Skip to main content

Corruption

Yeah I said it!

I feel we in Africa have lost the plot in our fight to ensure the lives of all improve. Yeah there is a lot of corruption at the higher end of the social spectrum. Presidents and ministers do steal a lot, but the most damaging corruption is that which does not allow the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive. That is:
1. the customs officer that creates rigid barriers so he can be bribed at the boarder.
2. The police officer who creates problems for you at a road block as you try to deliver your wares.
3. The immigration officer who wants a bribe to stamp the passport even though you qualify for the visa.

These crimes stifle our nations and keep us poor. Why does it continue unabated, you may ask? Well our leaders are so busy politicking, holidaying and stealing they do not have time to deal with anything else. That and the fact they cannot stop the small theft provides cover for the big theft.

How do we stop it? Well discipline by us who pay for services is the key. We have to as a society look down upon such vices. If some one is caught stealing they must resign and face prosecution. IF they refuse to resign, they must be fired. IF they are not fired, we must demand those that are responsible for firing to step down. if they refuse we fire them through the ballot. This is the only way we can effect change. We get the leaders we deserve.

Nuff said

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DEALING WITH DEBT

As an entrepreneur forced into business I have learnt over a short period that our mindset has to be very different to those of others. I will over the next few weeks try to start to focus my blog in a personal way so maybe someone can learn from my experiences. It is my hope that in sharing my experiences with you I too may learn from those who are generous enough to comment with your own views. I will begin with Debt.... 1. Debt is like a drug- *Banks are the drug dealers When beginning a business, you major financing will come from within your close spheres and yourself. Cash is usually tight; and those that lend or invest will do so because of the personal relationship of the entrepreneur ( more than the business itself). As you begin to grow the business and establish a track record, the more established sources of finance will seek to finance you. Be weary of this sudden interest in your business. In Africa, most financial institutions do not tak...
Post a Comment
Read more

Civil Service Reform

Let me begin with this. I am not against civil service. There are many examples of excellence by civil servants working hard for the country. In many cases these civil servants work for little pay and are often not recognized for the work they do. All too often the guys excelling in very difficult circumstances are overlooked for political and/or personal reasons. However, lets be real, these guys are in the minority. At least over the last 8 years. I begin looking at civil service reform because of the size and effects on the economy. Depending on which source you believe Zimbabwe's GDP sits at between $7.3 billion to $14 billion. So if that is the case the amount of money consumed by government is anything from 30%-50% of GDP. Such a statistic is very worrying. Let me put it in a simpler understanding. If you make a dollar, government will consume between 30 to 50% of that. This does not encourage enterprise nor does it encourage investment. This is what government should...
Post a Comment
Read more

A begining to Financial Literacy- things to remember

Good Morning this wonderful Monday! Another opportunity to get to those targets set again. Today I want to talk about financial literacy. Financial literacy simply put is understanding how money works. I believe financial illiteracy is the reason behind many enterprises destruction, as the owners in the good times never prepare for bad times resulting in the death of the business at its first real stress. I have been following presentations by many entrepreneurs in Zambia, Zimbabwe and SA. In those presentations, what they have in common, they highlight financial indiscipline and failure to understand money as a key destroyer of not only businesses but also individual wealth. How many stories have you heard of that guy who used to be rich and fell on hard times and never got back? In Africa, I belive financial intelligence and literacy is much more important than the rest of the world as we don't have the support institutions that incubate support and assist wealth...
Post a Comment
Read more