Parliament does an unpatriotic thing. By Trevor Ncube Zimbabweans have experienced acute economic hardships in the past few months courtesy of a collapsing currency. Amidst this, it is clear President Mnangagwa’s government has no intention of running free and fair elections if reports of gerrymandering and missing names on the voters’ roll are…

    Zimbabwe corruption becomes the gold standard By Trevor Ncube In 2021 when President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed Uebert Angel Ambassador-at-Large to the Americas and Europe, there was shock and consternation among those familiar with the man’s shady background. None of his questionable background appeared relevant to his appointer. We were told that he was…

      PVO Bill: a different perspective. by Nevanji Madanhire The Zimbabwe government has over the years complained about foreign influence in its governmental processes, particularly in elections. It accuses private voluntary organisations (PVO) of being conduits through which electoral manipulation is channelled, hence it is about to pass into law the PVO Act…

        The man who will capitalise on voter apathy by Nevanji Madanhire Leader of Democratic Union of Zimbabwe (DUZ) Robert Howard Chapman is a fascinating man. Sharp and erudite, he has brought an interesting perspective to Zimbabwean politics. He has taken out the toxicity that has characterised our politics in the past…

        Startups and youth entrepreneurship key to economic growth by Unique Zimuto “We don’t stop going to war just because the terrain is difficult,” so says Lesley Marange, the young founder and CEO of Glytime Foods, a startup that is making waves in Zimbabwe and the region. “We don’t need money from…

        Borehole drilling. To regulate or not to regulate! By Unique Zimuto Zimbabwe is facing a serious potable water problem. Cities are particularly hard hit. The density of people living in urban settlements means water has to always be readily available for domestic use and for sewer reticulation. The industrial sector depends…

        No new dispensation at Makombe Building I hate visiting government offices because of the unpleasant encounters I always have with front-office staff and senior government officials. Petty officialdom, and crass rudeness are some of the experiences I have had dealing with government officials. I am not the only one; other members…

        Power and poor strategic thinking It has been known for decades that there would be a serious power deficit in the Southern African Development Community. The establishment of the Harare-headquartered Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) in 1995 was one way the region hoped to mitigate the problem. It didn’t work quite…

        Corruption in the Newsroom Last week I had a shocking encounter with what is so wrong with our society in general and the profession of journalism in particular. I received a WhatsApp message from a senior journalist (name withheld) at a renowned local media organisation who wished to suggest a guest…

        The Other State of the Nation Address (OSONA) Dear Compatriots, Comrades, and Friends. Since independence in 1980, our nation has experienced moments of joy punctuated with anguish and trauma. The dream of our liberation struggle of a “government for the people, by the people, for the people” has turned into a…

    Press freedom and responsibility The Commonwealth team that was in Zimbabwe recently to assess whether the country was ready for readmission into the club of mainly former British colonies implored the local media to play a part in reuniting the country. Addressing the media, team leader Luis Franceschi said: “I call on the…

    14 July 2022 Greetings We launched In Conversation With Trevor (ICWT) three years ago at a live event with Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube as the guest. Since then, I have had over 140 impactful conversations with some awesome people in Zimbabwe and abroad.I have learnt a lot from our guests and…

    21 July 2022 | Newsletter Greetings Over the weekend I watched the Oprah Winfrey, Viola Davis Conversation on Netflix. In her new book, “Finding Me” Viola Davis writes about the impact that the Covid-19 lockdown had on her mental state. I identified with her sentiments as this time last year I found it…

    28 July 2022 Government should get out of the way The release of preliminary Zimbabwe 2022 census results this week is welcome and should see a fresh trove of data critical for planning for both government and business. From the census business will gain critical insights for planning of new products and determine…

    August 4 Newsletter Gold Coins and the Census Zimbabwe is a polarised and toxic country. This sad state of affairs has debilitating consequences on our society. There is almost nothing that we seem to agree on, yet there is so much that could unite us if we made the effort.In most instances one’s…

        11 August 2022 Water Delivery Zimbabwe has normalised water delivery by tanker trucks for those without portable water at home and work. This is very sad.Apart from the fact that this is a form of tax for the already overtaxed public, the inconvenience and the cost of this abnormality are hurting.…

    Power of language in Nation Building Zimbabwe’s indigenous languages have a lot in common; one only has to listen carefully to notice, for example, the number of Ndebele words that have been incorporated into Shona, and vice versa. This is natural; no two languages can exist in close proximity without borrowing from one…

      Sanctions and corruption are hurting Zimbabwe Imagine President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa embarking on an international campaign against sanctions. That move alone would be a sign of political maturity and patriotism and would contribute to national common purpose and unity. But to do so the two would need to…

    Do we deserve our leaders? by Nevanji Madanhire This week’s episode with Jerry Nyazungu hit home an issue which has the power to transform Zimbabwe: We must realise that we can make progress in our personal circumstances in spite of the suffocating power of politicians. But because of our disempowering obsession with outsourcing…

        17 Oct 2022 | Newsletter Issue 14 Creating a Pink Mindset Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us yet again. And yet there is no evidence on the ground that much has been done since last October. Breast Cancer awareness should be a national mindset with every relevant health institution and…

    11 Oct 2022 | Newsletter Issue 13 Electoral Reforms Pre-election pact on electoral reforms It is encouraging that the government, the opposition and civil society are all talking about electoral reforms. This is a good thing. There is a realisation from all involved that elections under the current restrictive laws would be of…

        1 Oct 2022 | Newsletter Issue 12 Job Sikhala – A plea for tolerance Job Sikhala entering court Prison is a terrible place no matter the conditions. I was in police detention two decades ago. The conditions were inhuman then; hey must be worse now. I hear from Hopewell Chin’ono, Jacob…

          23 Sep 2022 | Newsletter Issue 11 Zimbabwe Diaspora – the good and the bad (Picture of Samantha Nyikadzino) Last week we received two pieces of news from the Zimbabwean diaspora – one bad and the other good. The desperate economic situation and our suffocating politics have forced an increasing…

        16 September 2022 | Newsletter Issue 10 Beautiful Zimbabwe needs our love Old Dairiboard print advert (Source: Pindula) In Magwegwe, Bulawayo, where I grew up, we would put two empty milk bottles and some money at the gate before we went to bed. At dawn the next day, the milkman would…

        15 August 2022 | Newsletter Issue 6 Remembering International Youth Day-Why Intergenerational Solidarity Matters? This year International Youth Day was being celebrated under the theme “intergenerational solidarity: creating a world for all ages”. The purpose is to amplify the message that action is needed from all generations to achieve Agenda 2030…

        27 August 2022 | Newsletter Issue 7 Identity and Resilience “The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living” – Karl Marx. Zimbabweans are believed to be renowned for being uncomplaining despite the country’s terrible economic performance. Something that might be characterized as…