I am not an economist, but the challenges facing the Zimbabwean economy disturb me. Being a woman, wife and mother, I think the importance of property ownership rights can best be explained from a gender paradigm. You may question this nexus but I insist this is key to unlocking Zimbabwe’s economic development. While complex economic strategies exist; mine is an analogy which when applied and understood, Zimbabwe can recover from high risk perception, confidence deficit and deflation.

Zimbabwe has made several calls for SMEs to boost the country’s revenue, advocated national debt relief, and possible return of the Zim dollar among a myriad of strategies. The business community has not been spared. Recently, a delegation led by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries toured Europe attempting to unlock the investor confidence in Zimbabwe. One of the major concerns raised by EU members was the Indigenization and Empowerment Policy. We can make a thousand trips to Europe, make new policy announcements but as long as the basics influencing business activity are not addressed, all efforts amount to nothing. The basics influencing and affecting business activity can best be explained through the-woman-wife-mother analogy.

Motherhood and Property Ownership Rights

As a mother, I have a strong biological, natural and genuine attachment to my two sons. From birth I took care of them diligently with love and affection. My wish then was to make sure they grow up comfortably and free from harm. I remember how I became restless the moment one of them fell sick; insisting that he should be taken to the doctor. My husband at times felt it was unnecessary and that I was overly sensitive. All I wanted was for my boys to grow into fine adults. I would fight anything that interfered with this vision. I did not want to see them hurt or out of sight.

I narrate this everyday story of a mother’s plight so that one appreciates the importance of ‘ownership.’ Your property is like your child. You are committed to see it grow; flourish and you always wish the best for it. You will go out of your way to protect it from danger.Do you ever imagine the thought of losing your business or property? The thought of waking up and being told that your business has been given to someone else who has no emotional and ‘labour’ attachment to that business? That person is bound to abuse it because he does not understand how everything got to be where it is. He has a zero connection with the business. The person has no mother and child umbilical bond with the business or property and thus will not put much effort to ensure its survival. The person is not fully equipped with the proper times for diaper change or ‘established trends in the business’ that might need to be changed.

The best person to look after a business is its ‘mother.’ The rest are mere pretenders wanting to abuse the child (business) or simply benefit. This explains the corruption in our institutions, simply because they are not ‘owned’ by anyone. We need society that teaches us to create and innovate competitive businesses. The policy of expropriation has created a Zimbabwean who shamelessly takes away. Corruption is a result of that culture.

Wifehood

As a wife, I remember the first days I moved in with my husband; how I rearranged everything from the bedroom to the garden. I made sure that everything was tidy and met my expectations. Over the years, I continue to spruce up the image of my home. I do all this because I feel that my husband’s home is my mine to make good. I also make sure my husband dresses smart and is well fed, because is mine. If he was not mine, I do not think I would have bothered. When you feel you own something, you go out of your way to protect and develop it.

Businesses are like spousal relations which bloom when they feel secure and comfortable. If you want to see a woman’s worst aspects, cheat on her or violate her. All smiles evaporate. She won’t care about how the home looks - behaviour typical of business operations. Business needs security. It blossoms in secure environments. Volatility is an enemy of business. We can claim anything about the Zimbabwean economy, but without secure property and ownership rights, we will continue to toil because of our failure to address this business principle.  The moment you scorn property and ownership, remember how a woman enraged behaves!

Before I became a wife, I went out of my way to be attractive. To me, this is what Zimbabwe needs - to be attractive for investment. It needs to look at how it deters its investor courtship overtures, be it politics or policies. Besides the looks, a woman is attractive because of her demeanor. Zimbabwe needs to speak in a manner that attracts, that creates interest in her and by so doing rejuvenate business interest. Unfortunately, the way Zimbabwe speaks repels potential ‘suitors.’ The Zimbabwe-speak in media and legislation portrays a scary volatile repulsive zombie.

Respect for ownership, investor security remains key in unlocking Zimbabwean business activity. Our current policies do not encourage respect of property rights. We need to undergo a creative destruction process, destroying old economic structures (which do not respect property rights) with new ones. This is important because we inherited an extractive colonial economic system, which was meant to create wealth for a minority. ‘Indigenization’ opens avenues only for the politically connected.  The poor remain subjugated. Zimbabwe needs to move from extractive to inclusive economic institutions that encourage private property, uphold contracts, create a level playing field and encourage and allow free entry of new businesses.

By Fungisai Sithole

Chief of Staff of the Movement for Democratic Change.

Zimbabwe.