The Sunday Mail
Editor’s Brief
Victoria Ruzvidzo
The Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo mantra is a pregnant and very clear statement that we would ordinarily expect every Zimbabwean embrace they seek to build this country along with everyone else. But it appears we have some in our midst who have no clue what this means or entail or are just bent on destroying the country at whatever cost for their personal aggrandisement.
That we still have people and institutions that make it their responsibility to speak ill of their country at the slightest of opportunity is really sad if not frightening. And this is not to mean that we should turn a blind eye to issues such as corruption but that we should expose them only with constructive intent.
It is always the motivation behind certain statements or actions that makes the difference.
We do not have to exaggerate, sensationalise or make lurid statements just to appease certain people but we should instead, have that natural urge to build our country and help redress any issues requiring attention, BUT with a clear conscience.
Over the past few weeks we have seen some people make it their mission to denigrate the country, dishing out lies and half-truths to gullible audiences in the West. Zimbabwe is nowhere near paradise but things are not as bad as they have been portrayed. We have challenges as a country, some self-inflicted, some induced by the illegal sanctions that have been upon us for decades while others are a result of some actions or inactions that have hamstrung progress.
But should we condemn ourselves to death or we should do something about it. The idea being to create a better Zimbabwe that we want.
I have shared on this platform before, how Zimbabwe was for long, faring badly on almost all global indices not because of facts on the ground at that time but because of malicious reports that were forwarded by some company executives in this country. I was shocked when I got to know that this is what was informing the poor ratings we received. The good thing is that has since stopped and the majority of the private sector is now on the same page with the Second Republic as it rebuilds Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans and will be built by its citizenry first and foremost. No one will come from Mars to do it for us. It is a piece of geography given to us by God and the responsibility to develop it lies with us. We cannot delegate it to anyone else but ourselves.
Let us fight and quarrel but all this should be motivated by the desire to improve lives and create the Zimbabwe We Want. One that is prosperous, one that posterity will thank us for handing it to them in the best state possible. We have pressed the wrong buttons, made wrong decisions and behaved irresponsibly in some cases as a people but we have the opportunity to remedy this. The Second Republic is leading that process as we speak. Brick by brick we will get there.
This new culture needs to be embraced by all Zimbabweans here and abroad so we take our rightful positions to contribute towards the creation of the Zimbabwe we all hope and pray for. As we make decisions every day, we must be inspired and persuaded by the targeted goals we have set for ourselves as a country.
This means that we must all behave responsibly and use the slightest of opportunity to advance the national cause.
We have seen prices go up significantly and rapidly in the past few weeks, resulting from the effects of the Ukraine-Russia tiff and other factors but we expect providers of goods and services to adjust them only by justifiable margins and not to profiteer.
These days it is not uncommon to see price tags being changed daily or even more frequently in shops. I was perturbed early this week when I noted that the prices of a number of items in my shopping trolley had increased significantly between the shelves and the till point. The prices that were on the shelves had gone up by the time I got to the till point.
This is a phenomenon we have experienced before as a country and we wouldn’t want a repeat. Not at all. The days of hyper-inflation were so traumatic to last 20 lifetimes. So we good in that regard. But decency can only prevail if we are not motivated by greed but are only doing the needful in terms of price adjustments.
The inflation rate has gone up to 72,7 percent in March, from 66,11 percent. This is worrying. We wouldn’t want the gains made on this front reversed. It was a long and hard battle to achieve double-digit inflation and we would not want to experience that kind of pain again. So let us not stroke the flames.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is putting in place measures to suppress the inflationary pressures but these can only succeed if we all play ball.
Last week the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee moved swiftly to contain the growth of money supply by reviewing upwards the bank policy rate to 80 percent from 60 percent per annum.
It also revised the quarterly reserve money growth target to five percent from 7,5 percent for the quarter ending June 2022.
Analysts believe curbing money supply growth in the face of resurgent inflation could be the panacea to the challenge.
High inflation is such a monster that the economy would rather not face again. The problem with inflation is that it causes more inflation. It erodes purchasing power, reduces the value of savings and pensions (many can relate to this). It raises the cost of borrowing and encourages people to spend and stock up goods. In simple terms, high inflation has the potential to reduce the gains made in the economy over the past two years hence the need to fight any urge to raise prices willy nilly.
Already there are fears of rising global inflation and its attendant complication, largely emanating from the Ukraine-Russia war. The two countries are the biggest suppliers of fertilisers, wheat and other critical goods.
Disruptions in the supply chain are sending tremors throughout the world. However, as Zimbabwe we need to make decisions and follow strategies such as import substitution to fend off the effects of the current turmoil.
All sectors need to up their game so that we become self-sufficient in some aspects while adequately funded to meet shortfalls where necessarily.
We must also take advantage of rising commodity prices on the international markets to earn more.
In terms of the price increases, there is need for a caucus between Government, producers and retailers to strategise on how best to deal with the situation. Consumers and the economy at large need protection from inflationary pressures.
We must also emphasise that Zimbabweans need not trash their own country to attract the ire of the West but we all are duty-bound to market it and the immense opportunities it has as an investment destination, a trading partner and a tourist attraction, among its many attributes.
In God I Trust!
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Twitter handle: @VictoriaRuzvid2 Email: [email protected]
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