Lessons from Zimbabwe: Remove corrupt leaders; don’t be blinded by liberation myths or apartheid‑return fears

A leading Zimbabwean social justice advocate has issued a stark warning to South Africans: do not let liberation credentials or historical sacrifice blind you to corruption and mismanagement by those in power. Speaking to BizNews, Tendai Ruben Mbofana also urged South Africans not to be swayed by unfounded fears that removing failing leaders could somehow bring back apartheid. He described Zimbabwe’s collapse - with unemployment above 90%, most young people surviving through informal trade, and nearly half the population living in extreme poverty - as the direct result of leaders treating the country as their personal property. While citizens suffer, he said, those in charge flaunt their wealth. His own son, he noted, has never seen a passenger train. Mbofana cautions that Zimbabwe’s decline didn’t happen overnight, and South Africa is not immune. It’s up to the people to hold leaders to account.

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