3 January 2023
Allow me to congratulate everyone who made it to 2023. Happy new year fellow Zimbabweans, against all the odds we still soldier on, smile and continue hustling. 2022 was a bad and very difficult year for ordinary Zimbabweans. Currency volatility affected livelihoods of millions of families. Child marriages were on the increase and politically Zimbabweans are more divided than ever.
It won't be fair not to mention and compliment the great love and care exhibited by Zimbabwean women to their families throughout out 2022.
It is also important to recognise the selflessness and sacrifices by women who have devoted their entire lives to caring for the disadvantaged, vulnerable and downtrodden in our communities, these are the real heroines of our society who need to be honoured.
As we reflect on the year ahead of us, our war should be against corruption and poverty. Zimbabwe is a resilient nation considering the economic warfare that we have been subjected to for nearly 3 decades now. We have the ability and capacity to stop this systematic economic warfare against Zimbabwe. Our biggest inhibiting factor is lack of political will, greediness, selfishness and corruption.
The difference between the poor and rich nation does not only depend on the available natural resources.
Switzerland does not grow cocoa but produces the best chocolates in the world. In her small territory she rears animals and cultivates the land only for four months in a year, nevertheless manufactures the best milk products. A small country which is an image of security which has made it the strongest world bank.
Executives from rich countries who interact with their counterparts from poor countries show no significant intellectual differences.
The racial or colour factors also do not evince importance: migrants heavy in laziness in their country of origin are forcefully productive in rich European countries.
What then is the difference?
The difference is the attitude of the people, moulded for many years by education and culture.
When we analyse the conduct of the people from the rich and developed countries, it is observed that a majority abide by the following principles of life:
1. Ethics, as basic principles.
2. Integrity.
3. Responsibility.
4. The respect for Laws and Regulations.
5. The respect from majority of citizens by right.
6. The love for work.
7. The effort to save and invest.
8. The will to be productive.
9. Punctuality.
In poor countries a small minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.
We are not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel towards us.
We are poor because we lack attitude. We lack the will to follow and teach these principles of working in rich and developed societies.
WE ARE IN THIS STATE BECAUSE
WE WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OVER
EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.
WE ARE IN THIS STATE BECAUSE
WE SEE SOMETHING DONE WRONG
AND SAY - “LET IT BE”
WE SHOULD HAVE A SPIRITED MEMORY
AND ATTITUDE…
ONLY THEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO CHANGE OUR PRESENT STATE.
Change starts with you.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the change that we seek. We are the ones we've been waiting for. I have no doubt that we, Zimbabweans, are the difference between what it is and what it could be.
We are the missing link in the struggle for positive change in our country. Zimbabwe's political and economic quagmire requires our participation. We know in painful detail and through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.
We have to play our part as Zimbabweans. Zanupf will never reform themselves our of power. We have the generational mandate to reform them out of power. Only a united people with one common shared vision can reinvent the political and governance system in Zimbabwe. We are the missing link.
You are the change you have been waiting for. What are you waiting for? Be part of the change you want to see. Together we can. We will only progress as a nation when political leaders stop being used by the east and west, when they stop pushing their own selfish agendas for self aggrandizement and when they put Zimbabweans first before trading our natural resources at a pittance.
There is no one who is more Zimbabwean than the other. If we, "the have nots" are not yet ready to call all corrupt and unethical government officials, political, religious and church leaders to order and account there will be no resuscitation of the economy.
Our war as the suffering masses in Zimbabwe is against poverty and corruption. United in our diversity we can dismantle corruption in our government, institutions, civic society, churches, schools, councils, politiical parties, burial societies, etc.
Men in power don't want things to change because they are benefiting from the chaos. Zvivhunze ugere ipapo kuti other than parroting slogans what have you benefited in the last ten years? Ramba kuitiswa and start calling every corrupt person you know to account. Only the truth will set Zimbabwe free.
As for me and the LEAD family, we are going to pull the bull by its horns until we restore order and ensure socioeconomic rights to every Zimbabwean. There is no one who is more Zimbabwean than the other.
Government should ensure decent pension payouts. Social security for our senior citizens should be prioritized and their dignity in society should be restored by ensuring decent pension funds for all pensioners and war veterans.
It is only proper to increase monthly pension dues or maintaining that same value but in US$, since some pension houses which have been invested by this pensioners are enjoying the proceeds of these old age. With all the investment that have been made by these pension funds in Zimbabwe using the proceeds from their labor, it is not fair that most pensioners are now surviving like paupers.
You have the right to hold leaders to account. President Mnangagwa's government should ensure that safe, clean and portable water is accessible to every Zimbabwean. Water is a fundamental human right. Let us all demand accountability from all public officials until the water issue is rectified. Water is life. Our rights to health, life and water must be protected. We want clean and safe water now and not tomorrow. #FixOurWater #WaterIsMyRight
Zimbabwe belongs to all of us not, Zimbabwe does not belong to Mnangagwa, Chamisa, Mwonzora, Masarira or any other political party leader. Zimbabwe belongs to every Zimbabwean. It is time we take ownership of our community.
Dear Zimbabweans, it is very important for all of us to take ownership of our community and to develop community pride. All of us belong to a community, whether local or national. This community could be my school or university, it could be my neighborhood or village or it could be my professional community.
It is likely that we are part of several communities. Communities are made up of individuals who choose to identify themselves with that community. For that community to succeed and prosper, it requires the members to take ownership and contribute to the betterment of that particular community.
The same goes for a country. For a country to succeed and improve, it's citizens must take ownership and responsibility for its affairs and participate actively in its development using their skills, abilities and expertise. Only when we begin to take ownership of our country, will we begin to see the country that we all want.
As a S. T. A. R. Fellow, committed to servant leadership, I am humbly requesting every Zimbabwean to start being responsible and cultivating a nature of ownership.
1. Don't throw garbage on the roads/streets.
2. Don't spit or urinate on roads and walls.
3. Don't write on walls and currency notes.
4. Don't abuse and insult others, rather be patient tolerant and controlled.
5. Save water and electricity.
6. Plant a tree.
7. Obey traffic rules.
8. Honor and take care of your parents and grandparents, take their blessings and always respect them.
9. Respect women.
10. Give way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
11. Treat your neighbor in a way you would want to be treated.
12. Do not seek for corners to cut in anything you do.
13. Be intentional in honesty and integrity.
14. Fear God in a way that is demonstrated in your lifestyle.
15. Respect every individual regardless of race, religion, tribe or status. We are all God's creation.
16. Always seek to be part of the solution and not the problem.
17. Grab every opportunity to be kind and helpful.
18. Be conscious of setting a good example for the younger generation.
19. Be content and grateful for what you have more than lamenting over what you lack.
20. Be proud of being a Zimbabwean by focusing on the positives and acknowledging that God does not make mistakes.
We need to change ourselves and not the country. Once we change ourselves the country will automatically change.
If we want our children to live in a clean, safe and prosperous environment then pledge to follow these pointers every day.
No one person or leader can change the country alone. Change starts with you and me. We can change our beloved nation's status by changing ourselves first and our mindsets.
In conclusion stop asking what Zimbabwe can do for you and start acting on what you can do for Zimbabwe.
Be inspired to influence change.
#ThisIsMyHome #TogetherWeCan
Linda Tsungirirai Masarira
LEAD President
