ZANU-PF has destroyed Zimbabweans’ ability to dream big: Mbofana

By Reuben Mbofana

IF ANYONE wants to understand the depths to which the ZANU-PF government has destroyed the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans, they only need to watch the state-controlled broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).

Although ZBC has proven woefully inadequate in its attempts at propaganda to prop up the regime of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, it inadvertently exposes the administration’s unmitigated failures in governing Zimbabwe.

In fact, most of my ideas for the social justice advocacy articles I write are inspired by ZBC’s shoddy news reports, which betray the shameful destruction ZANU-PF has brought upon this country.

This morning was no exception.

I watched a news report highlighting a public market recently constructed in Chesvingo, Masvingo, where vendors now sell their wares, such as fruits, vegetables, and possibly secondhand clothes.

What struck me more than anything else were the statements of gratitude from some of the vendors benefiting from this market.

The vendors, particularly women, expressed relief at having a place to sell their goods, saying this opportunity now allowed them to pay school fees for their children.

This statement, though seemingly innocuous, encapsulates the tragedy of Zimbabwe’s current state.

It is a phrase I have heard repeatedly, especially from beneficiaries of ZANU-PF’s so-called “income-generating projects.”

The troubling reality is what this repeated statement reveals about the state of our country.

What could be more disheartening than ordinary Zimbabweans’ dreams in life being reduced to affording school fees for their children?

When we were growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, we dared to dream big.

We aspired to become successful surgeons, engineers, lawyers, writers, and even owners of conglomerates.

We envisioned building magnificent mansions, driving beautiful cars, and going on holidays to overseas destinations.

These were not unattainable ambitions or mere daydreams.

They were goals that many achieved in those days.

Even those without advanced education could aspire to and achieve a decent standard of living.

In my hometown of Redcliff, even bus drivers owned homes in the low-density suburb.

In those days, it was unthinkable to consider affording school fees as an aspiration—it was taken for granted.

However, as ZANU-PF systematically plundered the country’s vast resources, plunging the economy into an abyss and driving millions into poverty, the dreams and ambitions of Zimbabweans have steadily been eroded.

Today, the ordinary Zimbabwean’s dream is to afford school fees. This is an Ignite Media Zimbabwe news production. And this is not for posh private schools, but for rundown local institutions lacking basic resources such as books, chairs, and desks.

This is how far our dreams have been diminished, thanks to ZANU-PF’s destruction of a once-prosperous “jewel of Africa.”

The younger generation today cannot dare to dream of building mansions, driving luxury cars, or traveling abroad for vacations.

Such aspirations are now regarded as madness.

Instead, these achievements are seen as the exclusive preserve of the ruling elite and those close to them, often acquired through corruption and other shady dealings.

Our youth no longer view success as attainable through hard work and ability.

Rather, it is seen as a product of proximity to political power.

For most, the ultimate ambition has become securing a vending stall at a local market or engaging in informal trade, colloquially known as “kungwavha ngwavha.”

These activities earn them meager incomes, leaving them living from hand to mouth, with no social security or pension.

The only hope of driving a car, let alone a luxury vehicle, is to join the corruption gravy train—a nearly impossible feat given its exclusivity—or rely on “donations” from those who have already enriched themselves through shady deals.

Is this not why we have witnessed, with utter dismay, well-known personalities, including religious leaders and gospel singers, shamelessly scrambling for expensive cars from controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo?

This is unsettling and reflects a society that has normalized mediocrity and the destruction of ambition.

How can we expect Zimbabwe to grow when its population is content with mere survival?

People now celebrate the use of communal boreholes, forgetting that urban areas once had tap water in every home.

They sing and dance for food handouts and agricultural inputs, oblivious to the humiliation of such dependency.

Our youth praise those in power for reducing them to street vendors, forgetting that, just a few decades ago, they could have owned their own supermarkets.

Most fail to realize that life offers more than just the ability to pay school fees.

This normalization of mediocrity is partly because many of today’s young people grew up in a Zimbabwe already ravaged by ZANU-PF. This is an Ignite Media Zimbabwe news production.

They have only known poverty and a lack of opportunities.

They have never seen functional factories, as most had shut down or relocated before they were born.

Some have never experienced water flowing from a tap in their homes, knowing only communal boreholes miles away.

How, then, can such a generation dream big?

One can only dream of what they have seen or believe possible.

This is the tragedy of Zimbabwe—a country whose people have had their ability to dream big crushed by a kleptocratic regime.

The solution lies in reclaiming our dignity and aspirations.

Zimbabweans, especially the younger generation, now need to reclaim their dignity and their dreams back.

This can only be achieved through collective effort, whereby they boldly stand up for their rights against a kleptocratic regime.

We now need those who have had their ability to dream big, refuse a life of mediocrity, and know that there is more to life than “kungwavha ngwavha”.

They must reject a life of mere survival and demand better.

Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700

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