South Africa

Everyday when I wake up I usually go through the day with a certain amount of faith, hope and trust. Faith that the day will be pretty much predictable and I can easily go about my business. Hope that I will experience something better than the previous day. And trust that my fellow human beings are good natured.

This trust led me to board a bus recently to Zimbabwe from South Africa. I felt safe because, to most people, boarding a bus feels safer than getting into a private car with strangers.

As we were leaving the South African side an official came into the bus with a fierce look that commanded respect. Being a tall and well-built man, together with a pistol by his belt, we immediately produced our passports for inspection. As he came to my seat, the man sitting next to me then told the official he didn’t have a passport. I thought there was no way the South African official would leave this issue. I was ready for action that would see this guy getting off the bus and being handed over to the police. But alas! The drivers had already ensured that the six passangers on the bus without passports would cross at ease.

The scary part was that I had no idea who this person sitting next to me was. When I looked at him my mind could see the resemblance with other people in his mind. I had no idea why this man didn’t have a passport and my mind did not spare me the thought that this man could in fact be a murderer or a rapist who is crisscrossing between the two countries.

This experience made me realise that when we talk of corruption it’s not just with our national leaders but it is also happening with the masses. People always want to give the excuse that their salaries are not enough hence they have no choice but to go with the system. Be it at the border, taking a driving test or when trying to get a new passport. What they do not realise is that money will never be enough. That is why there is corruption even at higher levels. I may not have the answers but one thing I know is that for us to have a better nation our value system needs to be upgraded. I am reminded of the words of Francois de La Rochefoucauld;

“The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to acquire it.”

Our society has become one where most people believe that the end justifies the means but that is sadly the beginning of moral decay. If only all men sought to live lives of honour and integrity, it would definitely make Zimbabwe a better place.