The Flawed Foundation of Indigenisation
Zimbabwe’s indigenisation policy, though ostensibly justifiable, has proven unsustainable and counterproductive. While framed as a tool for economic empowerment, its implementation fosters dependency, not self-sufficiency. True empowerment requires cultivating responsibility, yet the policy’s current form achieves the opposite: it disempowers the very youth it claims to uplift.
The root cause of Zimbabwe’s challenges lies in the implementation of the indigenisation policy. Although the policy may be considered justifiable, it is ultimately unsustainable and generates considerable confusion. Economic disempowerment is masked as economic empowerment. Designed to instil economic responsibility in young people to shape their future and that of the nation, the policy, in its current state, achieves the contrary. Genuine empowerment cannot be realised without cultivating a sense of responsibility among those being empowered.
The Paradox of “Free” Empowerment
The policy’s approach—distributing resources or capital without fostering accountability—creates a cycle of subservience. When young graduates receive handouts, they become beholden to the benefactor, whether a government official or NGO. Gratitude masks the reality: such “generosity” consolidates the giver’s power while undermining the recipient’s autonomy. As the adage goes, “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
The motives behind indigenisation remain questionable. Is its aim genuine youth empowerment, or is it a political tool to perpetuate control? If ignorance drives these efforts, the solution lies in education. If malice does, only systemic reform can break the cycle.
The common misconception often equates indigenisation with the acquisition of existing businesses from white settlers, mistakenly perceived as superior to black individuals. A more appropriate approach emphasises fostering innovation to establish new enterprises, thereby ensuring Zimbabwe’s overall survival. This perspective does not suggest that the youth should govern the elderly; instead, it suggests coming up with strategies that improve the status quo, by the educationally empowered youth.
Redefining Empowerment: From Handouts to Self-Reliance
Authentic economic empowerment must equip youth with the means to leverage their skills—education, talent, and entrepreneurial spirit—not temporary handouts. Zimbabwe’s future hinges on innovation, not the redistribution of existing assets. Indigenisation should incentivise creating new businesses, not merely transferring ownership of old ones.
Value is determined by the contributions an individual makes for the benefit of others. Under normal circumstances, people naturally recognise the inherent value of one another. For example, in transportation, I rely on a taxi driver to take me to the airport, where travel agents assist with the necessary procedures. The airplane I board is operated by professionals with whom I have no personal connection.
I depend on them to ensure the safety of my journey to the intended destination. The individuals offering these services are significant, as enabling my travel to the desired location. My contribution to them lies in providing compensation for these transactions, thereby supporting their livelihood. They are entrusted with delivering these services, while I, in turn, am responsible for compensating them for their efforts.
The Role of Education and Collective Responsibility
Zimbabwe’s education system exacerbates the problem by prioritising survival over societal contribution. Graduates are conditioned to blame external forces rather than act as agents of change. Thousands leave the country, critiquing the government, yet failing to apply their education to solve local challenges. True empowerment begins with accountability: the understanding that progress demands personal responsibility, not perpetual victimhood.
The products of such an educational system were conditioned to perceive external circumstances as unchangeable. They are conditioned to fail to leverage their empowerment to drive national transformation. Responsibility was shifted onto others instead of employing their abilities to confront the challenges within their nation. They were not educated on the futility of blame in addressing issues that demand practical solutions. Genuine and lasting economic empowerment arises from accepting complete accountability.
A Call to Action: Lessons from Liberation to Economic Revival
The liberation fighters’ sacrifice offers a blueprint. Their victory was not won through entitlement but through collective action and vision. Those who engaged in the process acknowledged the possibility of dying along the way. This is what selflessness implies. Today’s youth must embrace a similar ethos—not by idolising the past, but by assuming responsibility for the future. Such kind of reasoning cancels out the condition of fear.
Accountability can be comparable to taking full responsibility for clearing a neglected heap of dirt in the environment. It reflects one’s capacity to address deficiencies in their environment and to act selflessly, without regard for personal gain. This parallels the deeds of those who fought for the liberation of this country, willingly facing the uncertainties of war, motivated by vision rather than immediate rewards.
Conclusion: Empowerment as Service, Not Self-Interest
- Reform the policy: The current empowerment policy should be replaced by the handouts with one that reward innovation, accountability, and long-term growth. This includes redefining the meaning of empowerment to include responsibility. This is the opposite of receiving grants without accountability.
- Reframe education: Teach youth that their worth lies in contribution, not consumption. This concept is as essential as the military drilling for the purpose of engaging in battle. The principle of empowerment includes accountability, which cannot be applied without pain. Monetary grants should be reserved for pensioners, no longer expected to account for anything.
- Reject dependency: The idea of receiving, whether from government or from international donors, should be regarded as anathema to empowerment and rejected as such. True indigenization is not ownership for its own sake, but the creation of value that elevates the nation. The person who gives is the one who is empowered, where the one who receives would be disempowered.
The path forward necessitates courage and a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. All revered individuals have made substantial sacrifices to attain the qualities admired by their followers. Zimbabwe’s youth must recognise that empowerment is not a bestowed gift but a duty—one that requires constructing rather than pleading. This entails discarding the mindset of prioritising receiving and embracing an unwavering commitment to giving. Only through such a shift can indigenisation pave the way for genuine liberation.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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