From London with love By Trevor Ncube ICWT is in London this week after spending a week in Johannesburg. We have been fortunate to meet so many of you and are overwhelmed by your love and support. Your genuine and unsolicited feedback on the impact the platform is having is our…

11 ways to fix our crumbling cities By Trevor Ncube Urban and rural councils in Zimbabwe have been rendered impotent due to political interference, poor calibre of councillors and incompetent managers. For the past three decades government policies have robbed councils of financial resources, management expertise and authority. The perilous state of the nation is…

Will Mnangagwa succeed where Smith and Mugabe failed? By Trevor Ncube What name do you give to what almost always happens at the end of years of brutal repression? The thing that happens when people say, enough is enough of the gratuitous insults, political arrogance, authoritarianism, incarceration and torture? I deeply and genuinely fear we…

  Zimbabweans must act on Auditor Generals shocking findings By Trevor Ncube The reports of the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) for the year ended December 31, 2023 read like a tragicomedy with multiple and dramatic cliffhangers. There is a strong stench of multiple crimes. There is also strong evidence most of the crimes are…

  Great books I have read so far in 2024 By Trevor Ncube Yey, we are halfway through the year! This is a perfect time to share the great books I have read so far. But before doing so, let me deal with the question of why it is important to read. I am dyslexic,…

  Roads to impress SADC and prisons to suppress citizens By Trevor Ncube The current disruptive roadworks in Harare to impress visiting SADC delegates in August and the arrest and detention of 78 opposition activists are emblematic of the acute contradictions tripping President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration. High on the list of these contradictions are the…

The art of diplomacy and Charamba’s toxicity By Trevor Ncube Twice in as many weeks, first at the residency of the Swedish Ambassador and then at the British Ambassador’s residence, I witnessed Sheillah Chikomo, Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade put up a fine performance that made me proud. Chikomo has presence…

Has Chamisa learnt from his mistakes? By Trevor Ncube MY chance encounter with Nelson Chamisa at the British ambassador’s residence last week triggered some reflection. At this beautiful garden party to celebrate King Charles III’s birthday, I noticed that Chamisa’s body language now communicated a sense of humility, which is markedly different from previous encounters.…

Zimbabwe needs you, stand up and be counted By Trevor Ncube At the heart of Zimbabwe’s crises is failed leadership by most of us through omission or commission. The urgency of now that we face is not the need for new leaders, but an informed, active and engaged citizenry with clarity on what they expect…

Caution – Drought relief scandal ahead! By Trevor Ncube “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santanya (1905) In 1982 Zimbabwe suffered a severe drought, which was declared a national disaster. Out of this national crisis emerged the Samson Benard Paweni corruption scandal. Paweni bribed government officials and grabbed a…

Selective application of the law and Chris Mutsvangwa’s grievance By Trevor Ncube Most parents deeply love their children and want nothing, but the best for them. Most children adore their parents and desire the best for them. So, I can imagine the pain that Monica and Christopher Mutsvangwa feel over the arrest and continued detention…

10 Things that will transform Zimbabwe By Trevor Ncube Zimbabwe’s fortunes are a burden to many who love this beautiful country. Our country cries out for a collective purposeful focus to lift it out of this man-made quagmire. We must look past the preoccupation with sectional party-political interests. Our future lies beyond what politicians can…

ZiG will stand or fall on public trust, nothing else By Trevor Ncube The manner in which the government introduced the new currency, Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), is proof little or nothing has been learnt from previous similar experiences. Zimbabweans are still traumatised from the wealth destruction that was caused by five other attempts to reign…

My close encounter with corruption By Trevor Ncube Our gruelling negotiations had ended and l was taking my knackered self- upstairs to my office. John Kunyara (not real name) followed me and whispered that l could get the fee discount l had requested if l was comfortable doing a side deal with him and his…

Back to the rural village movement By Trevor Ncube Many of us were born and bred in rural areas where approximately 68% of Zimbabweans reside. Some of us still maintain close ties with family and relatives in rural areas. While we might have prospered as individuals our rural settings, this rich fountain of our cultural…

Zimbabwe’s enemy within By Trevor Ncube I recently visited Rowan Martin Complex for municipal business. Our consultant suggested this and assured me council officials wouldn’t ask me for a bribe, a practice they are notorious for. As a town planner our consultant deals with council in his daily business and says hardly a day passes…

Mnangagwa third term bid is an awful idea and must be stopped By Trevor Ncube Once upon a time in Africa coups were the only sure method of changing governments. And then, multiparty states emerged with fixed presidential term limits. These were soon replaced by amending constitutions, by hook or crook, to facilitate “constitutional” elimination…

Sanctions against Zimbabwe must go! But how? By Trevor Ncube The issue of sanctions against Zimbabwe causes a level of cognitive dissonance in my mind. I fully understand why they were imposed in the first place, but l am also firmly persuaded that they are hurting the economy and the common person in general. I…

Zimbabwe’s Chinese problem By Trevor Ncube It is too early to tell how history will view the impact of the role of China on Zimbabwe. Suffice to say as things stand, the score is an indictment on China and Zimbabwe’s political elite. This is an exploitative relationship, with benefits flowing mostly to the Chinese and…

What have you done for Zimbabwe lately? By Trevor Ncube “We live in a society where the state has collapsed and, in its place, the party rules through fear and intimidation,” says the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) in its State of Peace Report 2022. Zimbabwe is sliding into a failed state, according to ZimRights.…

Turning youth bulge into a national dividend By Trevor Ncube Zimbabwe commemorated National Youth Day last week amidst the worst conditions, by any measure, that our young people have experienced in decades. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the negativity and yet the enormity of the challenge demands leadership, innovation and strategic thinking. The…

A wonderful opportunity to build a patriotic opposition beckons By Trevor Ncube “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” someone once said. The crisis in Zimbabwe’s main opposition the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) suddenly presents a fantastic opportunity to rebuild something beautiful from these smouldering ashes. Zimbabwe’s opposition is mortally wounded from ruling…

Press freedom is everyone’s responsibility By Trevor Ncube Last week’s episode with Cris Chinaka was a painful reminder of what afflicts the state of journalism in Zimbabwe, and by extension our democracy. Like so many things in our beloved country our journalism is broken. And I take my share of responsibility, by commission or omission,…

Zimbabwe must use education for nation building By Trevor Ncube Love him or hate him, former President Robert Mugabe prioritised education in Zimbabwe’s transition after 1980 with huge generational benefits for the country. Teacher training was ramped up and our schools, colleges and universities delivered quality talent imbued with an exceptional work ethic. Sadly, most…

Finding common purpose will fuel a beautiful revolution By Trevor Ncube We have a lot that we disagree on as a nation. We also have a penchant for spending our time amplifying our disagreements rather than what we agree on. In the cacophony of our disagreements during which we have labelled each other sworn enemies,…