We like to say, “We want a better Zimbabwe.”
It rolls off the tongue so easily that it’s now a national mantra. We chant it at funerals, rallies, and weddings — sometimes even in the same breath as “God is in it” But maybe that’s the problem. We’ve been waiting for a miracle nation when what’s needed is a made nation.
For decades, our dreams of “the Zimbabwe we want” have been pinned on messiahs — from politicians to pastors, investors to influencers. We want someone else to build it, fund it, or bless it. Our idea of development has become a prayer request, not a project plan.
We talk about reforms but avoid the reformer’s work. We want clean cities, but litter from moving cars. We demand good governance but vote for groceries. We want jobs but refuse to innovate. We envy Rwanda’s cleanliness, but we won’t pick up a broom unless a donor funds it.
The Zimbabwe we want won’t be delivered by courier from China, America, or heaven. It will be built — painfully, brick by brick — by citizens who are tired of outsourcing their destiny.
From Complaining to Contributing
The starting point is small but radical: stop outsourcing responsibility. Complainocracy does not work. We have already established that.
Let’s replace hashtags with habits. It’s not enough to retweet #WeNeedNewLeaders while skipping council meetings or bribing a cop to skip a queue. True patriotism starts in the mirror — with the hard question: What am I fixing?
Accountability begins when we stop expecting perfection from others and start practising integrity ourselves. You can’t demand honest politicians while being a dishonest taxpayer. You can’t condemn corruption with one hand and accept a “small token” with the other.
From Hope to Hustle
We’ve mastered the art of endurance; now we must learn the science of enterprise. The Zimbabwe we want won’t grow on slogans or speeches — it needs systems, sweat, and sincerity. It needs farmers who value the soil, not just the subsidy; teachers who see the classroom as nation-building, not survival; journalists who seek truth, not favour.
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Let’s make ambition fashionable again — not the type that hustles for photos with ministers, but the kind that builds ideas into institutions.
From Waiting to Working
The generation that sang “Zimbabwe will never be a colony again” must now produce a generation that says, “Zimbabwe will never be a charity case again.”
We must outgrow the dependency mindset that measures progress by aid packages and donor-funded workshops.
The Zimbabwe we want is not just about GDP; it’s about dignity. It’s about citizens who take pride in their work, leaders who serve more than they eat, and youth who innovate instead of migrate.
A Mirror Still Doesn’t Lie
We can’t photoshop a nation into greatness. We must face the cracks, not filter them. The truth is uncomfortable, but it’s the only place real change begins.
So as we speak of “The Zimbabwe We Want,” let’s remember: nations are not built by wishful thinking but by willful doing.
The Zimbabwe we want won’t come from them.
It will come from us.
Brick by brick. Truth by truth. Choice by choice.
Simbarashe Namusi is a peace, leadership and governance scholar as well as media expert. He writes in his personal capacity
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