A hard working man in Africa

In Victoria Falls. This town used to be teeming with adventure-types from all over the world. Back in 1995, just out of university I was one of those backpacker types. It was like I was in another country.
Now...all that is gone. The recent Zanu conference spooked many people too, I am told.
But I met a man whose story is worth telling...a good man in Africa. Let me call him Mr B, an unassuming man who was happy to share his life story. He started as a waiter at a regional franchise restaurant in the early 2000s. He was so driven that he believed that in 10 years' time he would own that franchise. Today, he holds it against all odds. But this is a country whose economy is stuttering again and holding such a franchise is like having a cow that one day might give milk. One day. Try operating a spaza / tuck-shop in Zimbabwe, probably one of the most hostile business environments globally, and you will come up against inflation and deflation, unpredictable political and economic decisions, corrupt officials...and everything in between. As Mr B says, he should be thriving but he is only just keeping his head above water, hoping that the country will turn the corner. Yet, he talks about the lessons he has learnt and how he has grown agility in his business thinking, nimbly building a portfolio of businesses to support his dream.
And about that corner...we all have been waiting too long for that corner. The ones who thrive in Africa are those who have cronies in government while those who try to work hard are always fighting against the system. But if we need to change this, we cannot continue to be spectators...there can be no spectators in this game. If one wants honest people to thrive on this continent, then one must begin to think seriously about being on the side of  those people. Time to put on the soccer boots and start the warm up...

Educated, respectful, loyal, hard-working....does that describe you?


Every nation has it's own labels...the way it's citizens are generally viewed. When you think arrogant, Americans come to mind. It turns out that when you are in the US, they are the nicest people you ever come across; think drug dealers and scammers, and Nigerians come to mind. And so the poor Nigerian passport holder is targeted for thorough searching at every port of entry. In my experience, Nigerian academics and doctors are the unsung heroes working in remote corners of South Africa, or other far flung places. But to undo this labelling will not be easy.
Zimbabweans, we are in the lucky position of having the label of "educated, well-spoken, respectful, loyal, hard-working". This sounds very positive, doesn't it? But is it really. Read those words again...educated (for whose purpose, to whose service), well-spoken (in whose language?), respectful (to whom? fearful of authority actually and any authority figure!), loyal (to the master? So the phrase "murungu wangu" (my white boss) continues to be used even when the boss is mostly always black), hard-working (in building whose dreams?).
These awkward question arose in mind recently when I phoned the local distributor of the paper I subscribe. The manager is  a pleasant sounding young Zimbabwean woman whom I have spoken with on various occasions and so she is comfortable sharing what happens in the company (mainly poor salaries and non-payment) leading to disruption of service.
So I asked her a simple question - How complicated is the logistics of distributing newspapers? What resources are needed? And how easy is it to snag contracts?
It turns out that it really is not that difficult. She has been involved in the system, she knows the networks and what is need is a small vehicle and from what I have seen, that should not cost too much of an arm and a leg. Then I asked her if she had ever thought of setting up her own thing seeing as she was really the one running the business already. This was met with a silence and bewilderment which reflected that in her loyalty mentality she had never thought she could actually own the business; she was not entitled to it.
And she is not alone. I have known Bigsy since my Chivhu days. He is a man steeped in the service culture of the hotel and restaurant culture. To-day he manages a restaurant franchise in Cape Town and has over a quarter of century of experience, and yet, I am not convinced that he has ever thought about getting his own branch, or owning shares of the current one. Perhaps he has, and thought he doesn't have the financial muscle to get into the game. But who does? One of the things we need to do as Zimbabweans is to network good business ideas with good funders, whether informal or formal. There are many other people in my networks I can think of who are quintessentially Zimbabwean - educated, well-spoken, respectful, loyal and hardworking - myself included - but we are not using these attributes to create wealth for ourselves. We are the equivalents of the working class honey bee, toiling every day to feed the queen bee.
The funny thing is that when I meet Zimbabweans in the diaspora, they all talk about going home to start their own business! Well, fat chance, now Zimbabwe is a nation of vendors, and vendoring is the most entrepreneurial of all things - you engage and close the deal, you use just-in-time logistics and you need to be extremely agile and flexible. So with your systems thinking and business school formalities, this will be a tough space. A few years ago, speaking to Zimbabweans in Dallas, Texas, I urged them, "So you want to start your own business? Start where you are! If a business can start where you are, it will be easier to grow at back into Zimbabwe much easily. The other way is nigh impossible"
So, what's my point? Let's turn the positive attributes which the world sees in us, it something that builds businesses not just exhaust us to death. If you are a work now, work, but also think about how your understanding of the nuts and bolts of that business is so valuable that you can turn that knowledge into your own business. Let's get a bit more rebellious, a lot less loyal...

Ubuntu is dead....RIP

Ubuntu is dead...RIP
Ubuntu was first taken seriously ill in 2008 when she was exposed to extreme violence including the burning of some foreign nationals. She appeared to have suffered a heart attack at the shock of how her citizens ( Mandela's people) had behaved in a chilling case of black on black racism, otherwise known as xenophobia.
Her illness was diagnosed as chronic but she recovered sufficiently to celebrate the coming of the world cup in 2010. It appeared she was on show for the whole world to see and she loved every moment. However in retrospect this was a veneer of deception and it soon emerged that Ubuntu had been used and her name abused for selfish needs. Confronted by the constant afrophobic and racist behaviour of police, citizens and institutions towards poor and vulnerable immigrants, Ubuntu continued to suffer and take strain in silence but with much fortitude. She was particularly disappointed by the impunity and lawlessness which is a hallmark of dealings with the harassment and killings of black foreigners.
Then the relapse came, not unexpectedly. Her condition quickly deteriorated as she watched the onslaught in KwaZulu Natal...men, women and children driven from their homes because of the accident of nature of being born, and born north of the Limpopo River.
Ubuntu collapsed yesterday as Emmanuel Sithole gasped for air after being stalked and stabbed like an animal in ALexandra township. There were no good men or women who came to her immediate rescue and belated efforts to rescucitate her were in vain. She died in the presence of politicians and other hypocrites.
Ubuntu will be deeply missed but she had suffered enough abuse at the hands of politicians, celebrities and citizens alike most of whom did not understand that ubuntu is first of all about personal responsibility and respect for life.
Ubuntu's only child, African Renaissance was still born; she is survived by her estranged brother Afropessimism. She leaves behind a deeply psychotic and psychologically disturbed nation in need of exorcism and mass treatment.
# je suis FOREIGNER
(C) David R. Katerere