When things keep getting worse: Zimbabwe Financial Crisis

People queuing at Bulawayo Main POSB (image taken from Southern eye)

I went to one of Zimbabwe POSB branch yesterday aiming to withdraw money but after being in the long queue for about 20 mins, the security guard started telling people that there was no money so we should come back tomorrow (that is today). Went back again today as we were told. Before l even opened the door of the bank, l realised that there was no queue. This shocked me because in Zimbabwe it is rare not to find a queue anywhere, especially banks. You should see people queuing in banks, it will be as if they are going to withdraw large sums of money when in actual fact, the money is not even enough to sustain them throughout the month. Well since l did not find any queue today, l got inside and l approached the withdrawal counter only to be stopped by the security guard who asked me what l wanted to do. When l told him that l wanted to withdraw money, he gave me the same yesterday’s disappointing answer “Sorry my sister, there is no cash”.

I was disappointed. Then l decided to go to a different POSB branch hoping to get a different response. However to my disappointment again, l received the same answer. I asked when they were expecting to have cash and the guard was not even sure, he just told me to check again tomorrow. I know that l am not the only one who went there to receive the same response and it’s so disappointing because you would have made so many plans for that money only to be told that it’s not there. Imagine some people borrow $0.50 transport money to town, expecting to get money for transport back home after withdrawing. Worse still, what about those who come all the way from rural areas where there are no banks. Some people don’t even have relatives in big cities and their aim is to withdraw money and go back home. What then should these people do?

A friend of mine was telling me that CABS allowed its customers to withdraw maximum of $200. To me, this alludes that there is shortage of money again in that bank which l would like to believe applies to many other banks in the country.

After such a long time with the media debating about the economic meltdown in the country, people expect things to be getting better not worse but the latter is happening. People are struggling to survive on the little salaries they earn, some are jobless just praying for a miracle to happen so that they find themselves employed one day. Well all this is still a fantasy for most people. The situation in the country is getting worse by the day. I know some parents who had to shift their children from the best schools to cheaper ones because they couldn’t afford school fees anymore. I know some people who eat just one meal a day because they cannot afford the basic three meals of the day. Things keep getting worse by the day and citizens wonder what 2016 holds for them, they wonder what the future will be like. #ThinkingOutLoud. 

For my father

He is the one man l have disappointed so many times in my life yet he loves me unconditionally, l have disobeyed him so many times yet he supports me unconditionally. He knows how to hold my hand and tell me that everything will be ok, he knows how to calm me down and make me believe in myself. He sees the me in me that no one else sees. He is the man who has never broken my heart no matter how many times l break his. He just does his best for me, he always does what he can for me even when its way more than what he can afford. He is the best l have, the best l know, the best l can ever need. He is my father, my hero, my inspiration, my strength when l am weak. I thank God everyday for he gave me the best dad ever. I don’t even want to imagine what my life could have been without him. For you dad, l will always do my best, for you dad l will always aim high.

 He is always there when me and my young brothers need him. He does his best to ensure that we have a better and greater future. He is not just a father but a friend who is always there to listen and wipe away my tears. You are the best dad ever…. Love you always, love Sitshela sabakwena, qhubeka useza okuhle ungadinwa lakusasa

Journalism my profession

A story is not a story until it is written, shared, discussed and debated (My role as a journalist)

image from Social Score Media

A few days ago, l met this other man and as we were talking l told him that l was a journalist. His first words were “Oh you one of those who lie”. Honestly he is not the first to say that and l bet he is not the last. People have these wild stereotypes about journalists that just piss me off. Not that l blame them though because before l joined this profession also, l used to have my own ideas about it and believe me l never thought l would be called a journalist one day.

Growing up, just like many people out there, l had my dreams and aspirations of what l wanted to study and the profession l wanted, but l grew up and started facing reality. Destiny led me to a totally different path. I remember clearly well that l used to tell my family and friends that l wanted to study law but well guess what, l ended up studying journalism and media.

During my 1^st year at National University of Science and Technology (Nust) as a journalism and media studies student, I did all my school work not because l wanted to but because l felt pity for my parents who paid my fees and l did not want their money to go down the drain for nothing. My heart was not in it and you know when your heart is not involved in what you do, every little work you are given always seems too much for you.

It is amazing what time can do because as time passed by l started developing interest for the profession. I started understanding more about journalism; somethings l was just ignorant about. Now l am into this profession for real. It feels like l was born to be a journalist. I have always loved writing and which better profession than journalism can be an ideal platform for me to explore my writing skills? Which better profession than journalism can help me reach out to a very wide population through my writing?

Now lm one of those people who get frustrated when l tell people that lm doing journalism and they say “so you are one of those who lie.” Come on, journalist do not lie, they tell it like it is. Journalists actually aim at informing the public about almost everything that is of public interest so that people can make informed decisions. I agree as human beings there are instances that we make mistakes but we always strive to verify information before publishing it. Just think of the world without journalists, think of the world without people who follow up on government policies and inform the public. How will it be in this world if people are not updated on developments that happen around them? Just #ThinkingOutLoud………

Understanding reality of Zimbabweans...long journey by bus

Usually when l am traveling a long journey by bus, l will be having my earphones on listening to music all the way without even talking with the person next to me. However, on my recent journey due to the current electricity shortage and load-shedding in the country, l had to travel with an off phone. This meant that l had no entertainment besides talking with the person next to me and the journey just made me realize quiet a number of things about the everyday reality that Zimbabweans face.

It was a 6 hours journey from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo, very long and tiresome with a bus which will be stopping in almost every main bus stop. The journey seemed longer with the continuous stops at every roadblock by the police of which there were quiet a number of them all the way up to Bulawayo; demanding to see the same things from the bus driver and conductors.

When l left Victoria Falls, l was seated next to this other young man who was carrying a file. I was wondering where he was going until we started talking. He was actually going to Hwange District Education Office to process his papers for temporary teaching. He told me that he was born and breed in Bulawayo and it was his first time to be on that side of the country. It’s sad that this young man was not a teacher by profession or desire but he had no other option as he was a degree holder who could not find a job in his field of study so the next best option he could get was temporary teaching. He told me that he had stayed at home for almost a year now after completing his degree yet he could not get a job.

This is actually the reality of many young Zimbabwean degree holders. People are struggling to get employment in the country. Universities are releasing many graduates who in the end of the day stay at home doing nothing or start their own vending to earn a living. However with vendors being chased out of the streets, they are left really jobless. Those who are lucky and get jobs end up in different areas from their field of study. That is the reality of Zimbabwean Youths.

The journey continued and when we got to Hwange that young man's journey ended and l was joined by yet another young woman who did not have a ring on her finger so l assume she was not married. We started talking and she told me that she was going to South Africa to buy clothes for re-sale this side. She told me that she travels to South Africa twice a month and although its not much, she still manages to sustain herself with the little profit she makes from her sales. She told me that she travels to South Africa overnight and return back home the following day. That is her way of living and she even showed me three other women who looked older than her, who survive through the same way. She cried foul of rand fall of value for it made business difficult for her.

As she was sharing her experience l thought to myself, here is yet another unemployed Zimbabwean who is struggling to make ends meet for herself and family. Buying clothes outside the country and selling them back home is her best way of survival. People are struggling to get employment in the country, the standard of living is not very low. Drastic measures are needed to turn this around for people to earn decent living for this is not right. #ThinkingOutLoud.......

Workers being fired, a scary reality for University Students

For the past two weeks l have been following stories about workers being fired that have been making headlines in almost every newspaper in the country. It all started with the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case involving Zuva Petroleum and two former managers. In which the court ruled that the employer had the power to fire employees without giving them either a reason or exit package. The only thing that the employer has to do is to give three months notice to the employee. So far within two week of that court ruling, so many people have been fired and the other day Newsday reported that 1000 people have been fired within a single day.

Honestly that statistics shocked me and everyone else who read the story. I have also been following stories about economic situation of the country and in as much as l thought it was bad, that statistics of 1000 people fired in a day, just proved to me that it was really bad. If 1000 people were fired in just one day, what does it really mean? I’m sure many people will support me on the view that people are being fired because companies have no money to pay them. If the retrenchment process wasn’t as difficult as it seems to be, these companies could have retrenched a long time ago. The ruling was like a green light to most companies giving them the go ahead to just get rid of their workers they have for long wished to dismiss.

This is a scary reality to me any many other students at college and universities studying different programmes. Now we all wonder what we will do after finishing our degrees. Instead of us being excited with acquiring knowledge, we are terrified of the reality that awaits us. I just completed my eight months of attachment and in as much as l loved the company l worked for, not being paid for all the work l was doing didn’t feel so good. There were moments when l could get really frustrated by the fact that l was not getting paid yet l patiently continued because l knew l'm just a student learning so that l get a paying job soon after completing my degree.

Now that l am about to complete my degree, people are being fired like this and l wonder what l will do, where l will get employment. I hope the government takes action before this thing gets serious and out of hand. Employees need and deserve job security. These days people work in fear of being fired anytime and it is so not right #ThinkingOutLoud

Load-shedding, brings families together

Was just observing the other day when we spent almost the whole day without electricity, (as we all know there is continuous load shedding in the country). Everyone’s phone, laptop, tablet etc was off and all we could do was seat and talk to each other. The television was also off so the only entertainment we had was each other. It just got me thinking of our daily routine which l believe is the same to many other households of this century.

We do almost similar things day after day. We wake up in the morning (of which l wake up late and find everyone gone) go to work/school, spend three quarters of our day there. Then come back home in the evening around 5-6pm. When we get home, we do the usual 2mins “Evening! Evening how was your day” conversation then after that each and every one of us has his/her eyes on his/her phone, tablet, laptop etc with earphones/headphones plugged in our ears. We only remove those earphones/headphones when it’s time for our favorite series Isidingo, Generations/Muvhango etc. still these series ain’t everyone’s favorite so those who do not like them, maintain their earphones/headphones and they do not even hear a word you say when trying to speak to them.

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are good yes, with them life has become much easier but it has taken away one aspect which used to be so key to our society. It has taken away family interactions. In as much as we communicate and stay in touch with people in faraway places, we forget to interact with those close to us because all we think of is our gadgets. I know how boring it gets if your phone is off just for an hour but that particular day, l realised that l was missing out on a lot of things that were happening within my family while l was busy with my phone.

In as much as l hate load shedding, l appreciate it for keeping families together and giving us time to catch up a bit. #ThinkingOutLoud……..

Just because l’m a woman

I find it really crazy and so unnecessary some of the things that women do to impress their so called “hubbies/boyfriends”. Do you know that women use different staff on their private parts just to keep “it” tight because men do not enjoy “it” when its “loose”. It’s all in the name of taking care of the so called husband/boyfriend, doing everything possible to ‘impress’ him so that he does not get tempted to go out there and be with other women. But let me remind you of something, they still go out there and do whatever they want.

Society says it is natural for men to be in relationships with more than one woman but if l dare date more than one man, l’m a bitch. It’s right for a married man to approach and have a relationship with me because all men cheat on their wives, all that matters is that in the end of the day they go back home to them. But if l date a married man, l am a home breaker/destroyer, a girl without self-respect. I get pregnant out of wedlock, l am the bitch that failed to keep her legs closed but nothing is ever said about the man who impregnated me. I get two or three children out of wedlock, no man is willing to marry me but l am expected to accept a man with his train of babies. All the blame is on me at the end of the day, just because l am a woman.

A woman is expected to cook, wash dishes, clean the house and take care of the children. It does not matter either you are working or not. Since l hate washing dishes and cooking, guess what!! that makes me a little less of a real woman and you know what they say, no man can ever marry a woman who is not well trained and good in doing all these things.

It all starts when we are kids. “A girl is not supposed to get dirty”, “when you grow up you will get married and have children with your husband”, “it is normal for a girl to be soft and cry”, “do not climb that tree, girls don’t climb trees”. All these (and many more) are phrases l (and other women out there) have heard since l was a kid. Everyone around me kept on hammering those words until it became part of my blood stream. There is no room for me to decide what l want. The structure of my life was set for me (and any other girl out there) before l was even born.

My friends keep on telling me that l’m in some sort of a growing up stage in which l find myself questioning the does and don’t that the society laid down for me. They believe one day l will meet this supernatural man who will make me change my mind. Maybe they are right, l do not know but what l know is all these dos and don’ts, expectations that the society has for me, just take away my freedom of deciding what l want and how l want to live my life.

Back in the old days, every mother’s dream was to see her little girl maturing into a proper wife material kind of a woman, get married and be docile to that husband whom she has to bear children for. Thank God there has been a slight change in that structure of life and girls have to graduating before getting pregnant. Then pursue the second and greatest achievement which is marriage and having a family.

I remember very well each time we went to our rural home and my mom kept on teaching me all those ekhaya chaos but since l have always been lazy when it comes to hand work, l also kept on complaining. My mom always said: “You have to learn these things my child, you never know where your future husband is going to take you. You might go to ekhaya labo and find yourself forced to do all these things,” with a soft voice trying to make me understand the importance of acquiring vast knowledge about house chaos.  Honestly, it ain’t in me. I do not see the reason why l should do all those things just because l’m a woman.

My grandmother on the other side is always busy with her song “lina bantwana lifuna ngize ngife ngingabonanga abantwabenu (you children you want me to die before seeing your kids”. She says so because in her eyes, we are old enough to have children and establish our own families. At the same time every person around me is asking me if l have met the man l will marry. All this is my reality as a young African woman, reality that l find so hard to cope with. Reality that scares me because everyone around me seems to believe it is the natural way of life. But who defines natural?

Maybe my friends are right, maybe this is just a temporary mind and one day l will find myself accepting this “natural reality” set for me by society and earn the great respect that comes with following the right path. Until that day, remember that l am a human being before being a woman. #ThinkingOutLoud

                                     image  from pinterest Inspiring Women