Is black tax real?
An uncle in need of an emergent treatment. An untimely death in the family. A cousin who is now on her third marriage, leaves behind children from past failed marriages with the grandmother. These are familiar African stories.
In the absence of adequate social protection frameworks particularly which are government sponsored and spearheaded, the role to feed and fend for the economically vulnerable family members lies with the economically advantaged within the family.
The aunt in USA will be the first to be informed of a funeral despite being thousands of miles away from home, proximity does not matter, the pouch does. The uncle engineer has to take care of his deceased brother’s children, he has to balance between his immediate family needs and those of the extended family. We are always debating whether the benevolent uncle is obliged to send the adopted children to same schools and universities with his own children. With limited resources, whose children should get priority?
Between January and July 2020, approximately US$466.2 million was remitted into Zimbabwe, a 33% jump from 2019 figure of US$349.7 million according to the Central Bank. Whilst the government celebrates the growth in remittances as a sign of increased confidence in the local economy, the deteriorating economic environment has left those outside the country with no choice but to send more money to support families back home.
At the beginning of 2020, Zimbabwe was already food insecure as we were already dealing with a drought year, then came the Covid-19 induced lockdown. Businesses closed, the informally employed were the most hit, the government promised people cushion allowances which never came.
According to World Food Program, 7.7 million Zimbabweans are food insecure, 90% of youths are unemployed, 68% are informally employed. 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora are supporting 13 million Zimbabweans back home, queues at Mukuru and Western Union are a testament that black tax is real. Young professional people often complain that due to incessant SOS calls from home, they are failing to save, invest and build up generational wealth.
TYPES OF BLACK TAX
First Born
By virtue of being the eldest in the family, first born children usually assume the role of family leaders and decision makers. Key decisions which usually come attached with significant financial and material burdens are made by first born children.
First Child
First child to go to university, first child to be a Chartered Accountant or Doctor, first child to go to United Kingdom. I call it the “pioneer curse”, when the whole clan expects you to be their bridge from poverty to prosperity.
Unpaid Debts
“We sent you to school when your parents died”, “We sacrificed everything for you”. These are gratitude debts which will never be expungeable till the day you die.
Moral Persuasion
“Why do you need all that money for someone who is still single?”, “This house is too big for you and your wife”, “Why do you need 3 cars when your brother is using public transport?”. By attacking your conscience, they try to make you feel guilty of your successes using their failures.
Subtle Threats
“One day you will look for us”, “If we are not happy, your life will not progress”. Because of fear of the unknown, we end up giving in to the demands of the family.
THE OTHER VIEW
HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Zimbabwe
Between 1985 and 2005, a quarter of the Zimbabwean adult population got infected with HIV/AIDS. According to National AIDS Council, at peak Zimbabwe recorded approximately 160 000 deaths in one year alone, 2002. By the end of year 2003, 980 000 children had lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.
The Zimbabwean economy paid a huge price losing millions of skilled and educated people to HIV/AIDS and most of them who were breadwinners. If you grew up this era you would remember how funerals became frequent in both rural areas and high density suburbs. The Anti-Retroviral Drugs were only introduced in Zimbabwe in 2003, but the damage had already been done.
We have a generation of orphans amongst us. The role of looking after the orphans was left to aunties and grandparents with the assistance of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Black tax and NGOs saved a generation that could have ended up in the streets of Zimbabwe.
Rural to Urban Migration
The majority of our parents did not just wake up in Harare or Bulawayo, a relative brought them. Between 1980 and 2000, rural population percentage fell from 78% to 66% in Zimbabwe. Back in the days, soon after completing studies a job will be lined up for you and bus fare will be send for you to join a big brother or sister in town. Until you get a job, you would stay with an uncle or brother and this was all black tax.
Ubuntu Philosophy
The African philosophy of Ubuntu which means oneness can be attributed to why families rescue each other out of poverty. In Zimbabwean context, there is no distant relative, your brother’s children are your own. Thus, there is no such a thing as black tax.
Nepotism or not, families brought each other out of poverty. Your father joined the Army because your uncle was a long serving lieutenant, your mother became a teacher because your aunt worked in the Ministry of Education. There could be 5 Moyos in the Police, 3 Ngwarus at Ministry of Agriculture or 2 Pfumojenas at ZESA.
To promote social mobility, most families helped each other attain a good education, get a job or go abroad. Currently, an approximated 2 million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, another 100 000 in Botswana, 100 000 in United Kingdom and 45 000 in Australia. Families sacrificed a lot to finance children to migrate abroad. Surely we cannot start talking about black tax now when most of us benefited from it.
Blame the Economy
When the Zimbabwe economy imploded, two things happened, one generation lost its life’s savings and another generation lost an opportunity for formal employment. Without adequate social security, most retired parents will have to turn to their children for financial assistance. Until the cycle is broken, our parents will rely on us for financial assistance.
In Conclusion
by Think Local Media
It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioIt is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudioThink Local is a Zimbabwean marketing company which promotes local brands and destinations
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It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth. Even the all-powerful Pointing has no control about
Shams W.Pawel Founder & CEO of XpeedStudio