MOYO TJEDU
The third case of suicide within the third week of lockdown hit me differently. It inspired me to share my thoughts using this article. Suicide has become a common case amongst young people and reasons vary according to how they were feeling at that particular time. The sad thing about suicidal thoughts is that they numb everything in you, it’s an automatic emotional drain, and humans operate best when emotions are at play. This clearly indicates that when depression locks in, every other good thought, good feeling is locked out.
When I look back to the good old days, mental health has been a cause for concern across the country, high rates of drug abuse, suicide and crime rate indicate that. However, situations that are beyond the control of anyone like the COVID-19 pandemic hit young people differently especially in my country Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is like a crawling baby such that the minor disruptions to the politics, economics and social way of life generally take a lot from people. The pandemic however brings about change that requires mature thinking, planning and coordination of one’s life, business and family savings. This requires some emotional strength. Life skills such as problem solving, communication and stress management come in handy during such times as one is constantly fighting thoughts of looming loses, draining of food reserves, school fees, debt and even the official re opening of the economy itself.
One major thing that makes this hard is that Zimbabwe’s banking system has not been very stable and reliable since the early years https://www.thezimbabwean.co/2016/05/10-fundamental-causes-of-the-financial-crisis-in-zimbabwe/. Depositing money in the bank is done at one’s own risk as you could want the money months later and find that it’s not there, actually, cash inflows into the banks have been low due to corruption, money laundering and the circulation of foreign currency within the country. The nation recently introduced Foreign Currency accounts (FCA) which are honestly not very reliable too. Small businesses suffer the most because most of their merchandise is imported from countries like South Africa, China, Botswana and Zambia whose boarders are currently closed. World economies are not promising to open boarders anytime soon and meanwhile inflation is eroding money at home. Eventually, most young people own small businesses and this is their hot charcoal to manage.
In 2008, when unemployment rates rose, Zimbabweans resorted to informal trading, the underground economy became the major source of income for most households as people started selling shoes, clothes (Khothama markets), beauty products, phones, accessories etc. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—africa/—ro-abidjan/—sro-harare/documents/statement/wcms_227249.pdf Most young people took that opportunity to be their own bosses and invade all markets, which became a very clever, successful move.
However, the covid-19 pandemic has introduced the world to very strict measures of social distancing, hygiene and public safety with protective clothing included. City councils have noted with concern how those informal trading spots are not very safe for the fight against the novel coronavirus. The biggest clothing market (Khothama) https://www.zimeye.net/2020/03/27/bulawayo-city-council-wastes-no-time-in-closing-informal-markets/ in Bulawayo was recently shut for good. This was unexpected and young people suffer the most again.
Most University students do small errands during semester breaks to supplement their school fees, lunch and clothes. These come better when all sectors are open for business, some even work during the day and go to school at night. Days have however been reduced to 7 hours which is 9am to 3pm and that highly affects the hustlers. The introduction of online learning is the hardest reality to swallow and accept with continuously rising data charges. When days are normal, University students usually hang around campus or libraries to finish schoolwork, download resources and read at home, unfortunately at a time when the free Wi-Fi is needed the most, local network service providers, specifically Econet, the most followed, increased tariffs again and life becomes less and less bearable https://www.myzimbabwe.co.zw/technology/48835-breaking-econet-wireless-increases-data-charges-see-new-prices.html .
However, in as much as the young people have been hugely affected by the pandemic, they say every cloud has a silver lining. Some people have gotten their power back in the market. A clever young person will identify gaps in the market and focus on covering them. There is also a great need to take time and draw up business plans, focus on new adventures and figure out how markets for their specific innovation work. The Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) has shown massive support by releasing a relief fund for all youth owned enterprises https://www.zimeye.net/2020/04/25/kirsty-coventry-unveils-zwl17-million-youth-relief-fund/ . This comes in handy and also indicates that the state appreciates young people and wishes them good in all that they do.
Suicide is not an answer to anything and in as much as things are tough and look all doomed, young people should realize that every dog has its day and nothing lasts forever. This could also be a great time to do some self-introspection. There is still enough time for young people to identify who they are, who they want to be, where they are going and if they are still on the right track. Things will eventually go back to normal, there is light ate the end of the tunnel.
Tjedu Buhle Moyo 