The Sunday Mail
Norah Spie Column Name —
As I sat to pick on topics to write about this week, it became clearer that if one makes a choice not to always complain or be negative about the things that are not going well around then, then one is left silent.
Some, of course, choose to go overboard and moan and complain about everything, which you can do all day until no one listens.
I really tried to find positive news or just neutral topics but it is increasingly becoming difficult.
We are going through a very sensitive time will almost all sectors. The roads have been declared a disaster, they are considering going concrete!
Government is trying to contain the typhoid outbreak and the heavy clouds are still bringing much rain.
Education has its ongoing battles on whether it is about one man or is it the whole system. Headmasters and parents are resisting the new online enrolment system and we still do not know who is the original owner of the idea.
Telecommunications are not spared as the citizens’ battle for cheaper tariffs continues. People need cheap data to listen to Magaya’s sex tapes and other useful things like research, homework and general business transactions.
Then there is football. Pasuwa said he would not quit, then he decided to quit, he might also reverse that decision. Willard Katsande politely told us he does not want to go through that again. Love for your nation vs love for your sanity!
While we are on that path, the Reserve Bank continues to battle with miscommunication or shall we just say they are very unfortunate to be misquoted all the time.
Did the governor of our central bank really say he was unhappy with the high usage of Visa and MasterCard?
Do the people who get a MasterCard at a roadside kiosk know what a Nostro account is? And what of the difference between a Vostro and a Nostro? How does that even translate to being bad for the economy?
All they know is that the Reserve Bank instructed their banks to stop use of international cards locally.
The individual banks also do not take time to explain why. The customers continue to complain among themselves and we just turn into be a bunch of disgruntled people trudging through daily heavy rains.
More often than not, such decisions are well thought out and there is usually a logical explanation for every move.
The problem in Zimbabwe is not necessarily our policies; it is our very bad communication skills. We are reactive instead of being proactive. Always running after an issue instead of taking charge.
From birth till death, there is always be a need to communicate. So instead of shunning it, embrace it and get better at it!
In the case of the John Mangudya, quote or misquote, I appreciate he was talking to a crowd of people with a certain level of financial understanding but the next day’s newspaper headlines do not discriminate.
In Zimbabwe we sell our newspapers using the “drive-by” method so readers have a few seconds to decide if they are going to sound their horn for a copy of not.
Pedestrians also have a few minutes to decide because the newspaper vendors are found at busy intersections and human and vehicle traffic does not allow for one to stop and browse.
Opinions are formed by misleading headlines everyday, everywhere. The culture of buying a newspaper regardless of the headline is long gone.
We do not have newsstands where one can spend a few minutes browsing through a pile of newspapers or magazines.
There are silent influencers of newspaper headlines who reside outside the newsroom, and they are not politicians.
I said “silent”.
Politicians worldwide demand headlines because they want to be top influencers but the people with the real selling power for newspapers are the vendors. They demand catchy headlines and this influences the lone sub-editor sitting in a newsroom in the late hours of the day.
The vendors know which headlines sell and which day they are going to have a “lazy sale day”.
When they pick up the copies early morning, they can already predict if the paper is going to sell well or not. And when they do their reconciliations end of day, they are sure to give the media houses their feedback.
As if all this is not enough, we hear Members of Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe actually think they should not pay road taxes.
I notice that many of our MPs view Parliament as a way out of poverty, which is a shame really. Let me get this right: they get cars then they get fuel allowances then they do not want to pay toll fees and road taxes? Then they stand in Parly and represent us!
Am I missing something? Am not even going to get started on councillors.
Let’s lead by example. What else are they applying not to pay for? If we all dodge the taxes, who is going to pay for the services we are demanding? We need a mind shift and very fast.
Norah Spie is an author, journalist and communications consultant. She writes in her personal capacity and can be reached on Twitter handle @norahspie
