19/07/2026
Thank you for the compliment, but I must correct you. I did not inherit money or property from my father or mother when they passed away. The only property I inherited from them was our village home because, in our culture, the village home is inherited by the last-born male child. I am the last-born male child, so that is what I inherited, and I have had to renovate and maintain it, then create and run a business there.
The best thing that ever happened to me was not inheritance because there was none. The best thing that happened to me was education. I trained as a journalist in Zimbabwe, went on to earn two master’s degrees in England, and later completed fellowships at the University of Oxford and Harvard University.
That education opened doors to good jobs, international opportunities, and a career that has taken me around the world. That is what changed my life, not inherited wealth.
In fact, I am just like many ordinary Zimbabweans. I am the first person in my family to go to university. I am the first to break what many call the cycle of poverty. Everything I have achieved has come through education, hard work, sacrifice, and making long-term decisions rather than chasing short-term gratification.
I also think many people make the mistake of believing that you have to be extremely rich to own a nice house. You do not. What you need are the right priorities and the right financial decisions.
Ironically, many people think nothing of taking out a vehicle loan worth over a million rand, yet they are terrified of taking out a mortgage for a home. A car is almost guaranteed to depreciate in value, while a well-chosen property often appreciates over time. Your home is not just somewhere to live, it is an investment that can build wealth for future generations.
My first home was purchased through a mortgage. When I eventually sold it, I made a substantial profit, and that equity helped me buy other properties. That is how wealth is built for many ordinary people around the world. It is rarely built overnight. It is built one good decision at a time.
The tragedy is that many Zimbabweans have been beaten down by decades of economic collapse to the point where they no longer believe opportunities exist. Years of hardship have conditioned people to think that owning property or building wealth is only for the privileged. It is not.
That is precisely why I always say that if life is not working for you in Zimbabwe, leave if you have the opportunity. Go and acquire skills, education, experience, and financial stability elsewhere. There is no shame in seeking a better future.
Had I spent my entire life in Zimbabwe without leaving for Britain in 1994, I would probably still be at ZBC, perhaps believing, like many do, that someone of my background could never own a beautiful home.
Exposure changes your thinking. Education changes your thinking. Travelling changes your thinking. They show you possibilities that you never imagined existed.
Some of the comments I have seen ask how I can own a house worth about US$240,000. I find that remarkable because I am a 55-year-old multi-award-winning international journalist whose most recent international award alone came with a cash prize of US$250,000.
If people cannot imagine someone with my career owning a house of that value, it says far more about how deeply we have been conditioned to accept suffering than it does about me.
We have become so accustomed to hardship that success now appears suspicious. We have normalised poverty to such an extent that when someone succeeds through education, hard work, and perseverance, many assume there must be something sinister behind it. That is one of the greatest tragedies of our society.
Ultimately, your circumstances do not have to define your future. You can choose to believe that you were born to suffer, or you can decide that your present circumstances will not dictate where your story ends. That choice, more often than not, begins with education, disciplined decision-making, and the courage to pursue opportunities wherever they may exist.
Sadly, many of our people make excuses to justify their bad decision making history.
