Editorial Comment

The recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit held in Zimbabwe is done and dusted. The question is; what are we in Zimbabwe left holding for today and tomorrow’s development? SADC is a development organ formed by southern African leaders to spearhead networking and development at a regional level. Going down from the Southern African Development Community what we then need to see locally is the Zimbabwe Development Community (ZDC). This would be Zimbabwean nationals coming together as a community to develop their country. Development begins at home. Regional efforts are there to bolster what is happening and could happen in the region. Zimbabweans, therefore should be seen to be united enough to form a community that diligently works on developing itself as a country.
Looking at Zimbabwe the truth is that it is still a divided country and this is one of the issues that is hampering development. Yes, you might have the needed resources to develop but without unity you will be found to be limping on the road. As they say, divided we fall, united we stand. So the divided Zimbabwe is consequently on a free fall and will currently find it difficult to achieve meaningful development. The polarisation that is evident in the country definitely pulls people apart. A single matchstick you can easily break, a bunch you will never break. Zimbabweans need to be a bunch of matchsticks that no one can break. This way development will be made easier.
After recently pouring in millions of US Dollars in refurbishing and putting up new infrastructure we might have succeeded in presenting a beautiful capital city to SADC dignitaries and other visitors. But that was only for a short period. As a country we should have taken more pains and invested in showing that as Zimbabweans we are beautifully united. However what the visitors witnessed was a divided people who have been divided for a very long time and do not show any signs that they are making serious efforts to be united. A nation does not just develop in terms of its economy and infrastructure, a nation needs to also develop in terms of its good human relationships.