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Morris Mpala, MoB Capital Ltd
WE need to have an economic society that nurtures individuals to the best of their natural ability.

Otherwise, we create a resentful, vengeful, deceitful community with nothing to lose and they will bring down those that have no qualms in their nefarious activities.

The economic inequality gap has to be addressed as a matter of urgency because sense of it’s “our monies” will consume those with nothing to lose and destroy anything anyone they think acquired wealth in an unorthodox manner.

A people with nothing to lose is cancerous.

A community with nothing to lose is a ticking time bomb.

A generation with nothing to lose is a curse not to themselves but to the next generation as well.

A culture of having nothing to lose destabilises economies and stability of communities and paranoid tendencies erodes trust and confidence among economic stakeholders.

A person without anything to lose is disaster waiting to happen and a weapon(s) of mass destruction.

Public sector salary inequality
The unjustified salaries gap between the highest and lowest paid in the public sector is causing corruption.

The lower bracket feel neglected, cheated and thus would do anything to augment their incomes even to the detriment of their existing employment.

We cannot continue to ignore the gap which has affected the economy in the grand scheme of  things.

It creates saboteurs of the system as they feel they are sub employees and thus a dysfunctional system is created to the detriment of the economic wheels.

This has led to abuse of office and abuse of Government resources to a malfunctioning economy at large.

Private sector inequality
Thus has seen in some cases where physical confrontation has ensued, work stoppages, destruction of property in trying to send displeasure of the gap between top employees and lower employees in companies.

Buy-ins has become difficult and thus production has been affected.

When change is being implemented, the resistance to change from lower levels is frightening.

There is the “us” and “them” mentality and sabotage towards efficient and effective systems is rampant.

In such instances, employees bring down the company through theft, lackadaisical towards work, rumour mongering, absenteeism and just disharmony.

Unjustified prices
When price of goods/services are on the up with disregard to affordability and justification it is a recipe for disaster.

Consumers will feel they are being punished and could vent their frustrations on the retailers and or withdraw their buying power altogether.

For service providers, a lot of debts will show as customers feel they have nothing to lose if they do not settle their obligations as it was not fair in the first instance.

If its financial institutions, it will show by none-performing loans and a lot of litigations which are symptoms of a warped economy with skewed fundamentals.

Marginalisation
Benefits derived by virtue of gender have been affecting women for a long time.

Gender-based marginalisation has created huge inequalities between sexes.

Community-based deprivation of locals will one day create a catastrophe that will bring down economic activities in these areas.

Rewarding mediocrity
When we celebrate incompetency and reward non performance, we are assured that one day those that feel they deserved those posts will bring the incumbents down as they have nothing to lose.

Gender biases
When we empower one gender at the expense of the other, we create an inequality that will come to haunt us in the future.

We have deliberately ignored the boy child and advanced the girl child and the boy child grows up with hate and resentment.

It will be a matter of time before he brings down that which he believes has been disadvantaging him.

It will show in abusive tendencies, violations of the law as if the bring down the other gender and the system that he believes impoverished him.

Affirmative action
To the previously marginalised and offer equal opportunities to all going forward.

Let’s share resources, power, wealth, focus, and influence in a fair and just manner.

Performance-based compensation to award the best talent, the best benefits.

Set minimum wages and introduce social protection programmes.

Campaign and implement financial literacy, financial/political/spiritual/racial /physical inclusion strategies.

Minority integration into main stream activities.

Gender mainstreaming to bring marginalised gender into mainstream economy.

Conscious united and practical approach to address the differences identified above.

Conducive environment that gives equal opportunities to gender, communities and individuals in any system so that they realise their potential based on their natural ability to harness their opportunities.

The need to fully implement policies that incorporate social initiatives into the operations of the economic actors is vital.

Deliberate policies that uplift the communities in which companies operate in will go a long way in alleviating poverty in these areas.

Developing sustainable model not just freebies goes a long way in creating a strategic environment for business to operate in without any antagonistically tendencies from the hoi polloi in those coordinates.

It requires emotional intelligence to see that future lies in operating with the Government and the surrounding people in mind to realise more profits and safeguard interests for the long term.

Ubuntu dictates that it is no longer about put profits only, but the people and the environment.

Explore the Community Share Ownership Trusts in a sustainable manner to all stakeholders for a win-win relationship.

Sharing is caring, we need to think of each other for us to grow.

And when you make it, raise those around you in the community to the best of their ability to protect your economic gains.

Suffice to say, each player has to play their part from private individuals, Government to economic actors and or other entities operating in our communities.

Together we remain winning.

IF YOU LIVE IN BULAWAYO PLEASE CONSERVE WATER
IF YOU LIVE IN ZIMBABWE PLEASE USE ELECTRICITY SPARINGLY SWITCH OFF SWITCHES (SOS)
IF YOU LIVE ON PLANET EARTH PLEASE PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT

Morris Mpala is the managing director of MoB Capital Limited, a micro-finance institution with footprint across the country.