Aaron Gono
Africa is a continent which reels from one failure to another. I don’t understand why people we entrust with our lives, economy and infrastructure, fail to impress us. These people include traditional chiefs, kraal heads, police, legislators, company directors and the executive. In the 1990s it was fashionable to call anything run by the government as corrupt. We treated private companies as immune to corrupt activities.
Now we have observed that they are also corrupt but exercise due diligence; by minimizing the damage they inflict to themselves. So in public companies, integrity and accountability have been thrown to the dogs. Finish and klaar.
State Owned Enterprises like the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority ( Zesa), Hwange Colliery, Zimbabwe Steel and Iron Company ( Zisco), National Railways of Zimbabwe ( NRZ), Cold Storage Commission ( CSC), Air Zimbabwe, Netone, Zimbabwe National Roads Agency ( Zinara) etc and in South Africa we have Transnet, Eskom, South African Airways (SAA), Denel etc. These companies prioritize public interest over profit. So these are the backbone of every country’s economy. Failure to run them competently and efficiently will be courting disaster in your house.
In Britain we have the National Health Service (NHS) which provides best medical care to Britain’s ageing population. It is also a major source of employment in the country. What disturbs my psyche is why all African S.O.Es are crumbling? Always fingers point at corruption, political interference, poor governace, and lack of accountability. Political interference and corruption are not going to feature much on this article, as l would be re-inventing the wheel. I want to hammer home about poor governance and lack of accountability that has brought at a standstill many SOEs in Africa.
Many of them suffer from poor governance resulting in lack of transparency and inadequate oversight. I realized the importance of oversight on the 8 th of September 2025, in the morning at Mushagashe toll- gate near Masvingo town, on the Harare- Masvingo highway. It is now almost 2 months when one of the till counter was crashed by a truck.
The lack of repair on the toll-gate points to inadequate oversight, and lack of transparency and also conflicts of interest; manager A, prefers Mavhuramayi to repair it, and manager B, prefers Chimwayange to do it. Then failure by management to notice that the damage needs urgent attention as it tarnishes the image of Zinara ( Zimbabwe National Roads Agency) and the country at large ( inadequate oversight). Lack of transparency on the chain of supply also negates this situation. Nobody is aware that he or she is the one who has to act. Because this is usually seen when a junior try to dictate the pace to his/ her seniors. So who is in charge of maintenance is not clear; as job descriptions duplicate each other.
Lack of accountability is another major reason why SOEs in Africa fail. In Zimbabwe when city fathers are running their towns and cities; what they demand first are Germany Sedans or Japan’s GD6s. What have you achieved in the first place to guarantee you that good life? Have you fixed the water problem in towns and cities or growth points, drainage issues, sewer systems, street lighting, dololo. ” Ndoda Jeep ndiyo inoenderana nenyembe yangu. Nyembe yako?” Narcissistic tendencies! Gosh.
Give us results first and your perks will come later. This results in wasteful expenditure in those cities, as management will be trying to match Elon Musk. ” Varozvi vakapera nenda dzava Njanja( Sinyoro). No one is held accountable for their poor performances. When a minister of education read the riot act about teachers who fail to achieve one pass in their O’ level results for consecutive years, somewhere in Matabeleland. Zimbabweans berated the minister as the author of those dismal results. If l am not mistaken, the minister had to take cover and kept his peace.
So these are some of the causes of SOEs’ poor performance and failure to make a difference. Also cadre deployment fall in the political interference and corruption indexes. Hiring of under-qualified personnel because of his or her political links. That’s the major reason why cities are decaying in Africa, companies which must improve our gross national product are being led by “pharas”, “pseudo -intellectuals” not shying to expose their ignorances. Now Zimbabwe imports all basic goods which must be produced here. Let’s copy and paste the Chinese people’s mindset, from the Long March, to the Cultural Revolution, to giving Donald Trump sleepless nights. Africans let’s learn to avoid self hate and Make Africa the Cradle of Civilization once again.
“The whole world is Africa, but it’s divided in continent-states, so many cities have no pity. I see the hills, and valleys, and plains said l want you to know….(?).
You got people getting up everyday, go to work, eat the food and they don’t remember they can pray
The whole world is Africa…..”- Michael Ross and the Black Uhuru Band.
Whenever l feel that Africa is being short changed by the Big Brothers; l take my towel and soap, and go to Nyamukono River (Gutu) to rinse myself and meditate.
