Male dominated Mnangagwa's new cabinet.

President Mnangagwa

Zimbabweans have been through hell more than anyone else in Africa. From having one president for 37 years to having one of the worst performing economies. The coming in of Emmerson Mnangagwa as president last Friday brought hope for many hopeless Zimbos. He started on the right path but my opinion that he isn't any different from Mugabe has been confirmed. 

He just retained most of the ministers who were in the former president’s cabinet except for those aligned to Generation 40. Some observers have criticized the so-called new cabinet saying Mnangagwa has let down Zimbabweans, who expected him to drop most of the ministers who have served in various portfolios since independence from British rule in 1980 in favour of fresh faces.

Aspiring presidential candidate for the 2018 elections, Dr. Nkosana Moyo‏ wrote on twitter: 

"Zimbabwe needs a democratically chosen manager. Now more than ever. Leadership with sound core values, experience with investment, development finance and sound economic management. It is possible. It is time. Let's keep on registering to vote!" 

Probably this was because he noted that Mnangagwa was not any different. Well its too early to judge anyway. Maybe the "new" ministers will surprise us by performing to their best ability and revive the economy.

Mnangagwa's critic and former minister of higher and tertiary education Jonathan Moyo wrote: "The elephant in the room at State House in Zimbabwe is that, thanks to Chiwenga's coup d'etat, Zanu PF has gone with President Mugabe. Yes, Zanu PF is dead. The de facto ruling party is now ZDF. While Mnangagwa is de jure head of state, the de facto President is General Chiwenga!" 

Could Chiwenga be the vice president though? Who knows. I mean Mnangagwa appointed senior military officials to top posts in his cabinet  in what was widely seen as a reward for the army’s role in the removal of Mugabe.

Mnangagwa said he was giving a three months amnesty for return of funds and assets he said were illegally moved out of the country. Everyone was like well at least we are fighting against corruption in the country. But the appointment of the likes of Obert Mpofu who looted during his time leaves one wondering how this politics business really works. 

Matigary wrote: "I am not very impressed by the cabinet. Dokora, Mukupe (facing corruption charges) Supa Chibuku, Chinamasa, Obert Mpofu, don’t impress me."

ZishiriJ wrote "The ghost of Robert Mugabe is coming back to haunt some people. This cabinet by ED is grossly deflating. Supa, Dokora, ObertMpofu. I thought he was going to make a bold statement but he did not convince me. Looking forward to seeing them work."

Nyadengu wrote "There is some truth to it. Back toMugaberism where deadwood is recycled over and over again. Who in his sane mind would put ObertMpofu in government! Chinamasa who has presided over acute cash shortages and has no clue of economics! ED has sealed his deal.Just give us free elections."

I say as Zimbabweans lets hope for the best nje!

List of cabinet ministers

1. Patrick Chinamasa, as the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning;
2. Obert Mpofu, as the Minister of Home Affairs and Culture;
3. Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, as Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement;
4. Dr. Lazarus Dokora, as Minister of Primary and Secondary Education;
5. Dr. David Parirenyatwa, as the Minister of Health and Child Care;
6. Kembo Mohadi, as the Minister of Defence, Security and War Veterans;
7. Ziyambi Ziyambi, as Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs;
8. Major General Sibusiso Moyo, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade;
9. Kazembe Kazembe, as Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation;
10. Dr Mike Bimha, as Minister of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development;
11. July Moyo, as Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing;
12. Sithembiso Nyoni, as Minister of Women and Youth Affairs;
13. Professor Amon Murwira, as Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Development;
14. Supa Mandiwanzira, as Minister of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security;
15. Professor Clever Nyathi, as Minister of Labour and Social Welfare;
16. Dr Joram Gumbo, as Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development;
17. Winston Chitando, as Minister of Mines and Mining Development;
18. Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, as Minister of Environment, Water and Climate;
19. Priscah Mupfumira, as Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry;
20. Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo, as Minister of Energy and Power Development;
21. Chris Mutsvangwa, as Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services; and
22. Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Government Programmes.

Why is it difficult to save the Zimbabwean economic situation.

This profound truth is recited many times from many expert and leadership pulpits, quoted in many books and publications and parroted in many situations and conversations to the point that the saying has become just another cliché.

The whole world seems to have chosen to ignore the deeply penetrating truth of Einstein’s observation, but again, this is forgivable because it is human nature never to want to think deep into things.

Zimbabwe's old currency

But what Einstein was saying is not just a mere mentally stimulating quotation from a genius, but a really solid fact that carries the DNA for solving all problems that require human thinking to solve. All economic problems, including Zimbabwe’s economic challenges, are not immune to Einstein’s observation on problem solving.

Some people, especially some business, economic and political leaders the world over, feel insulted when they hear Einstein’s truth.

They immediately take it to mean that Einstein means that the leaders led their businesses or economies into challenges because they were thinking at low levels and the fact that they are failing to solve the problems means that they have some thinking deficiency. This is far from what Einstein meant.

Then there are also some who are open-minded enough to acknowledge Einstein’s observation, but the problem is they probably do not fully understand what Einstein meant so they cannot practically use Einstein’s wisdom to solve the problems that they could easily solve.

For those who feel insulted by Einstein’s observation, I suggest that, hard as it may be to admit it, it is a healthy position to accept the reality, that being a leader does not mean that one knows it all and is therefore above misjudgement and error.

This means that in the process of leadership, leaders must, especially when they are leading at high levels where goals are complex; accept that they can — without their conscious will — lead their organisations or economies into difficulty and challenging situations.

They must also accept that when failure comes, they need to expect some of their followers to blame the failure of their businesses and economies on them. Refusing to accept responsibility for failure and not tolerating people who blame them for failure puts leaders completely out of control of the situation and makes things worse instead of better.

Einstein’s proposition does not insinuate any intellectual insult on anyone, but only that every problem requires the application of a certain level of thinking to solve and that level must be higher than the level at which the problem was created. By levels of thinking, he meant real physical levels of thinking and not meaning that lower levels of thinking are in any way inferior.

Take it this way; if you have a 10-metre-tall orange tree and all the oranges that remain are nine metres high up the tree, you cannot expect to stand on the ground on your feet and stretch your hands and pluck them just like that.

Yes, you can try shaking up the tree and the oranges may fall, but still the force from your shaking must reach the orange for it to fall. Yes, you can cut the tree so that the tree will fall, but again the whole idea is making sure that you are at the level at which you can touch the orange and pluck it.

The two most reasonable solutions for getting to the orange intelligently are either climbing up the tree to a level at which you can touch the orange, or getting a long lever with which to pluck or poke the orange from the tree. I suspect this is what Einstein meant when he talked about thinking at the higher levels to solve a problem.

How does this apply to solving problems confronting Zimbabwe’s economy? The fact that Zimbabwe’s problem has persisted and the situation is still worsening simply means that Zimbabwe still has not found the real solution to its economic problems. The right solution that will effectively solve the economic challenges is like a combination of the right door and the correct key that one must have in order to escape from a situation in which the person is trapped in a bolted enclosure.

Take the various possible economic solutions as doors with only one being the real economic solution and the following questions arise for Zimbabwe’s economy?

popular bond coin

Is the real escape door for Zimbabwe’s economy known for sure at this moment in time?

If the only real escape door for Zimbabwe’s economy has been found, has the keyhole been studied so that the right key that opens that door can be determined?

Has the right key to the only real escape door for Zimbabwe’s economy been found as yet?

If the right key to the only real escape door is known, does Zimbabwe know where or how to get the key?

Here is the point. There are only four door-key combinations and only best combination, one bad combination and two average combinations. The best combination to solving any problem is having both the right door and the right key. The worst situation is having both the wrong door and the wrong key.

The second best option is having the correct door even if the correct key may not yet be known or available. The third best option is not knowing the correct door and doing trial and error with any key you can lay your hands on hoping that one of the keys will open the correct door by coincidence.

Applying Einstein’s levels of thinking, it may be important to ask the following higher order questions regarding Zimbabwe’s economic problem:

Is Zimbabwe’s real economic situation understood at a deeper level than the usual conventional economic levels?

Is the correct escape door really known and is the configuration of its keyhole well-mapped?

Is the correct key to the correct escape door known?

Is the escape destination known?

lIs the path from the now to the escape destination known?

Even if the world paid heed to Einstein’s wisdom, many problems would still arise, but most problems would be prevented and many others of the world’s problems would be quickly solved.

First, contrary to Einstein’s advice that complex problems are solved by thinking, the world now thinks that knowledge is what solves all problems. Today when people are looking for problem solvers, they are looking only for people with subject knowledge, believing that what is required to solve every problem is subject matter knowledge, experience and expertise, without ever thinking of the capacity. This is a huge mistake.

Second, Einstein said in solving problems he would spend most of his time trying to understand the problem and only a small fraction of the time actually developing a solution to the problem.

The world however, is doing completely the opposite, spending very little, if any time, trying to understand problems. All the time is spent trying to fix the problem by trial and error or through passive miracles. This is suicidal.

Einstein said things must be made simple but not simpler and the world goes on complicating everything and therefore adding other layers of problems to be solved. This is fatal.

These are some of the reasons why it is difficult to solve Zimbabwe’s economic challenges

How the economy of Zimbabwe has affected the music industry.

Zimbabwe’s current political and economic crisis has destroyed the once vibrant music industry. The fuel shortage, coupled with the recent destruction of the informal sector has left the musician poorer. “The industry is dying slowly.

Several artists have left Zimbabwe in search for greener pastures in  the music industry. Artists who were once popular were earning peanuts in Zimbabwe and they were left with no choice but to move to countries like South Africa.

The Three kings who were once known for their popular Iseqamabhilidi song have moved to the Republic of South Africa. They mentioned in their interview recently that its hard to live on music when you are an artist from Zimbabwe.

Music thus turns out to be a hobby done during one's spare time. It is not like any other ordinary job where you wait for  your pay cheque to come in.

One is supposed to be determined to be in the industry if they want to be successful. Being in a country where the economy is not performing so well makes it hard for one to survive. In general, Zimbabwean musicians have never sold anything near the million mark.

In America, The music industry is part of a creative community that collectively exports more than $125 billion each year, fueling American jobs while energizing mp3 players and dance floors around the world. The following studies provide insight into the music business' tremendous economic and cultural contributions.

Oliver Mtukudzi

Cynthia Mare

In the Zimbabwean context its a whole disturbing scenario as issues like piracy, and lack of support of artists is leading to just a few gains which only sustain artists and do not contribute much to the economy of the country.

Nowadays any musician in Zimbabwe can launch or release their music. Really? The question is what happens after the release? The hard reality is far from the truth. At best musicians will only be able to use their newly released CD as a marketing tool for live shows. The bottom line is ‘for an artist in Zimbabwe, a CD is as good as a business-card’ – a press kit.

 In reality, Zimbabwean musicians are slowly accepting the fact that they can only make a living from live gigs and other promotional activities. Music CD sales are thin and far between. When the numbers are added up, one can be empathetic with the audience. Here’s why. A local CD costs upwards of US$10, entrance to any show in Zimbabwe will set one back about US$5 and US$2 for local beer. Patrons are therefore left with little else to spare.

Granted, artists that have made a comfy lifestyle in post-2008 Zimbabwe have clearly not done so on the strength of their music sales. For instance, Urban Groover, Stunner made the seemingly ‘good lifestyle’ he enjoys today due to his business relationship with mobile phone manufacturer G-Tide Zimbabwe. Extensive performances on the Harare live circuit and the popularity of his anthem tune Team Hombe have also been a plus for his image and have enhanced his earning potential as an artist with a big ‘people appeal’.

http://www.reverbnation.com/cynthiamare

Is Zimbabwe’s mining industry contributing much to the economy?

The mining sector is of paramount importance in the contribution to the economy. It is a huge sector and large sums of money are expected from the gold, diamond, copper to mention just a few.

Zimbabwe has been through a lot of challenges when it comes to the economy. The country has changed from currency to currency with no hope until the dollarization.

The dollarization has reversed inflation, permitting the banking system to stabilize the economy. Different sectors contribute different sums of money to keep the economy stable. The mining sector brings in a third of the country’s export earnings

mining spot

Our country has been trailing behind the rest of the world in terms of mineral exploration and development and has lost out on major “commodity booms” enjoyed elsewhere mainly as a result of the “lost decade” (1998‐2009).

At its peak in 1986, the Zimbabwe mining sector contributed about 7% to GDP. It is also worth noting that mineral shipments for 2008 amounted to US$676m, which represented about 51% of total export shipments and 3.8% of GDP.

However, Africa is known as a mineral rich continent. A close analysis of African economies reveals that minerals and oil have been the engines driving development and a pillar for sustainable growth. For example, about 35%‐40% of Botswana‘s GDP comprises mining revenues while in Zambia mining contributes up to 10%‐15% of GDP and constitutes 80% of export earnings.

Rio Zim miners at one of the shafts.

ZITF and its contributions to the economy.

The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair is a leading trade fair of the region that looks forward to the immense presence of trade products and goods.

 The fair attracts a lot of tourists from different quaters of the world. The fair has created enormous space to new products and is an ideal place for product launches.

The trade fair will begin on the 28th of April up to the 2nd of May.

Among the goods and products which will be on exhibition are agricultural equipments and accessories, agricultural machineries, industrial machinery, industrial goods, infrastructure goods and services, mining machines and technologies, tourism services and solutions, clothing manufacturing equipments, consumer goods and necessities, ICT machineries and goods, consultancy services and investment opportunities.

Last year, it attracted over 300 delegates from all sectors of the economy such as manufacturing, agriculture, mining, government, transport, construction, communication, and academic among others. There were delegates from countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and also in attendance where representatives from the Embassies of Germany, European Union and Brazil.

2015 Theme

“Stimulating Trade”

Seizing Opportunities To Accelerate Growth

The main aim of the trade fair is to attract foreign investors and to accelerate growth in the economy ofZimbabwe. At least 22 direct foreign exhibitors from 16 countries including the USA have confirmed their attendance to the 2015 ZITF.

ZITF theme

Living conditions in Zimbawe.

Not all Zimbabweans enjoy the same living conditions. Most rural families do not have tap water. Most of the roads in the rural areas are not well paved. Some rural areas are not served by any modern form of transportation. This situation worsens during the rainy season. 

The whole country has inadequate health care, but the rural population is hardest hit. Some communities do not regularly have the services of a fully trained nurse, let alone a doctor. Medicines are always in short supply. Some of the most common diseases are malaria, bilharzia, sexually transmitted diseases, tetanus, cholera, polio, and typhoid. 

In both the city and the country, there are local differences in the standard of living. In the city, the differences are based on a person's race, gender, and social and economic class. People of European origin, Asians, and people of mixed race enjoy the best standard of living. They are followed by upper class blacks, including business owners and intellectuals. 

In cities, women are in the worst situation. They face employment discrimination and other sexist practices. In the country, some families are wealthier than others because of support from their children who work in the city. Others earn money from jobs such as teaching.

rural family.

Our economy may be bad but we have the best education systems.

 

Unicef estimates that in Zimbabwe, 10 children have to share a single textbook. But the country’s Grade 6s still score higher than South African pupils in both literacy and Maths. What does this tell us?

Zimbabwe is one of the very fortunate countries in southern Africa to have basic education, especially for young people. While there are still some people who cannot read or write, most people have at least three years of elementary education. Education is seen as valuable since it can be the way to a good job. Parents are usually willing to spend money on the education of their children as an investment in the future. Children are a form of social security system; they are expected to look after their parents in old age. 

The national adult literacy rate (the percentage of adults that can read and write) has been increasing since the early 1980s. Over three-fourths of all Zimbabweans are literate. The rate is higher—over 90 percent—in cities and towns. In rural areas, only about 70 percent of all people are literate. Everywhere, more men than women can read and write, and more men than women complete higher education levels. 

University or college education brings pride to a family. Most Africans in the country believe in educating sons rather than daughters; when daughters marry, they take their family's resources to another family.

 Zimbabwe’s education system has healed past imbalances and continued to improve. Teachers and students continue to excel. The system is reactive, responsive and enforces teacher accountability through school inspection.

 

 

Read more: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Zimbabweans.html#ixzz3VV8KwcmU