When I relocated back to Zimbabwe in 2003, the ZANUPF Government refused to allow me to practise journalism in Zim because I was working with the BBC. Stuck in Harare, I had two options, to go back to England where I had spent the last 9 years studying and working, or staying put in Harare. I chose to stay, but without a journalism job, I had to make a plan. I became one of the biggest mobile phone suppliers in Zimbabwe, importing mobile phones from London and supplying mobile phone shops and even networks like Econet and NetOne. I used to fly to London three or four times every month, I was loyal to Air Zimbabwe which flew 3 or 4 times a week to London. The route was very productive and financially viable for Air Zimbabwe, but as usual, ZANUPF destroyed not only the airline’s London route’s productivity, it also hired incompetent managers to run the airline. Sometimes Robert Mugabe would just take the plane for his own use and a flight would be cancelled, or a direct flight from Harare to London would be diverted to another destination that he was going to, and we would be downgraded from Business Class to Economy to accommodate the old git. My mobile phone operations required me to be in Manchester or London by appointment because the mobile phone suppliers there were failing to meet demand, so it was a first come first served basis but by appointment. If you missed your slot, you would have to wait in London with screaming customers in Harare waiting. Unlike in other countries where I have done this business, Zimbabwe didn’t have a working banking system which I could use to wire money and get the product send to me without having to fly there. I literally lived on the Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767 planes, the flight crew were now my second family. Today it hurts me to see this airline dead, many families who relied on it for work are starving and our national pride gone. Unlike my path where I relied on adaptability and resourcefulness navigating challenges thrown at me by the ZANUPF regime, not many could manage the complexities of the airline’s disruptions. Many businesses that relied on the existence of the airline folded. I was able to develop a successful mobile phone business in the absence of a stable banking system with the assistance of the airline. My professional path evolved in unexpected ways, but I wouldn’t have made it without Air Zimbabwe. I won a British Government Chevening Scholarship in 2006 which took me back to London to read documentary filmmaking and with that, my journalism career moved from radio to television joining Britain’s ITV News. But not many entrepreneurs had the luxury of winning scholarships and going back to their traditional careers like I did, many collapsed without the services of the airline. I was lucky to be one of the pioneers of this “cross border” mobile phone bulky supplier trade. Econet and other big mobile phone suppliers needed phones to put in their shops, but they were selling in Zim Dollars as mandated by the law, and the central bank couldn’t give them foreign exchange. So people like myself became the middlemen taking the burden of looking for foreign exchange on the streets, selling the product to the big companies in Zim Dollars and going back on the streets again for more forex. We kept Zimbabweans talking thanks to the availability of Air Zimbabwe, sadly that route died years ago. This story is not just about Air Zimbabwe, it is also a message to the youths about a testament to resilience and resourcefulness and overcoming challenges in a complex environment. The intertwining of my business success with the rise and fall of Air Zimbabwe and how crucial the airline was for facilitating my mobile phone business and supporting other entrepreneurs is the reason why we continue calling for change. We have traveled many paths and we know that with the right environment, many will prosper. But meanwhile, keep looking for opportunities created by the mess!

There are two types of conversations that are happening in Zimbabwe and in the world, the James Manyika/Strive Masiyiwa type of conversation, and the Emmerson Mnangagwa/Uerbert Angel type of conversation. You have to chose the conversation that you want for your life and your family, many have made those choices already, and they are self evident in their lives. My father taught me to make choices that will outlive me, and that will be celebrated by future generations. Which conversation do you think is meaningful to you and Zimbabwe between these two conversations, and which conversation do you want your kids and yourself to be part of between these two? RETWEET for Strive and James. LIKE for Emmerson and Uerbert