By Bernard Bwoni
There are many hardships in Zimbabwe, no more than anywhere else in the world. Life is tough everywhere you go and people work very hard to get by and people in Zimbabwe are no exception. The resilience and entrepreneurship spirit is what separates Zimbabweans from many others. However in some sections of Zimbabwe society the hardships have
bred impatience, despondency, lethargy and a self-preservation attitude.
Impatience is one of the most debilitating ailments afflicting Zimbabwean society and has now reached levels that are detrimental to national progression. The majority of the people have become so impatient to the point of self-serving where the 'me attitude' takes priority over all else and benefit to society. The impatience, the rush to get ahead of everyone and the quest for individual self-gratification at the expense of society has seen the fast-track of national breakdown accelerated. It is very easy to point fingers at government's shortcomings but citizens also need to take responsibility and play their part..
The government is there to facilitate and put in place policies, procedures, systems and processes for efficient service delivery and there are a number of areas that could be better. Policies and any enforcements require robust and consistent follow up to take effect and be maintained. The citizens on the other hand have a duty and responsibility to ensure that these systems, processes and enforcements are adhered to. It is unfortunate that everyone has become so impatient to the point of trampling upon the next person. It is no longer just about survival but self-preservation. This is in no way meant to dismiss the suffering a lot of people are going through but the impatience and the me attitude can only take the nation backwards and in a lot of cases endangering and causing loss of life.
When driving through Harare that is where you are brazenly confronted with the ugly face of this impatience. The fracas to get ahead is intriguing as it is dangerous. Nearly every driver has put on the impatient garb and in a huff to get ahead of everyone else. What this means is that everyone is thus in a hurry to get ahead of everyone and the outcomes are inevitably disastrous. In the city centre in Harare it is untamed traffic jungle. The numbers of those jumping through red traffic lights clearly endangering lives is shockingly large. You have a two-lane traffic lane turned into a four-five traffic lane due to this dangerous and unnecessary rush to get ahead of everyone. Citizens have a duty to follow the laid out rules and regulations for the sake of national expedience. Equally the government has a duty to consistently follow up in the enforcement of these. A lot of the traffic violations are happening in the full glare of the police and in some instances a few metres from the police stations and that is just unacceptable. This is a two-way relationship, citizens should not be committing these violations in the first place, however if they do the law enforcement authorities have the duty and responsibility to enforce.
It is the same impatience that is also fuelling and sustaining the corruption that has become inherent in Zimbabwean society. It is stating the obvious that there are corrupt elements within the law enforcement services and again that is just not acceptable. This is not in any way meant to condone the practice or antagonise anyone but fact of the matter is that the degeneracy has become deeply embedded in Zimbabwe because there are "givers and takers" in this unholy union. The law enforcement services must not be taking bribes and citizens must not be giving the bribes period. There is nothing else beyond that except excuses. This is a two-way uncouth relationship that will cease abruptly and instantly if both parties take responsibility rather than try to abdicate their responsibility. The agitation that will come after this is part and parcel of the excuse mechanism that is nurturing and maintaining this degeneracy. The simple solution is do not be the "giver" to starve off the "taker".
In Zimbabwe it is common to hear things like "even if I don't give a bribe the next person will come and give it anyway so what is the point. I might as well." That is the loud sound of the excuse mechanism. It is quite disheartening hearing that but it in fact is the inbuilt mechanism in individuals to try and exonerate themselves from the decadence yet partake in it because "everyone else is doing it". The responsibility to addressing corruption and other vices in Zimbabwe lies with all citizens irrespective of rank and order. The first step lies with each individual and citizens have to be prepared that things might take long to be done and you have to pay the full price for things unless otherwise stated or if there is a legal discount in place. Any deviation from these core principles means paying bribes to get ahead and that only fuels corruption. The honest truth is that it has become common and normal to phone someone who works in such and such a department to get ahead in the queue, to get away with an illegality and so that processes can be fast-tracked. If citizens stop paying their way to quick and illegally cheap outcomes then the nation stands a chance of successfully challenging the degeneracy. The law enforcement services must ensure that follow up is genuine and not compromised by further underhanded practices.
There has to be real consequences for wayward law enforcement officials and those citizens who break the set out regulations. Some of the things in Zimbabwe are getting away with is shocking and the worrying thing is that some of these things are now being accepted as the norm. There are simple things that government and citizens can collectively do to achieve better outcomes. The first step is to address the issue of separation and that dividing line between government and the people. It is stating the obvious that government is in fact people, voted in by the people and the people are the government by virtue of their majority status. There should be no distinction between government and the people because they are two sides of the same coin. The government has the responsibility and accountability to ensure that people have access to the right services and citizens have a responsibility as well to ensure that basic duties of a citizen are adhered to A good example is refusal disposal and collection. In Zimbabwe the amount of refuse and litter in inappropriate places has reached catastrophic and unacceptable levels. Now this is a collective responsibility of government and citizens. Refuse collection does occur weekly via councils in cities and street cleaning also happens twice daily in Harare. People are however beginning to create dumping sites in parks and other open green spaces giving rise to negative externalities. You speak to people and you get all sorts of excuses for throwing litter on the floor and dumping garbage in beautiful parks and very little in terms of taking responsibility.
This is no way to suggest all Zimbabweans are irresponsible when it comes to litter but fact of the matter is that there are significant challenges. In Chivhu town centre asking around for somewhere to put litter the street vendors in fact encourage you to dump the litter on the floor and claim that actually is the normal thing to do! Walking through Harare City Centre you are confronted with empty litter bins and streets coated with an assortment of litter. The City Council did provide bins in the streets and most have been stolen. Some bins are empty as most people find it normal to drop litter on the floor. Speaking to people you are always showered with excuses that it is the responsibility of the City fathers. In Harare they clean twice a day but people are throwing rubbish after the cleaners.
These are simple things and very basic education tells you that litter goes in the bin and you do not throw rubbish out through your car window onto the street. Buses have a responsibility for providing refuse bins and when full empty the bin at an appropriately designated refuse place. Zimbabwe is just way too an educated society to have some of these basic challenges. It is very convenient to palm the blame onto government but it is up to each individual to play their part for the sake of national progression.
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