What is the Zimbabwean dream?

It is about time that Zimbabweans state clearly what their Zimbabwean dream is so that Zimbabwean politicians know excatly what they are expected to deliver. We might expect the politicians to use their common sense but then what you might call common sense might not be so common to some politicians who because of an exaggerated sense of self-importance and complacency have alienated themselves from the masses and lost touch with the needs of ordinary Zimbabweans. I am a down-to-earth Zimbabwean myself and I mingle and mix with Zimbabweans of all classes and know the kind of life that Zimbabweans dream of, so hopefully this article is going to represent most Zimbabweans' dreams, if not all.

The Zimbabwean dream is living a free and peaceful life, a comfortable life with no lack and a life in which one can reach his/her full potential and his/her professional contribution to the country is appreciated and justly rewarded.

The ability to live a free and peaceful life is of paramount importance to Zimbabweans who happen to be a peace-loving people and are happy when they are given the freedom to say what they think and feel as well as the freedom to protest any injustice peacefully. Zimbabweans would be happy if they are free to complain and the press is free to report the leaders' indiscretions, corruption and misdeeds without fear of being jailed and experiencing the pathetic, inhumane conditions in the Zimbabwean cells. In other words Zimbabweans want a life in which their human right freedoms are respected. At the moment their human rights are being suppressed by the Zimbabwean Police which is using the unconstitutional oppressive laws, POSA and AIPPA to charge them if they try to express themselves politically.

The ability to be able to be successful and afford a comfortable life of plenty is what Zimbabweans long for. They want to be able to buy a comfortable three-bedroomed house in an area of their choice using their salary to pay up the mortgage. Zimbabweans want to be able to buy cars, through installments so that their standard of living can be raised to the level of that in South Africa which allows its citizens to enjoy the convenience of a car as long as they produce a payslip that shows that they can afford the monthly instalments of the car that they want. Zimbabweans want to lead a comfortable life with no food and medicine shortages or shortages of any kind as well as no electricity and water cuts. They want to lead lives in which they have more than enough so that they can be able to provide everything that their children need as well as support their extended families. At the moment most Zimbabweans can not afford to take a mortgage to buy a house and they can only buy their cars with cash and most ordinary Zimbabweans can not afford to save the cash needed to buy a car. Poverty eats the lives of most Zimbabweans and electricity and power cuts are an everyday experience.

A life in which one can reach his/her full potential and his/her professional contribution to the country is appreciated and justly rewarded is what Zimbabweans want. A Zimbabwean life that has laws, policies and a culture that promotes the growth of each and every citizen without any limitations so that they reach their full potential. The economic, political and social environment in Zimbabwe should be such that there is no limit to what a Zimbabwean citizen can accomplish in Zimbabwe. It should be such that Zimbabweans have the confidence that they can ultimately reach their dreams if they work towards achieving those dreams. Zimbabwean professionals want to be appreciated in their own country and given the due respect that they deserve as well as be given remuneration which is consistent with their education and which sets them apart from the uneducated street-smarts.
At the moment Zimbabweans are being limited from reaching their full potential by the economic and political situation in the country that makes it impossible for most of them to grow. Most ordinary Zimbabweans are getting a monthly salary of US$100,00 and that is not enough for them to afford to upgrade themselves. Education, which is the only legacy that the not so well-to-do can give their children has become so low in standard because of demotivated, underpaid teachers and lecturers which means that the growth of most children to reach their full potential is being nipped in the bud.

As long as the Zimbawean politicians do not ensure the fulfillment of this Zimbabwean dream for its citizens, Zimbabweans will continue to immigrate to other countries where this dream can be realised and those in the diaspora will not come back home. If Morgan Tsvangirai knew this he wouldn't have urged Zimbabweans in the diaspora to come back before he has the resources to deliver the Zimbabwean dream to them. This goes to show how the fake power and money that comes with being the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe has made him myopic.