The Real Failure of Zimbabwe

Let me stress right at the outset that these few comments are my own personal opinion and not necessarily shared in an official capacity by the ACDP.

The failure of the Zimbabwean economy has been attributed to a number of causes, including voting irregularity, monetary mismanagement, unnecessary macro management and of course seizure of white-owned farms.

I am strongly against such seizure, but I feel it pointed out the fundamental challenge of Africa: the lack of entrepreneurship. The primary challenge in Africa, and South Africa included, is to develop a leadership and initiative mindset. Where white-farms were seized, their new inheritors should ideally have adopted a mindset of learning and advancement.

This is the story of life: we all have opportunity of some kind and what we make of it determines what we'll achieve. For us as South Africans or Africans to really establish our economy will require a forward thinking that creates rather than expects. In true Biblical fashion, this comes down to an acceptance that the buck stops with me and I am due much of the blame when I fail to seize an honest opportunity. Attribution of failure to racism, colonialism, trade rules and badly drawn border lines may all have some merit, but ultimately none of us are slaves. To different degrees we all have choices to make, and I as a South African am happy to stand up and say that despite my many limitations I choose to do something special with what I have.