SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

Tendai Ruben Mbofana’s Version Of Feminism Still Polices Women’s Choices

If I could pick one article that reveals the deep contradictions of contemporary gender discourse, it is Tendai Ruben Mbofana’s recent piece, “Can it truly be called empowerment if women still believe their worth lies in pleasing men’s desires?” Upon the first glance, it has all the markings of a serious intervention. That is, the concern for women’s liberation, the lament for a culture enslaved … Continue reading Tendai Ruben Mbofana’s Version Of Feminism Still Polices Women’s Choices

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo2 Comments
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

Compulsory Paternity DNA Testing at Birth is Not the Solution to Zimbabwe’s GBV Woes

When a child is born, the world should pause. In that fragile moment between first cry and first touch, something larger than science occurs. Trust. A mother’s body, a father’s presence, a family’s breath converging in relief and joy. That is the ceremony of life, one that does not need certification or laboratory confirmation. To replace that moment with a swab and a form, to … Continue reading Compulsory Paternity DNA Testing at Birth is Not the Solution to Zimbabwe’s GBV Woes

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo3 Comments
NOISY TRUTHS, REALITY BITES

The Outrage over Social Work Exams Is Embarrassing For The Profession

The announcement that Zimbabwe’s social workers will soon be required to sit for a licensing examination has been met with loud protests. On social media, the mood has been indignant. Graduates ask why they should face another exam after years of university study. Others suspect the Council of Social Workers is overreaching. Yet much of this outrage feels misplaced when seen in the wider context … Continue reading The Outrage over Social Work Exams Is Embarrassing For The Profession

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment
REFLECTION SUNDAY

The Gospel According to Honorable Wiwa Sikhala

There are moments in politics when words reveal far more than they were meant to. Job “Wiwa” Sikhala, once tortured and humiliated at the hands of state agents, now finds some undivided attention from me for different reasons. A photograph of the retired Assistant Commissioner Crispen Makedenge, frail and visibly diminished, was enough to trigger Sikhala’s sermon in a post on X. He declared that … Continue reading The Gospel According to Honorable Wiwa Sikhala

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment
MIND, MYTH AND MADNESS

Everyone Pretends They Don’t Do This. You Do Too.

We all deny it. We laugh it off, roll our eyes, pretend we’re immune. But the truth is simpler and uglier: everyone checks. The likes. The views. The comments. The tiny digital crumbs that tell us whether anyone is paying attention. We cloak it in excuses. “I just want to see if people are engaging.” “I’m checking for feedback.” But underneath the jargon is a … Continue reading Everyone Pretends They Don’t Do This. You Do Too.

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry Nhamo2 Comments
MIND, MYTH AND MADNESS

The Crowd Is Always Wrong

Follow the crowd, they said. It’ll keep you safe, they said. And here we are: a civilization built on the whispering echo of bad ideas passed hand to hand, like a cheap cigarette that no one dares refuse. The crowd doesn’t think. It imitates. It congratulates itself for being busy while it drifts toward calamity with all the grace of a drunk in a revolving … Continue reading The Crowd Is Always Wrong

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment
Prompt

Envy

What positive emotion do you feel most often? Every damn morning, envy drags me by the collar.It’s a shove.Sharp, unrelenting.It sees life through a pair of headlights, bulb broken, and still cares enough to point. I scroll.I compare.It’s less about admiration and more like a court summons: “Look at this life. Yours could be this. Or else.” Envy’s no saint.It’s a dockworker hauling the shit … Continue reading Envy

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment
REALITY BITES

It’s Poverty Professor Mapfumo and Not a Plot

At the recently held University of Zimbabwe 44th graduation ceremony, Professor Paul Mapfumo stood before graduates, dignitaries, and the President. He insisted that his “transformation agenda” would not be derailed by those he claims are launching sustained attacks on him and his administration. It was a dramatic line for a graduation ceremony, but also a misplaced one. For no one is plotting against him. No … Continue reading It’s Poverty Professor Mapfumo and Not a Plot

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment
REALITY BITES

Why This Year’s UZ Graduates Might Struggle Abroad

The University of Zimbabwe’s graduation this year unfolded with all the usual fanfare. Families travelled from across the country to see their children receive caps and gowns. Students smiled for the cameras, speeches were made, and the air was thick with pride. Yet beneath the celebration, there was an unease that would not vanish with the tossing of mortarboards. This was not an ordinary graduation. … Continue reading Why This Year’s UZ Graduates Might Struggle Abroad

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment
SYSTEMS ON TRIAL

Zimbabwe Air Travel Stuck in the Slow Lane

Earlier Fastjet announced an inaugural flight between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls — four flights a week. Their new Bulawayo–Victoria Falls service is a win. It takes a five-hour, pothole-ridden road trip and turns it into under an hour in the air. The air distance is about 364 kilometres, and a one-way ticket can be found for around USD 135.00, sometimes less on promotion. That should … Continue reading Zimbabwe Air Travel Stuck in the Slow Lane

Unknown's avatarKumbirai Thierry NhamoLeave a comment