Back in the early 2000’s, I worked in the Internet Service Provision (ISP) industry and when we had a problem on our network it would affect internet connectivity for thousands of clients. Resultantly, the call centre would be inundated with calls from frustrated clients, enquiring whether the network was indeed down or whether it was a problem on their end and when normalcy would be restored. As a common practice in call centres during a downtime, one simply picks up the call to confirm to the client that there is a problem and a team is working tirelessly to resolve it.
During this frenzy of madness, the owner of the company would also call the technical team, fuming over the crisis, just like many of the clients. However, I noticed that all the time that the boss called, he would not immediately pay attention to the disgruntled clients; In fact, the clients would be the last of his concerns. Time and time again, as a matter of priority, his primary concern was always to “diagnose the problem, first”.
His theory was simple; “How do you address a client if you don’t know what problem you are facing, thus resulting in not knowing how long it will take to resolve it?” Rightfully so, in some cases it was actually a fault on the clients end that resulted in them failing to access the network. Eventually, once we diagnosed the problem, he would reach out to the clients in a very lengthy email, detailing the actual problem we were facing and how or when we expected to resolve it. These letters were so intimate, more so, coming from the owner of the company; They always seemed to be charming enough to calm down the most agitated clients or serve as a justification to most clients, as to why they were dedicated to subscribing to our services.
This lesson struck a cord with me and it has stuck in my head over the past two decades. I have cherished it through the ages simply because it works like a charm. Now that I am a father, it has been applicable even when my family members stumble on a problem. In fact, I have applied this approach even in my personal capacity, be it health related or otherwise; It is apparent that if you cannot diagnose a problem, you can never fix it, yet once you diagnose it, you are halfway to resolving it, with much ease.
To simplify and accelerate my diagnosis, lately, I have incorporated AI tools to assist me in determining some of my problems… Specifically, ChatGPT.
So, in this article, you’ll find that I will refer to some highlighted responses from this AI tool, beginning with the definition of the word “Diagnose”…
It’s the part that I have highlighted that I find to be essentially relevant.
It has since dawned on me that this is the case with Zimbabwe’s economy.
Our Government has become the Call Centre, picking up calls from all the infuriated citizens and simply confirming to them that we (indeed) have a problem and they are working (tirelessly) to resolve it. In which case, sometimes, they may still be working to figure it out. All along, the infuriated citizen simply wants to know when the country will be restored to normalcy; Meanwhile, nobody is paying attention to diagnosing the problem, which could possibly be, lo and behold, the citizen.
So I beg to ask you this question; Before putting any blame on the Government, which is often our immediate reflex — How hard have YOU tried to personally contribute to the solutions that will improve the economic conditions in Zimbabwe?
I know that some people have tried and given up, whilst others continue to try, albeit depleting their levels of will power with each passing day. Yet, in all fairness, many of us have hardly given it our very best effort.
I for one have given my personal pursuits a lot more attention and commitment, be it my family or business, yet when it comes to my country, it has been a half hearted commitment that depends on half of the Government’s input and half of my own.
Resultantly, we do not realise that the Government is a system made up of citizens and not necessarily an entity in its own right. So if we (the citizens) commit ourselves halfway, then expect the government to address the other half, that simply means that one half of the problem is not resolved.
Ultimately, the mandate to fix our country falls entirely on us, the citizens.
The problem gets worse if the citizens malfunction, then it is guaranteed that the system that is run by the citizens will also malfunction. In other words; Imagine if our ISP had an incompetent technical team?
In the same light, I beg to remind you that the most road traffic congestion is made up of the majority of the working class, during the world’s dreaded rush-hour. Therefore, in Zimbabwe, the very same people who drive like maniacs, disregarding other road users or the road regulations altogether, are the very same people in the driving seat of many of our national concerns. In fact, many drive carelessly, heading to offices in Government complexes or back home to a lack of resources, due to failing Government departments that they oversee. It all comes down to us — the people.
With all due respect, I don’t know how else I can tell you this, but the long and short story of it is that, we are depressed. All of us! We have lived in a melancholic environment long enough to trigger many of the signs and symptoms that lead to an undeniable diagnosis of depression.
Having been born in 1984 myself and reaching the milestone of 40 years this year; It has dawned on me that my prime years have been lived through economic turmoil and if anything, as long as we carry on as we are, I may not live to see the rising sun of economic salvation.
Fellow Zimbabweans; I wholeheartedly refuse for this to be my reality.
Whilst others have resolved to migrating, I believe that we would rather come to terms with this pandemic and begin to treat it, so as to resolve our economic woes and begin to progress towards a thriving state.
If you have been following the UK Series of “In Conversation with Trevor”, you will appreciate that many of those who have migrated have not been exempt from the burden associated with being Zimbabwean.
Like any other diagnosis, I appreciate that it can be a hard pill to swallow for many of us to acknowledge the diagnosis of depression.
To convince you, I will present you with the symptoms that have led me to this conclusion, then you can take time to reflect within your own space.
To begin with, have you ever heard of the term “Learned Helplessness”?
Below is a brief summary of what this condition entails…
So in essence, all the time you and I make those remarks about the Government, the City Council, or how something is being done or not done, about anything, and we assume that our input in the situation cannot possibly make any impact… Ultimately, we are gradually and unknowingly nurturing ourselves into the state of Learned Helplessness.
I am sure that you will agree with me that most, if not all conversations with a Zimbabwean are very likely to lead to a diagnosis of this condition?
Then we move on to yet another condition, that is related to the one above, as a very common occurrence among conversing Zimbabweans…
Cognitive Distortions.
Some real case scenarios of Cognitive Distortion include our general use of terms like, “all politicians”, “all government employees”, or generalising something regarding a particular race or gender, etc… These are all very common traits in our day to day conversations in Zimbabwe, nowadays.
Below is a video describing Cognitive Distortions and ways to stop them:
Certainly, at first, any diagnosis under any situation tends to spell out doom and gloom in most cases. However, the good news is that diagnosing a problem is in fact the solution of half the problem. Therefore, the only reason that I am bringing this crisis to your attention is so that you are well aware of it and you can filter it out of your life by taking deliberate steps that are known to remedy the situation. For instance, with Cognitive Distortion, I encourage you to look up “Metacognition”, as an effective remedy. Then for Learned Hopelessness, one method that I have personally found to be very effective is by giving myself gradual challenges that are easily achievable, then increase my tolerance as I progress.
Here is an instance; I intended to start a regular 1 hour cardio regime, so I started by coupling it with a daily catchup with my partner and we kicked it off as a brisk walk. Once my body acclimatised to the walk, I started to add intermittent running stretches back and forth along the same walk routine. This resulted in me running half the time and catching up with my partner during the walking stretch. Eventually, I could run the entire course and only then did I start to incorporate a strength training regime, to prepare myself for the discipline required to join a gym and make full use of my subscription. So it’s been a process of nurturing my discipline, coupled with quality time with my partner (which I absolutely enjoy) and gradually increasing the intensity of my activity, so the next stage is attainable.
You could start with just tasking yourself to pickup a piece of litter in public sight, or perhaps setting your alarm an hour ahead, so you ultimately wake up earlier and you don’t have to be rushing in the morning traffic.
Furthermore, this article is actually another instance that you can hold me personally accountable, as it is the first of a series of 10 articles that I intend to publish, all with a deliberate focus on improving the mindset and living conditions of my fellow citizens, for the betterment of us all.
Please note that all my views are apolitical, as I hold a neutral stance on politics. In fact, I believe that if our government is going to excel in its conduct, then it desperately needs to endorse neutral civic contributors into our society – also known as Thought Leaders… In my regard, I like to refer to myself as a “Thought Trigger”, as I have not yet earned my stripes as a Leader. However, my neutrality is also evident in the fact that in the 40 years of my existence, I have neither voted nor have I ever registered to participate in the voting process in Zimbabwe. If anything, I implore the Government to enforce suitable laws that govern a certain caliber of social participants to be disqualified from taking part in the voting process, as their roles and objectives ought to be for the greater good of all.
In fact, this is a common practice in some countries, for instance, in the UK, the Royal family abstains from voting for the sake of neutrality, whilst in the UAE law enforcers are not allowed to vote to prevent conflict of interests, whereas other countries restrict Prisoners or Religious Leaders.
In conclusion, I would like to let it be known that I am an advocate of the discipline of philosophy and I am patriotic towards Zimbabwe. Therefore, I wish to be afforded the opportunity to contribute my thoughts (through actions) for the betterment of our country. I challenge you to do the same.
Together we can remedy our national problems and restore our legacy.
This guest post by Peter Kaunda was originally published on his Medium. You can see the original here.
26 comments
Our Gvt is not made up of citizens, it’s made up of ZANU PF thieves! And yes, we’re powerless disregarding all your screenshots!
I am sorry that this article did not transform your views in any way. To exhibit the symptom of learned helplessness after learning about the fact that you can counter it is the actual diagnosis of depression.
The purpose of this article is not to point figures at others, but rather, to encourage internal reflection of our own actions and contributions to the state of our nation.
I am often reminded that once upon a time, when Robert Mugabe was still alive, Ian Smith said, “_not in a thousand years_”…Yet, it’s been less than 50 years since then… and both of the aforementioned are now diseased.
It is important to learn that political players will come and go, yet the essence of a country must always remain constant. I beg for you to not nurture “complaining” as the essential constant in Zimbabwe.
” However, my neutrality is also evident in the fact that in the 40 years of my existence, I have neither voted nor have I ever registered to participate in the voting process in Zimbabwe. ”
I donot know why you think this is something to be proud of. I know a lot a of Zimbos like to proclaim that voting does not change anything. Especially when, ….. it actually does. Today a certain President is besides himeself trying to overide the highest laws of the land, to extend his stay in office. There is no way it can be done without seriously compromising himself or at least his ‘ make believe ‘ goodwill. This is all thanks to peoples votes. The constitution that we have today came about, as a result of the peoples vote. The Economy has become bearable thanks to policies adopted by the GNU (dollarisation would have never happened without Morgan winning the 2008 election, which ultimately led to the creation of the GNU). I understand that the outcome of that election was not what people wanted, but, it brought about change nonetheless. The gift of RG Mugabe’s loss in 2008, is still giving today. Now, imagine if Zanu had won that election in 2008. Where would we be today?
Doing nothing achieves nothing. Everyone’s vote counts.
It is said that the human body consists of good and bad bacteria. Surprisingly, you may regard me as the bad bacteria, whilst you (the voter) are the good bacteria. Yet in fact, the good bacteria is good because it causes no harm to the body, it serves a supportive purpose, whereas the bad bacteria is actually that which inflicts the body with the intent to alter the function of the body for its own interests. So on the contrary, I might be the good bacteria in this case and you might be the bad bacteria. We could compare this to indigenous tree versus invasive tree. One nourishes the ground it is planted in, whereas the other poisons it. We are at the stage of identifying the good and bad bacteria within our body. Please keep up with the other 9 articles that will follow in this series. This is merely the diagnosis stage. A misdiagnosis at this stage can lead to detrimental treatment.
I encourage you to watch this clip…
https://youtube.com/shorts/3Zuf4UdMYrY?si=ZAmd1CQBwDq7SBED
Hahaha this is one laughable and ignorant article ever to be posted here. Its such naivety that has led some men and women believe they can change Zanu PF from within only to fall victim to its tyrannical machinations. Zimbabwean gvt devours innovation, alternate thought and opposing perception. Masiiwa’s struggles, Trevor Ncube’s bootlcking, Tshabangu’s judas iscariot backstabbing, Chief Ndiweni’s ouster. I applaud any Civil Servant going to work today despite the gvt underpay and constant manipulation and devaluation of savings, pensions and pay-these man and women are heroes and deserve much more recognition. Apolotical in Zimbabwe is simply translated to opposition by the gvt Because if you cannot chant zanu slogans and support the 2030 agenda you are perceived an enemy. There is so much bootlicking in Civil Service because even the institutions that must be independent of the executive are paid through SSB. There is no independence. These institutions cannot raise funding to pay their own employees because the gvt is afraid to lose grip. hence you see a culture of mbinga(the Chivhayos) is backed by gvt. That said meaningful contribution can only be found when we stop scapegoating. We have a rotten gvt and that is not the citizen. Dont be afraid to call a spade a spade
In due course, you will understand my reasons for not taking part in elections, and more so, for my voluntary mention of this remark that is evidently an exposure of vulnerability. After all, it is okay to be vulnerable at times. I implore you to focus on the essence of the message. At this stage, this is a conversation between you and I… When you visit the doctor in search of a diagnosis does the doctor prescribe you and your nagging wife medication or does he just focus on your ailing condition? I implore you to focus on the message in your own capacity. We will get to all the fun bits you are eager to address. Let’s take things one step at a time. We have only just met.
You emailed the client when their network was down? did the clients receive the email? Sounds a bit like liquids helpdesk, when you get a recorded message on a call – asking you to email them when you have no connectivity.. LOL clowns
What a long and useless read one of the worst on this platform!
Here’s a technical breakdown of how the internet works… Email Clients and Web Browsers use different protocols to communicate. So (indeed) we had many instances whereby your Web Browser would be down, which is more commonly referred to as “the internet”, yet your Email Server would still be accessible, so you can still send and recieve emails via your Email Client i.e Microsoft Outlook. In fact, at one point, we had a technical crisis in Zimbabwe whereby we couldn’t access SA (.co.za) websites only, yet you could browse other website around the world. Or there could be instances where you cannot access the rest of the world, yet you can access Zimbabwean (.co.zw) websites… Like I mentioned, this was the early 2000’s. Many people born after the time would not relate with this era when we connected using 56kbps Dial-Up Modems. Now most people access their Gmail directly from their web browser. So it appears as though Web Browsing and Email are the same thing. In the early 2000’s, ISP’s even had “Email only” subscription options. I hope you understand how this worked perfectly fine? In the instance of the Email Server being down, the Call Center still served its purpose of addressing the concern, but once the server was back up, a personal email from the owner of the company would be awaiting you in your mailbox, with a full explanation of what caused the downtime. It’s the type of customer service that you hardly get nowadays.
you my friend have stirred the hornets nest.i myself turned 40yrs and agree with alot you say. most ppl won’t.but there are a few issues. the small things are not enough when we have a military junta at war with the public.they stifle anything positive that they don’t do themselves(usually for political points). I mean these demolitions are case in point. they were illegal to begin with yet here they are playing the good guy. I agree to an extent that voting dosent work.i mean really what are we voting for councillors for. we pay a fee and expect service.i dont. vote for the Econet board. but for this particular regime we have to go out of our way as a protest vote so they know our disgruntlement. I mean if we all stayed away they woundnt even bother rigging. at least in their heads they know they lost and puts pressure on them otherwise they would do absolutely nothing
Completely wrong.
Abstaining does nothing. In fact I will argue that, it is in Zanu’s best interest for most to not vote. Proof. What happened in the previous election regarding flyers encouraging people to boycott? Who made those flyers? We all know who it was. They know that the only way they can win is if the majority don’t vote. Then they can bus in their stooges by the thousands who have been brainwashed to follow their every command. When you don’t vote you are actually doing exactly what Zanu wants. They just need their stooges to vote. Your protest is meaningless. It instead has the effect of boosting Zanu’s chances of victory. Because elections are a numbers game, plain and simple. Not voting is to implicitly vote for Zanu.
I never said don’t vote. i voted in the last election…I did it purely to aggregate them and make sure they rigg…I wouldn’t want it easy for them. the point is do it to protest against them. keystrokes if the outcome they know we want them out. if you don’t vote it’s too easy for them
As much as the voting aspect was the last of my mentions in the article. I beg for you to make it the least of your priority as you reflect on the essence of the article. Today there will be road rage in traffic, bumper accidents, public littering, plastic burning, no power or water at home, tax evasion as people flock to “tuck shops” to purchase cheap goods that are smuggled by proprietors who do not pay their tax return thus crippling our fiscus, the list is long. Let’s be considerate of ourselves as we exhaust our emotions daily with matters that will not change over night. For now, I only wish that you and I can resolve to not liter, not burn, not disregard other drivers, pay our council bills, etc. All these things are not influenced by the government they are choices we can make ourselves. Then we will have unity of purpose and momentum to push for the government to reform in the areas it is slacking… You can’t expect to pass an exam with an exhausted mind. We need to give our minds some emotional restoration, then once recollected we can effectively revisit and address our national flaws.
Please note that I am NOT advocating for people to boycott the voting system. However, I am explicitly proposing that we appoint a class of neutral citizens that will serve as the voice of reason in our nation. We have lived on the edges of all extremes for far too long and all that it’s doing is tearing us further apart. We need a substantive glue to keep us bound together, regardless of our contradicting views. Our oneness as Zimbabweans ought to be a priority above all. Extremism at the expense of compromising our patriotism should be unacceptable.
But why should I pay tax to authorities that have repeatedly abused it for their own personal use? They continue to live lavishly while the rest of us are left to scramble for crumbs from their tables. How do we even begin to dialogue with them when they have no ears to listen but guns to prop their every action? The only option left to an ordinary citizen like me is passive resistance, so yes I will make a beeline to that “Tuckshop” that does not do its tax returns.
I am glad that you understand my perspective. Our age group is critically mature in age and young at heart.. We ought to understand that our leaders are our Mothers and Fathers. We ought to exhibit respect towards them, regardless of our opinions against them. Being a Father, I understand that sometimes I could learn a thing or two from my children. Yet in most cases, due to the experience of life, my child is most likely to learn a lot more if they pay attention to my subliminal messaging. There is wisdom in old age and there is enthusiasm in young age, yet there is formidable power in the combination of the two. Stay tuned… 9 more articles to go. Please follow my Medium channel.
What keeps me awake at night.
How do we build a +100 billion dollar economy and GDP per capita of $6000. This is extremely difficult, a lot of things can go wrong and every action has an opposite reaction, it needs almost radical unity of purpose that even we do not know we are capable off.
1. Currency – Reverting to original gold standard. Lower denomination Gold coins $20 $50 $100. Allowing Bitcoin as legal tender (for example El Salvador). Allowing banks to buy and sell gold no questions asked, removing the fidelity monopoly to liberalise the gold sector, minimising externalisation and smuggling. Creating demand in our currency by charging for goods and raw materials in it or joining a regional monetary union, the choice is yours. 💶
2. Agriculture – Creating another Tobacco like cash cow, for income and government revenue. eg. Cannabis @$10 growers licence like TIMB. Importing the best genetics into the country. Using genetics and artificial insemination to increase the national herd and milk production. Zambezi Water Project would create a boon for Ranchers in Matebeleland. Research and importation of drought resistant varieties of wheat that can be grown dry-land so our wheat season is not limited to winter and irrigation. Support for farmers to create and run orchards, groves and vineyards. Olives, Coffee, Bananas, Litchi, Lemons, Oranges, Avocados, Grapes, Granadilla, Pine Apples, Kiwi, Blueberry, Sun Flower… Then turning the grapes into wine and brandy, the olives into olive oil, sugarcane into Rum. Creating coperatives for each industry, one farmer may not be able to supply Dairiboard with a tanker full of milk, but 20 small holders can probably fill a tanker and divide the proceeds. Constantly funding research, development and education for farming.
3. Manufacturing. Making nice cool and practical things that other people want. Motorised Vehicles, Spanners, Torque Wrenches, Screwdrivers, Compressors, Speakers, Laptops, Tablets, Phones, Drones, Shoes, Clothes….. . Startup culture, venture funding, grants, access to debt financing and interest rates is key to kick start industry.
4. Mining – the lord has blessed us with the Great Dyke. We have barely scratched the surface. An active program to turn makorokoza into well equiped, educated and supported small scale miners. This also helps with 1 above.
5. Broadband – Access to affordable highspeed broadband has an impact on GDP. A policy of ‘everyone connected’. Fibre, LTE, FWA. Save river bed cables connected to the Indian Ocean underseas cables to increase bandwidth and reduce cross border cable fees.
6. Rail – Using rail to drive down costs leaving more disposable income to be spent elsewhere in the economy. Complimented with a Save Inland Port at the confluence of the Save and the Runde rivers. Shipping makes the world go round, our exports and imports will be significantly cheaper if shipped from within, without the need to use other people’s ports and the issues that come with cross border transportation. If our ancestors could navigate the Save
and trade at the coast, what more us with all this technology for dredging rivers, making canals and locks? ⚓ Another upside pf dredging the Save, ‘there be bronze in muck’. 💰 To make the rail system more efficient there should be a dual way, two trains passing each other going in different directions. There is a lot more to be done and said but these are some of the thoughts that go around in my head.
We can do the impossible if we all believe. Even if we fail to do the impossible, we may land somewhere among the stars. 🇿🇼
Now we are talking Dzidzai. Don’t sleep on this! Keep stimulating our minds with possible solutions… The gathering of optimistic minds is the most furtile ground for innovative ideas… This is the winning formula right here. Solutions, solutions, solutions! I’m glad that you mention radical unity of purpose as I will certainly be sharing some radical ideas in my next articles. Please stay tuned and lets consolidate ideas and present them to our government for implimentation and accountability. I encourage you to also consider writing articles for each point you have mentioned, so you can richly elaborate your points.
the fact of the matter is no one wants to be associated with this country.you yourself mentioned Trevor’s conversations. the helplessness itself is government incentive to curb rebellion from the masses. they love it and promote it. I mean the minister of electricity says there’s no power.full stop.now what do you do tackle this.get your own solar.minater of water no water.borehoke next…no education private school it is….of course we doing what we can. but these guys have to go. I want even talk about that professor taxman
Exactly. All our workarounds just let government carry on doing nothing
By defining “Diagnosis” I thought you’d follow through and find “the cause” of the current situation we find ourselves in. You would look at “what changed between the years we enjoyed relative prosperity 1980 – 2000 and the years of instability 2001- 2024.
You cleared away from the elephant in the room by analysing (not diagnosing! ) the symptoms : economic trauma, lack of confidence in the financial system, unstable economic fundamentals, dependency on imports, and social and political challenges and their psychosocial effects on the Zimbabwean people.
The political instability caused by violent disputed elections which result in a polarised nation with the opposition controlling controlling 90% of the urban city centres ( labour force, industry, banking etc) while ruling party controls the rural areas only, is the cause.
The ruling party will enjoy the popular vote but the urban people ( labour force, industry, banking) will reject any of its policies (economic and political). Nobody wins this war. The urbanites strongly feel the current ruling party leaders are fraudulent and not representative of their aspirations and it’s true because they resoundingly voted them out!
For the last 26 years (i.e., from 14 November 1997) we lost several currencies (ZWD, USD, Bond note, RTGSs, ZWL, etc) and in the process we suffered massive losses in respect of jobs, savings, pensions, capital, medical aid, etc. ZiG?
The urban citizens and businesses are actually in a sophisticated economic war with the government. They don’t say it for fear of physical reprisal but they have successfully made sure nobody enjoys the fruits of the elections.
That why the current leaders can never launch a successful economic or political blueprint.
You are spot on..
Zimbabweans are poor.
But here I am not refering to money poor. We have lost our values.
We no longer value what is truly valuable. In discipline we are poor, poor in spirit and in many non monetary ways. This lack has made us desperate and animal like in our behaviours as we act.
This is not something we can blame on government (although they as individuals show the same poor minds and spirits) but each individual has this problem. Some are trying to overcome that through small changes they build upon.
We as a people do not make choices that reflect that we have any values except so it seems money which we have seen disappear into the wind.
I will speak of one example here today to try to explain what I mean.
Traffic.
We lack the basic discipline to stop at a stop street. And it is not that we are ignorant. At a robot intersection when they are not working – when it actually becomes a four way stop – we do not stop and each take our turn to go by giving way to the right in an orderly and discipline manner. That way we all push in adding to our fear and stress that going through that intersection produces. Somehow in our fearful thinking we deceive ourselves into thinking are getting ahead – yet actually killing ourselves either literally or really in spirit.
If we cannot control ourselves and our fears through discipline at such a granular and level in our everyday lives, how will the we as a nation of people ever do well?
This lack of discipline destroys our trust in one another. I cannot trust that a driver wont come shooting out of an intersection potentially changing my life and those whose lives depend on me for the worse. The person following also cannot trust what he/she should be doing which is driving straight at a safe following distance. I even need to avoid those oncoming overtaking illegally or even from behind since I cannot trust them to do the right thing.
We cannot claim ignorance we all know what is right.
Yes we are poor but not referring to money I am referring to what we value.
Something is only valuable and worth something if we assign value to it. So Zimbabwe, what do we value? Don’t say money – that is not what makes a nation wealthy.
The biggest problem in Zimbabwe is the military. Our politics submit to the gun. The judiciary submits to ZANU PF. Look at the MDC Alliance cases, Tshabangu recalls, Mary Mubaiwa, cases. It’s a big joke.
Zimbabwe has people who really wants to build it but as long as ZANU i( military) is in control let’s forget.