious effects of bribery are very clear if one is to travel by public transport along the major highways. The omnipresent roadblocks offer fertile hunting grounds for the corrupt police officer. It is natural for a commuter omnibus driver to disembark from his vehicle clutching a ward of notes and hand it to the officers manning the roadblock. The whole day after this, the driver will be passing without being stopped, regardless of how many traffic regulations he would be flouting. According to a 2012 survey held by Transparency International Zimbabwe, 53 percent of Zimbabweans said they had paid a bribe to police officers. If then the police become corrupt, who will police the police? This is the same case with education officers who solicit for bribes from student teachers to give them jobs. It is common for such departments and ministries to have committees which investigate matters such as these. But the rot never seems to show any signs of receding. Until recently, police officers who were exposed for corruption would simply be transferred, but still remain in the force. Is it not then clear that we are undoing the very progress that we purport to be making? It then begs the question, who benefits from such apologetic tendencies by the powers that be? Is it not that those who dictate the pace are reaping the huge rewards of their ill-gotten fortune at the expense of the public? There certainly is more than meets the eye.  

We cannot entirely overlook the effects our underperforming economy has had on the livelihoods of people. Poor remuneration in the police force has led many a police officer to turn to crime within the crime fighting unit. This then goes back to the bosses awarding themselves huge salaries and benefits. Corruption has the ripple effect that lead to more crime. An employee retrenched might find themselves committing crime just to survive whilst a few at the top smile all the way to the bank.  A decent salary above the poverty datum line would minimize institutional lethargy and corruption within the force whilst promoting effectiveness and efficiency. An efficient police force translates to effective investigations into all conduct by officials which in turn reduces corruption. The Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission established by the constitution is also an effective way of combating such rot. It was established to investigate and expose and combat theft and abuse of powers and to promote honesty, financial discipline and transparency in the public and private sectors. Its failure to do as such before should be condemned in the strongest terms possible. The perfect start is to ensure its total independence from any form of manipulation and political interference whilst appointments should be based on ability and qualification. Regulations should also be put in place to establish a ceiling salary for all executives and board members. Fighting corruption begins with you and me. We cannot allow our morals and values to be eroded by the temporary situation prevailing in the country at the moment. That is my humble submission.