Sir Nigel's Journey…

If you’re like me, you’ve been watching the news every day and the situation in Syria gets worse and worse it seems. Incidentally I also remember the first time I watched the movie Hotel Rwanda. I kept wondering where the world was when all those atrocities were taking place. Did we just simply ignore Rwanda? We couldn’t have done that could we? Today, I came home and finally understood where the world was back then when Rwanda was on fire. Simply put, the rest of the world continued living, the reporters travelled and reported on their version of reality and yet the world at large stood by and ignored the situation. How misguided is our moral compass when we can still continue existing in our own lives? It seems we have chosen to simply ignore what’s happening in Syria while we wait for some UN resolution or some referendum the Syrian government promised the same people they’re killing today.  Men, women and children continue to die in daily conflict in cities like Homs? What is wrong with us I ask? I am not a politician but it seems to me that we spend more time and effort attempting to stop Iran from developing their nuclear programme than handling real conflicts in places like Syria. I have slowly come to the conclusion that our moral compass must indeed be off the charts and we simply don’t care anymore; either that or we never really did.

I could be wrong…

I firmly believe Zimbabweans have every right to know how the diamonds are adding value to their own lives. Here’s a Global Witness report dated February 2012 entitled Diamonds A good deal for Zimbabwe? What are your thoughts?

Brendah Nyakudya was the first to ‘inform me’ of the Virgin Active Gym race issue issue. I say ‘inform me’ but she was merely tweeting about this incident and I was listening/reading as I was preparing to leave work after yet another one of those hectic Mondays. You don’t want to know about my Monday by the way. I could tell my friendo i.e. Brendah was err how shall I put it – extremely ticked off and I’m being diplomatic here? I stayed at work a little longer and continued to read up on the issue using various other social media channels. In short I was reminded once again that racism is alive and well. However most of us know this already or have either experienced racism in some form or shape.

Not to belittle this sensitive and extremely important incident but….I have a fundamental issue with this recent incident. You see my problem revolves around how we seem to be drawn to some forms of racism versus others. To clarify myself here; it always seems easier to discuss racism when it’s white on black as opposed to the other way round. Some argue that blacks know more about racism than whites. Is this necessarily true? However, racism like most things in life continues to evolve. I firmly believe that we should tackle racism in general. Let us approach it from a holistic stand point and do what we can to address this destructive element.

I recall when I was living in Sydney many years ago now. I had just finished work and was heading home. I worked in an affluent part of Sydney. I jumped onto the bus as usual and sat down at the front for a change. Opposite where I chose to sit was a middle-aged white lady who immediately stared at me and proceeded to clutch her handbag. Everyone around me noticed this and there was an air of discomfort. What would the black man do next? I was extremely hurt to be honest. Here I was making an honest living and I was riding the bus from work with this lady, who figured I was going to rob or mug her right there in this bus full of other passengers headed on their way. I proceeded to inform this lady that I wasn’t planning on mugging her that day. I think my exact words were ‘I don’t usually mug white ladies on Tuesdays; I usually mug them on Fridays when I’m looking for that weekend cash flow’. She was extremely embarrassed and most of the people around me laughed at my little joke. I think I made my point that day.

Anyway I digress.

What I was attempting to illustrate with this scribe is our collective need for racial tolerance in general. I would like us to acknowledge and address racism even when it’s black on Indian, black on white, white on mixed race et al. In other words, let us not just react as we have with this Virgin Active Gym race issue just because some white gentleman referred to a black lady as ‘bloody k*****’. Let us simply address racism in general. Let us be mindful of government policies that encourage resentment and help perpetuate this seemingly never ending race issue. Let us always be mindful of those around us from different backgrounds, different socio-economic groups and so forth. Let us also make a big deal about racism when blacks are the perpetrators. Racism is still an ugly act irrespective of who is committing the crime. As this incident has clearly illustrated, we still have a long way to go in the fight against this form of segregation.

Aluta continua….

The UK Prime Minister David Cameron threatened aid recipients a few weeks ago. To say I was upset is a massive understatement. However I took a long walk metaphorically and eventually calmed down, which is why this blog is late (later than planned that is). You see, I started thinking and I put myself in his shoes. The thing is; if I was Cameron I would probably be as arrogant as he was that day. You have to remember that Cameron and his cronies just removed one of Africa’s ‘dictators’ recently. They killed him and even displayed his body for all to see. So if I was David naturally I’d be feeling pretty good about myself at this point. So good, I would make threats like this without realising or thinking of the consequences. I always tell people who make threats in general ‘to back it up with action’ otherwise one ends up looking weak or maybe that’s not such a bad thing in this case. I guess we all wait to see what happens next especially now that Nigeria has passed the anti-gay bill.

The truth is I personally have no problem with gays or lesbians at all. I like green underwear and my mate Pete likes boys. So bloody what? Pete’s entitled to do what he wants do in his own home for example with whoever wants to partake. The fact that I grew up in Zimbabwe, studied and worked abroad for many years perhaps explains why I think like this. Walking down the streets of Newtown in Sydney Australia in my past life has clearly left an impression on me. Maybe I’m just a liberal thinker. Anyway, we have a Shona word for gays and lesbians so that tells me that we’ve acknowledged ‘these people’ in our history. It also suggests that the ‘colonial masters’ came to Africa and introduced various laws, which I might add are outdated in many instances. They themselves fortunately have moved on, changed their own laws and are now in a position to make these ‘no-gay-no-aid’ type threats. Instead of focusing on the threats themselves, I wanted to touch on what we as Africans need to do going forward. If you follow my tweets and/or blog, you’ll soon realise that I enjoy the much needed ‘conversation’. I believe that we need to use opportunities like this to have the discussions about gays and lesbians across Africa – they do exist despite what we believe. We need to openly have these conversations so we can also move forward. Why should we continue to sweep this issue under the rug when we have a local terminology or word for gays and lesbians in our own languages for example? Whatever we do, let us not use Christianity as a reason for not accepting gays and lesbians in our society – the ‘colonial masters’ brought the Bible with them too remember? Whatever you believe is really up to you. However let us acknowledge once and for all that this isn’t the first or the last time, we’ll discuss this sensitive issue. Perhaps this threat is yet another wake up call for us. Mama Africa, let us get our house in order!

What do I mean when I say that – ‘get our house in order’? Zimbabweans have been using this word a lot lately – empowerment. Let us empower ourselves as African nations so we don’t need aid and therefore we don’t need to be threatened by David and his cronies anymore. We have much work to do and admittedly I may not see the fruits of our labour in my lifetime but I can assure you that Africa is richer than most think and we can reduce our dependency on aid if we are willing to make some tough sacrifices now. Let us also have the discussion about gays and lesbians in our society so that they don’t have to meet at ‘special venues’ and have ‘secret meetings’ just to exist amongst us. After all they are also citizens of this African continent just like me. Let us seek to understand the situation for it is and make decisions based on facts rather than misguided misconceptions. It’s time to have that much needed conversation now.

Here are a few points I jotted down initially after I read Cameron’s no-gay-no-aid article:

1. Initially when I heard about this no-gay-no-aid threat, I just thought to myself – ‘what a misguided thing to say David’! We know that the donkey and carrot trick has been used now for many years but for it to be as blatant as that is just something else – quite disrespectful really. Perhaps this is how politics is conducted behind closed doors of government buildings?
2. I’m aware of budget restraints due to the current economic situation in the UK. I wonder how much of this threat is aimed at pacifying the locals in the UK.  I just wonder. The United Nations gave the UK a target of 0.7% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to spend on aid but the UK currently spends 0.4% of their GDP. Can the UK actually afford to increase current spend to the UN figure?
3. The donkey and carrot trick won’t work. People can see through all that now. With access to information like the internet and so forth, making such threats and not expecting a negative reaction would be unthinkable. Maybe they (David et al) don’t care either way?
4. I now wonder if any of the UK allies have anti-gay laws. It would just smell of hypocrisy if some their allies had similar anti-gay laws to most African countries. I wonder where Yemen, Pakistan and UAE stand on gays and lesbians.
5. Let this be a lesson for Africa! We should never put ourselves in a situation where we are being threatened by anyone like this. We need to fast track our own game plan as a collective group to get our house in order. We are an extremely wealthy continent by natural resources. We really need to find a common way to relieving ourselves of aid and foreign debt in general. We’re already working on ways of becoming much more sustainable but this threat to me is yet another warning shot. Malawi is an example of what we shouldn’t allow going forward. A large chunk of the national annual revenue is derived by grants and/or aid I’m told. If the UK et al withdraw that aid as they suggested or implied when the issue of the 2 gay men hit the headlines last year, what happens to the common man or woman in Malawi who is heavily reliant on government assistance for example? We desperately need to think of people at that level in society when statements like this are being made.
6. Naturally some of the various leaders and/or government officials have already spoken out about this issue. As one would expect, no one likes to be threatened like this especially in the public domain. Perhaps diplomacy would have been more effective and appropriate here.
7. Like democracy, it’s been proven that spreading a western type of democracy to perhaps a non-western country doesn’t always bode well with the various local stakeholders involved. Cultural issues need to be taken into account when discussing things like this. This is yet another example where cultural norms need to be taken into account when handling sensitive matters like this. I firmly believe dialogue is important when situations like this occur.

I have had some time to reflect and analyse the situation in its entirety. I only wish that we engaged in the much needed discussion we need to have going forward. How long must we continue to ignore what needs to be discussed? I wouldn’t want my unborn children to question why we never made attempts to address these issues. Perhaps that is part of the reason why I would like us to have a ‘national-African discussion’ regarding some of the issues that have been brought up as a result of David Cameron’s no-gay-no-aid threat. Till then…

Aluta continua…

The 2012 budget will focus on the following issues:

1. Consolidating macro-economic stability, founded on an anti-cyclical macro-economic framework;

2. Deliberate focus on inclusive growth with jobs;

3. Attending to the issue of capital formation through Public

4. Sector Investments, with special emphasis on completing outstanding capital projects as opposed to green fields;

5. Ensuring and establishing food security;

6. Redesigning the financial services sector to promote savings, financial deepening, viability, sustainable finance to the business sector, as well as reduction of financial sector vulnerability;

7. Decentralising allocation of resources, with special emphasis on even and equal treatment of Provinces;

8. Investment in social services delivery, in particular health and education;

9. Creating a conducive “Doing Business Environment””;

10. Monetising the Peace Process, in particular the Constitutional

11. Referendum, National Healing and the GPA democratisation imperators;

12. Tackling critical enablers, in particular energy, water and sanitation; and

13. Special focus on rural under-development through addressing rural energy, water and agriculture.

Biti’s focus is ‘the pursuit of inclusive growth, growth with jobs is the focus of this budget’.

Key budget points:

Domestic Developments:

1. Overall growth rate to the end of 2011 is still projected at 9.3%

2. This growth momentum is anticipated to be maintained in 2012 at 9.4%, underpinned by further positive performance in finance (23%), mining (15.8%), tourism (13.7%), agriculture (11.6%), manufacturing (6%), and transport and communication (6%).

Of the transport and communication, ICTs account for 55%, reflecting the large investments being made in that area.

Gross Capital Formation:

1. Countries such as China and India with gross capital formations of more than 50% and 32% of GDP, respectively, have managed to sustain high growth rates of more than 8% annually

2. For developing countries such as Zimbabwe, gross capital formation of at least 30% of GDP is required to facilitate high and sustainable growth rates.

3. Between 2009 and 2010, the country’s gross capital formation remained below 30%, ranging between 15-22% of GDP and is expected to remain within that range in 2011 .– 2012

Foreign Direct Investment:

Zimbabwe’s capital account inflows, thus, remain a sad story, with 2011 foreign direct investment levels at US$125 million.

Agriculture:

The agricultural sector requires more than US$2 billion annually to fully take advantage of its potential the projected growth in agricultural production

of 11.6% in 2012 takes account of the number of financing facilities established by Government, the banking sector, co-operating partners, seed and fertilizer suppliers in support of the preparation for the 2011/2012 agricultural season.

Mining:

1. The 2011 growth for the sector estimated at 25.8%, marginally down on the initial forecast of 33%.

2. In 2012, mining is anticipated to remain the major driving force behind overall economic growth, benefitting from further private capital injections, firm international commodity prices and anticipated initiatives to minimise electricity supply interruptions

Manufacturing:

1. Further recovery in both agriculture and mining should have positive spill over benefits for manufacturing industry, which is projected to register a 6% growth in 2012.

2. Challenges to be overcome include mobilisation of additional lines of credit for industrial re-tooling and other working capital requirements.

3. Sub-sectors anticipated to drive growth in manufacturing will include food stuffs (6%), wood and furniture (8%), metals and metal products (11%), and non-metal products (25%).

Capacity Utilisation:

1. Developments during the first half of the year to June 2011 indicate that overall average capacity utilisation in the manufacturing sector improved to about 57.2%, compared to 43.7% last year

2. Capacity utilisation in some of the higher performing sub-sectors is set to significantly improve, from current average levels of around 65%.

3. Capacity utilisation in such sub-sectors as clothing, textiles and printing is set to remain poor, with levels of as low as 20% anticipated in some industries

4. Major factors constraining capacity utilisation include low product demand, obsolete machinery susceptible to frequent breakdowns, lack of working capital and raw materials

Electricity:

1. Notwithstanding targeted and on-going rehabilitation programmes at Hwange, Kariba and small thermal power stations, power supply remains a major challenge for economic recovery.

2. In 2011 alone, about US$40 million was disbursed for the energy programmes, however, resulting in only un-sustained marginal gains in power generation

3. The targeted power supply in 2011 of 1 600 MW remains a challenge, as only an average of 1 105 MW has so far been realised, though some output improvement from 952 MW in 2010.

4. In 2012, electricity output is projected at 1 244 MW, reflecting only a 4.5% growth, a far cry from power supply levels required to drive sustainable increased production activity power supply remains a major noose around the economy.

5. Uninterrupted electricity supply will, however, hinge on sustained investments in power generation and transmission which, will require the contribution of all beneficiaries

Tourism:

1. Further work towards overcoming negative perceptions over our country is required.

2. Some success towards re-branding Zimbabwe’s tourism facilities and infrastructure under the theme – “Zimbabwe: A World of Wonders.” coupled with the self-evident reduction of internal disharmony over the last 35 months, is being noted.

3. The successful bid by Zimbabwe to co-host with Zambia the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly is, therefore, a positive development for the country. Successful hosting of this event should further boost tourist arrivals.

4. The partial recovery of tourism has seen growth in average bed occupancy from 36% in 2010 to 37% in 2011.

Information Communication Technology:

1. Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector remains one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Zimbabwe was ranked 124 out of 152, jumping four places from the 128 it was in 2008

2. Concurrently, the voice penetration rate or tele-density has improved, reaching 68% in 2011, of which mobile penetration accounted for 65%, making Zimbabwe one of the countries with the highest rates alongside South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique.

3. However, the internet penetration rate at around 13% remains below the international levels of 26.6%, although above the regional average of 11%.

4. Cumulatively, the three mobile service providers share close to 8.1 million subscribers, up from 7.7 million last year

Transport:

1. Rail transport is the most competitive mode of transport for bulk goods internally, and with external markets

2. The poor state of our rail transport system and network continues to undermine the competitiveness of Zimbabwean goods in markets

3. Major challenges at the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) relate to run-down track, obsolete signalling systems and rolling stock.

Construction:

1. Construction activity is often a useful barometer for underlying business activity in any economy

2. The stabilisation of the macro-economic environment since 2009 has allowed the construction sector to slowly emerge from the crisis of the past decade, with positive growth of 1% estimated for 2011 and 1.5% for 2012

3. Challenges related to intermittent supply side bottlenecks of such critical inputs as cement and bricks, coupled with under-capitalisation of the major construction companies and liquidity constraints, all serve to limit the sector’s capacity to seize on emerging green shoots of economic recovery.

4. With gradual improvement in investment in the production of the key building materials such as cement and bricks, activity in the sector is set to improve

National Housing:

Government has availed the US$25 million facility in 2010 through the IDBZ for housing projects in various local authorities.

Of this amount, US$14.8 million has so far been spent on various housing projects in a number of local authorities, which include:

• Willowvale Flats; Sunway City, Dzivarasekwa and Marimba in Harare;

• Lower Paradise in Marondera

• Mbizo in Kwekwe;

• Chikanga in Mutare;

• Parklands in Bulawayo;

• Checheche in Chipinge; and

• Nemamwa in Masvingo;

• Spitzkop in Gwanda; and

• Tshobani in Chiredzi.

Inflation:

1. Since the inauguration of our Inclusive Government 35 months ago, inflation management and oversight remains the apogee of our macro-economic targets

2. Annual inflation, which started the year at 3.5%, dropped to

3. 2.5% in the second quarter of the year. By the third Quarter of

4. The year, inflation was on the rise, reaching 3.3% in July, 3.5% in August and 4.3% in September. Month on month inflation also oscillated in almost the same pattern.

5. Developments in the month of October witnessed some reversal, with monthly inflation falling to 0.1%. Monthly inflation in September was 0.8%, a level last registered in March. The significant deceleration in inflation during October saw the year on-year inflation falling to 4.2%.

6. The major drivers of inflation so far in 2011 have been housing and rental costs, alcohol and food.

7. There was a sharp increase of 0.5% in food prices between August and September, related to unwarranted retrogressive price adjustments on some basic commodities, following review of import duties.

8. International oil prices have been volatile and mostly on the decline from April 2011. However and surprisingly, there was no corresponding movement in domestic prices

9. Our domestic price developments also reflect the economic integration pattern between our economy and that of South Africa, a major source of our imports. Some of the price movements in South Africa are reproduced asymmetrically in Zimbabwe.

10. Government review of utility tariffs has also had a bearing on inflationary pressures in the economy, in particular the 31% electricity adjustment in September 2011

11. Projections to year end, however, show annual average inflation remaining within the targeted range of 3.5-4.5%.

12. Our inflation levels remain within the SADC macroeconomic convergence criteria thresholds.

Financial Services:

1. There is no doubt that, over the last 35 months, developments in the financial sector have been progressively upwards, with the deposit base now estimated at US$3.3 billion by end of September 2011.

2. It is estimated that over US$2 billion remains outside the formal banking system, on account of absence of incentives and historical confidence concerns, among others

3. In 2012, the deposit base is estimated at above US$3.8 billion, of which about 80% will be available for lending.

4. Lending to the productive sectors grew to US$2.59 billion over the period, constituting 78.4% of total deposits. Primary beneficiaries were in the sectors of agriculture (18%), manufacturing, (20%), distribution (19%) and mining (6%).

5. However, compared to previous years, there is a gradual shift in the proportion of lending towards services, construction, communication and individuals, while the share of lending to agriculture, mining and manufacturing remained relatively stagnant.

6. Beneficiaries continue to face high lending interest rates of about 15-30%, against deposit rates of as low as 0.2%.

The entire 2012 National Budget Statement is located here – http://www.zimtreasury.org/downloads/930.pdf

Last Sunday I arrived home just in time for the Julius interview on Carte Blanche. I’ve always been fascinated by this individual if I’m being honest. I even wrote about how Zimbabwe needed a Julius Malema. Some disagreed with me however many in my opinion never actually read the entire blog to fully understand where I was actually going with this. Irrespective of your own opinion of the man, we have to agree that he seems to engage us in a discussion of some sort – whether the topic is controversial or not. Sadly, more often than not it is often unnecessarily controversial. My biggest issue with the man is neither his wealth nor how he acquired it, although I agree that we have to look into that at some point in the near future. The main issue has more to do with the fact that a Julius Malema even exists in the new South Africa. His following indicates that he represents a large group of people disenfranchised by the system or simply put; they haven’t experienced the benefits of Madiba’s Rainbow Nation. This particular issue gravely concerns me especially with movements like Occupy Wall Street looming in the background. I believe instead of focusing on other issues relating to Juju’s personal life, we should instead focus on some of the issues he has raised thus far. We should be asking ourselves questions like:

• What issues do Julius and his followers have?
• What can the relevant South African leaders do to address those concerns in real terms?

In my opinion it would be a grave mistake to simply dismiss Julius and his followers. We wouldn’t want the gap between those who have and those who haven’t to widen any further than it has already. Until we learn to sit down and finally address some of economic and social issues Julius shares, there will always be a Julius Malema – just a different name with a somewhat different agenda.

By the way – the uncut version of the interview is found here

Growing up all I ever seemed to hear was the need for more and more democracy. Democracy was the only way! In light of the various problems challenges relating to elections either in Zimbabwe, the UK and even Kenya, we are now seeing an increase in the coalition government. Perhaps it’s just me? It seems the increase in coalition governments is yet another reminder that we need each other to resolve our common challenges. I look at the debt crisis in Europe right now. To resolve it, leaders have resigned and are being replaced by ‘coalition leaders’ in an effort to resolve the crisis. This is yet another reminder that we need each other more than we often realise.

Together we can…

‘I could be here an hour but I’ll be brief:
Zimbabwe gave people in an intrinsic sense of belief in possibility of self. Even in its most challenging days Zimbos carry the tenacity and self belief of “YES I CAN” to see through adversity and challenge ourselves to realize bigger and better days.
Hard to be that SIR!’ – Shingi

‘Mpunga unedovi nechicken stew’ – DB

‘We are, we are can’t you see. We are, we are can’t you guess. We are, we are ZIMBABWE’ – Thompson

The creativity of the Zimbabwean people as indicated above

‘It is the home of SirNige’ – Adrian

‘I love Zim because of the way we respect our elders. Being out here in the west I find the lack of respect to be disgusting…So yeah thats one of the reasons I love Zim.’ – Sister Shami

‘The people, more than anything else! So warm & friendly, so positive & resilient. The weather is great too, 10months of summer is nothing to sneeze at. Ours is a beautiful country, from the serene grandeur of the Eastern Highlands to the inspirational marvel of Great Zimbabwe to the oh-so-mighty Victoria Falls, beauty abounds everywhere! What’s there not to love? ’ – Tichaona Chitsinde

Come to the Harare Food, Wine and Home Expo at Borrowdale Park Racecourse along Borrowdale Road on Friday 11^th November to Sunday 13^th November 2011 for a fun weekend event.

• Food and wine tasting, exclusive home decor, pub, DJs, bands
• Children’s playground with water slides, jumping castles, games
• Fashion shows by Ruffcuts Wear Marco Machona
• Body Active Gym demos in Zumba, Tae Bo and karate
• Demos by the celebrity chef who trained Jaime Oliver
• American Motors car exhibitions including Fiat and Kia

Don’t miss Harare’s ultimate summer fair!

DATE: Friday 11 November to Sunday 13 November 2011
VENUE: Borrowdale Park Racecourse (opposite Celebration Centre and Dandaro)
TIME: 10 am to 7pm Daily
TICKETS: $5 Adults and $2 children under 16
(Entrance is free between 10 and 11am on the first day)

Tickets are available at Body Active Gym – Borrowdale Race Course Harare.
For stands please contact Debbie Peters on email dnpeters_1999 [at]yahoo.com