"...We got our political independence but, the white-man never gave us the knowledge of how to run the economy..."

According to the Oxford dictionary, the noun "independence" means the fact or state of being independent. The definition though it defines the noun, however, it leaves a gap. This then drives one to define what does the noun "independent" mean, it means free from outside control, not subject to another's authority. This then leads one to quote from the vice president of Zimbabwe as he was addressing his party followers in Matebeleland South Provinces Capital Gwanda. The statesman said, "...we got our political independence but, the white-man never gave us the knowledge of how to run the economy...", this blog shall digest, chew to the bone the meaning of the quote. The blog shall attempt to submit the meaning of statesman's statement as it is detrimental, self-infliction, and admission of the ruling party how it has destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe single-handedly without anyone's interference. The blog to some extent can be analysed and understood as an admission by the statesman that the movement has failed to revive the economy. The odds are not in the government's favour and it is time for the movement to take some time out from the political arena and maybe they hand over the keys to the opposition. 

Zimbabwe's economy has been on the nose dive from the beginning of her independence that is to say when Zimbabwe attained her independence on April 18 1980. This can be noted from the Gukurahundi atrocities of 1982 to 1986. The economy shrunk as there was an attack on a minority population, as Mugabe was pushing his agenda of consolidating his control over the newly born nation of Zimbabwe. The adverse economical impact was that from Midlands trickling down to Matebeleland North and South it meant that the economical activities such as mining, farming among other lucrative activities were placed on hold or rather were not operating on full capacity as intended. The key drivers of the economy these are the workers of various fields could not come to work. This then meant production had a brief stagnation as the two parties were seeking control of the country. Observing the bigger picture one can note that the Gukurahundi aggression marked the crumbling of the economy of Zimbabwe. The four years of fighting meant that the debts that were inherited by the Mugabe regime from the Rhodesian government had to be paid for; the more they delayed paying back the debts that they inherited the more the debt grew. It is important to note that the "civil war" took place in the middle part of Zimbabwe spreading down South. It is worth noting that the geographical makeup of Zimbabwe that is to say the topography of Zimbabwe when it comes to minerals wealth the middle part of Zimbabwe down to the South is rich with minerals such as gold, platinum, asbestos, coal, tin among many lucrative minerals. Furthermore, that regions homes all of Zimbabwe's wildlife parks Hwange, Manapools, Gonarezhou, Victoria Falls among other areas of touristic attraction sites that region has to offer. Analysing the two pillars that make up the economy of Zimbabwe were on halt due to war or violence that was ensuing. This meant that the country was losing time and in losing time the country is losing money, in losing money the economy is taking a hit in the negative. This means the economy contracted as it was still fragile and brittle due to the loans applied by the Rhodesian government in buying arms to quail the freedom fighters this was all overseen by the ruling party which is ZanuPF. 

It is insulting that the vice president of sovereign state such as Zimbabwe would utter such a statement in front of the nation and the world. This then means that the whole legacy that was built around Zimbabweans being intelligent and educated and literate has been thrown down the drain. The statement itself carries a passive slave mentality. That is to say, the whitemen must teach the Blackman how to run an economy. This means that the rich legacy of Empire States that was run by the very custodians of the land called Zimbabwe is a mere folktale. City-states such as Great Zimbabwe, Mapungubwe, Khami, Mwenemutapa, The Rozvi Empire, The Ndebele Empire all etched their mark in the books of history. They had a clear economical structure that they learnt by themselves and they managed to sustain their economies through key activities such as trade, mining, farming and hunting. Basic simple tasks perfected birthed empires that send shivers down the spine of anyone who explores the rich archives of history. Kings such as King Solomon acknowledged the existence of Great Zimbabwe. The debate that is being delivered here in this paragraph is that the Whiteman did not teach the Blackman how to run an economy. The Blackman taught themselves to deliver an economy that catered for everyone and everyone benefited. Indeed one acknowledges that there were some societal problems no economy would have thrived on a hundred per cent, the stamping template is that the economies were run by black people who understood the essence of uBuntu or Hunhu. Thus when one looks at the statement, "the whitemen never gave us the knowledge of how to run the economy..." this alone sends the mind thinking what is the statesman meaning rather saying.  The statement itself submits a subconscious admission before the nation of Zimbabwe that the ruling party has failed to revitalise the economy, the ruling party has failed the people of Zimbabwe. In essence, it is a cowardly expression to note the least if one looks at the phrase from the angle of the paragraph. By cowardly one is inclining towards the point of "admission" and being bold to take up the mantle of responsibility to the nation of Zimbabwe that the system is no longer working. In understanding the war of liberation struggle that happened in Zimbabwe, furthermore, the buttressing template was that self-determination and black emancipation. This ideologically and epistemological meant that the ideals of Marcus Garvey of, "build businesses do for yourself" the ideals of Malcolm X, "By any means necessary" and the ideals of Martin Luther King, "Boycott the oppressor". The founding fathers of black emancipation charged that the Blackmen must not look up to the Whitemen for answers to the world. The answers to the world are right in front of you that is to say the answers lie in the hands of the Blackmen when it comes to things such as running an "economy". The pedagogical rhetoric of the Vice President not only does it draw the black agenda backwards it is insulting to note the least thus one quote from Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley's song Redemption Song, "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, None but our self can free our minds...". If the Jewish community is able to run a thriving economy in the desert and turning a desert into a green valley what is stopping the Zimbabwean who is blessed with an abundance of resources; from only one mineral extracted and beneficiated in Zimbabwe and sold on to the market alone can clear all the debts that Zimbabwe owes right to the days of Ian Smith and his racist government. Alas, one reaches to the analysis of noting that the rhetoric of the statement is insulting to black agenda of self-determination in Zimbabwe, but it is shot on the foot on him and the party that he stands for and that is ZanuPF. The cascading rather detrimental impact of that phrase in its nature then means all the Afro-revolutionary parties that brought independence in their countries, rely on the whitemen to run their economies. The only reasoning that can be submitted in this paragraph is that the statesman and his party are not brave and bold enough to admit to the nation and the region that they have failed. 

Running an economy rather a state thus far in one's observation its not an easy task but it is a comprehendible task if followed religiously any state is able to solve its own problems without any assistance that is if the apparatus is respected and maintained to the benefit of the people in that particular territory. The only thing that can be learnt from the whitemen is the medium of communication called English and that is to a lesser extent to note. The purposes of knowing how to communicate in English from a Blackmen's view is to be able to understand their way of thinking and beating him or her at their game rather perfecting their game all for the benefit of the blackmen. The rest such as counting and running an economy does not require a whitemen to teach an African rather Blackmen to do. Thus again the statesman in one's view has been found offside. 

Running an economy of a state thus far in one's observation, this means that the running and managing of public funds has to be handled with discretion and care. That is to say, one is handling peoples lives, therefore, any mismanagement of the economy at the expense of peoples lives in ones view must be equated to a genocidal deed. A deed that is punishable by prison time with hard labour. This means that any public official who takes an oath of office must be held accountable for their actions that places peoples live in jeopardy if found guilty. To substantiate the above reasoning here is a list of scandals that had an adverse economical impact on Zimbabwe. The list is as follows, the 1986 National Railways Housing Scandal,1987 there was Zisco Steel blast Furnace Scandal, Air Zimbabwe Fokker Plane Scandal $100 Million, 1988 the Willowgate Scandal, 1989 ZRP Santana Scandal, 1994 War Victims Compensation Scandal, 1995 VIP Housing Scandal, 1996 VIP Housing Scandal, 1998 Boka Banking Scandal, ZESA YTL Soltran Scandal, TeleCel scandal, Harare City Council Refuse Tender Scandal, 1999 Housing Loan Scandal, NocZimScandal, DRC Timber and diamond UN reported Scandal, GMB Scandal, Ministry of water and rural development Chinese tender scandal, VIP Land Grab Scandal, 2001 Harare Airport Scandal, 2008 to 2014 Airport road scandal, 2016 Mnangagwa Command Agriculture Scandal, 2018 USD$15 Billion Diamond scandal, 2020 Draxgate scandal, 4499 Rapid resulting testing kits scandal. The above scandals are the scandals that were managed to be unearthed however, there are a lot of these scandals hidden away from the public. Managing economies requires skill, knowledge and experience in paying attention to a nation such as Zimbabwe that has an array of gifted intellects this means managing the Zimbabwean economy would not be a herculean task as it has been proven to this date. The point that is being driven towards is that Zimbabwe has been marred by persons who disregard the rule of law and the principles of economics. As this is evident by the 1994 War victims Compensation scandal indeed those who had participated in the war fought for the independence of Zimbabwe and they had to be compensated for their efforts. Though the term "compensate" does not best fit their sacrifices, the best suitable term would be "war grants". However, that was not the situation when paying attention to the whole situation that is related to the War-vets grant. As promised they were entitled to a form of a grant from 1980 down to 1994 the war vets did not receive their grants. This then led them to protest against Robert Mugabe who the then president of Zimbabwe. In order to pacify the growing resentment that was coming from the camp of those who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe ordered the then minister of finance to pay the war veterans at that time they were given ZW$50.000 at the exchange market it was USD$3.000. The grant payment had two adverse effects on the value of the Zimbabwean Dollar. The currencies value dropped meaning inflation rose as there were a lot of  Zimbabwean dollar bills in circulation as expected at that time. This then meant that in the economy there was a gap and the gap had to be filled through the increment of tax on the working middle class who are essentially the key fundamental pillars of the Zimbabwean economy. This then translates that the economy of Zimbabwe is an income-based economy. The taxpayers these are the teachers, accountants, nurses, doctors, soldiers, policemen, among other key players in the middle class. They had to pay through taxes that were not balanced by the salaries that they were receiving from the government. Thus it placed the key drivers of the Zimbabwean economy at a disadvantage meaning low wages the way of life gets expensive for the middle-class citizen of Zimbabwe. Basically, the interest rates increased in Zimbabwe from the banks and other financial institutions. This was a reaction as expected from the financial institutions to remain afloat as inflation had taken its toll on the Zimbabwean dollar. All this was overseen by the Zanu PF government, that sought to pacify and quail the growing resentment from the base of support that allowed them to be in power. What seemingly occurred at that time was the economics of the stomach not the economics of the brain. Where economical rationality would have been applied so as to avoid Zimbabwe to chuck into the cesspool economic peril as it is evident to the current situation is experiencing and dating back to 2008 where the Zimbabwean dollar subsequently became null and avoid. Indeed the war-veterans were titled to receive a certain financial grant for their efforts in liberating the country. That has to be appreciated, however, in one's point of these were matters that had to be resolved as Zimbabwe became of age. It is saddening that the efforts and ideas were not utilised and explored during the time was still figuring and establishing her fresh footprint among the league of nations of newly born independent African States. The time and energy were spent fighting senseless tribalistic wars "Gukurahundi" (emphasis added). Paying attention to the mere fact that Zimbabwe inherited debts from the Rhodesian Government, this then indeed acknowledging the harsh reality that Zimbabwe had to service inherited debts the same as other African states. Be that as it may, though the odds were stacked against the Zimbabwean Government of that time. Ideas for managing an economy without the Whitemen ever teaching how an economy would be run might have been spun for the betterment and safety of the country. Furthermore, there were white professionals that would have been absorbed into the running of an economy as they did in other sectors for example when the government was establishing the Zimbabwe National Army it absorbed military personnel from the military fronts of the Rhodesian, ZIPRA, and ZANLA. All three military movements were absorbed to be part of the Zimbabwe National Army. 

Exploring and deconstructing the statement, "...we got our political independence but, the white-man never gave us the knowledge of how to run the economy..."; one arrives at the juncture of the "Accelerated Land reform program". Zimbabwe's economy is an Agro-based economy this means the economy relies heavily on Agricultural activities where produces are exported and sold on the international market this then means that the country earns the much needed foreign currency that is then used to the benefit the country. Acknowledging that Zimbabwe was born from the ashes of a racial, minority influenced government who were focused on making and forcing the black person to be a pariah in their own land to eternity. If the war of liberation struggle did not take place that was the determining template in Rhodesian. Hence, in this statement one acknowledges the efforts of those who sacrificed their time and lives for the liberation of Zimbabwe. In the words of Josiah Magama Tongogara, he said, "what some of us are fighting for is to see that this oppressive system is crushed... I'm dying to see a change in the system that's all, that's all. I would like to see the young people enjoying together, black, white, enjoying together in a new Zimbabwe, that's all...". The wrongs of the past had to be amended in an amicable and sustainable way where the socio fragment of Zimbabwe would not be harmed and would not be interfered with for in its nature carried an adverse effect on the economy heavily (emphasis added). There is no shadow of a doubt that the white minority in Zimbabwe had the means and buying power of controlling the economy. That is to say that the white minority had the full monopoly from the production to manufacturing and ending at the retail. The population of black people business people was rare. These business people where war commanders who traded their camouflage to the suit and tie. The thorn in their journey to secure autonomy and control of the economy where the white minority. Who through the legal principle of property rights their existence within the nation of Zimbabwe was guaranteed. The indication is that the concept of "rule of law" was observed. The concept of rule of law kept the war veterans come politicians to rile up their subordinates to disregard the rule of law and then marched into the farms and taking back the land violently. This then leads one to submit the saga that can be named, "The Anthony Gubbay Saga". The disregarding of property rights in Zimbabwe through the land reform rather accelerated land reform this then meant Zimbabwe was earmarked red as an investment danger zone. The sole reason was based on the accelerated land reform program. Propaganda media was spun much to the hypnosis of an uneducated Zimbabwe at that time. Who were not quite aware of the immense power of propaganda media. Where players such as Tambaoga sang songs that riled the masses into a senseless war. War was the masses plunged themselves into the cesspool of uncertainty as a country. This meant that the future of countless Zimbabweans was tipped on the balancing scale the results were not in the favour of the nation. By that phrase above one is inclining to the mere fact that as the land was being taken back forcefully away from the white minority who over the years of trial and error in the agriculture sector and had managed to perfect the art of agriculture. In a single night, all their blood sweat and tears and sacrifices were washed away by hordes of uneducated war veterans, who were mere pawns to the elevation of the Mugabe regime into the stratosphere of political and economical control of the country. The economical impact of the "Accelerated Land Reform Program"  is that upon distributing the land as planned by the political elite were that they themselves re-employed the white farmer who then worked for the government official who upon looking at the title deeds the land belonged to the black elite politician. Furthermore, the prime available land the chunk of the land was reserved for those who dined with the political figure. The pawns "war vets" some were given some land to work on and yet others to this day are still waiting for their land that they were promised. With the land that is within the hands of the "Black person" as envisioned by the ZanuPF elites the land was underutilized, the persons who given the land many of them had no skill of working with the land, economically how to apply for loans. These new-farmers who were given the land applied for loans squandered the money and failed to pay back the loans that they took, some of the monies that were applied for agricultural projects was diverted to funding their glutinous lavish lifestyles. The ticking time bomb would then explode in front of Zimbabwe's face. The adverse effects of the accelerated land reform program birthed a fractured Zimbabwean society where a fellow citizen was nudged to view a fellow citizen as an enemy a foe a threat an agent hellbound to perpetuate white supremacy in Zimbabwe if it were the Rhodesian times it might be understandable, however in the new Zimbabwe that is uncalled for. Indeed the adverse obvious footprints of the past are there and will never be washed away but can be learnt in order to birth a progressive Zimbabwe. The corruption and nepotism that wormed its way into the very fragment of Zimbabwe's independence have had an outrageous impact on the economy of  Zimbabwe is and has been on an all-time low. The madness that ensued in the so-called land reform program trickled down to the value of the Zimbabwean dollar as it is solely backed by the vibrant agricultural sector. With sector now operating on life support key projects such as research and development from utilities to science to the economics of agriculture all were halted because of the land reform program this then meant that the economy took a dip. In taking a dip this means that the much needed economical activities complimented by a firm operative agricultural sector were halted. This happened under ZanuPF's tutelage this the economical mismanagement do not require a whitemen teaching the Blackman on how to run an economy. The only substantiating observation is those corrupt persons within the ruling party who had meteoric Napoleonic dreams of consolidating wealth and power at the expense of the majority of Zimbabweans by cancerously sabotaging the economy where there is no need for a white-men to teach how an economy should be run. 

An economy is run and operated and paying attention to the simple notion of where there is an action there is a reaction. By that phrase what it means is that any mission that a state has embarked the military tour has adverse impacts when the economy is not suited and prepared to cushion the avalanche impact on the economy. The former President Robert Mugabe claimed that national interests made it essential to provide Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Laurent Kabila's embattled regime with massive military support. Zimbabwe's involvement in the Congolese war, which erupted in August 1998 had a draining impact on the budget, damaging the economy and increasing mass discontent. The government's decision was due largely yo the personal business interests in the DRC of a number of senior politicians and military officers. The tour of the DRC was not sanctioned by the parliament this then means that it was out of the political elite who came up with the idea of charging their own interests at the expense of Zimbabwe's economy. The tour to the DRC occurred under the watch of ZanuPF. In the sense that the managing an economy does not need a white-men, what one is eluding towards at is that the upkeep of the soldiers in the camps meant they had to be financed by the budget. A budget that did not reserve for the tour to the DRC, the money that was meant to pay back the debts that were accrued and other social programs such as education, health, infrastructure development. All programs had to be halted in order to service the military persons who were in the heart of Africa. If the tour had a positive impact on Zimbabwe the results would have proved otherwise, however, the tour was meant to champion the selfish greedy mission of consolidating wealth beyond any measure. 

In conclusion, what can be interpreted from the quote, "...We got our political independence but, the white-men never gave us the knowledge of how to run the economy...". The quote itself is a public admission by the ruling party that they have failed to address the economical woes that have bedevilled the country of Zimbabwe. What can be understood is that measures of reforms must be observed, sincere reforms in order for Zimbabwe to be able to move. Without accepting reforms across the spectrum that makes up Zimbabwe, will be stuck with same old archaic forms of governance where it has driven the black men to be a pariah in their own land. Where the subject called "democracy" is only experienced by the political elite.