EDITOR — I am writing this letter to express my view about men in our society.
I am not too antagonistic towards them but this is what I have observed.
From time immemorial, men have been respected as the heads of the house in the society, men were called when there was danger threatening the women and children.
Men were regarded as protectors, teachers, providers and characters of authority that would bring order and discipline when bringing up children.
The house had to be in order and the community looked up to and highly-extolled a man with integrity and authority.
On the contrary now, the man’s authority is no longer felt. Households are in a mess and in total disorder. Where did we go wrong?
Instead of parents controlling children, it is the children who now control the parents. While some children are enjoying the power of controlling their parents, others are calling for fathers to come back home. Many others have become street children or were taken in by affluent people to stay at their cattle posts/farms while they are ensuring that their own children get a good education.
Men have lost their identity, stability, and social responsibility.
Some Zimbabwean men are powerless cowards and the increasing rape cases of women and minor children, gender-based violence and barbaric killings are a manifestation of the loss of identity.
Even those you see wearing expensive clothes, driving fast cars and living in big houses have no authority.
Their cars show how fast they can kill and their big houses, without people in them, are storerooms of injustice and criminality.
They neglect their own children and lack moral authority to make better decisions to control their children’s lives. Even though the laws of this country expects children to be given guidance to help them to grow to their fullest and realise their potential, men have become ignorant of this.
Irresponsible men and women produce children left and right without considering their well-being.
Children are therefore brought up without the love of parents, live without love, attend school without love, live in a community without love, go to churches without love and live in a society without love. Everything is loveless.
Children are impressionable and repeat the behaviour of their parents? If the parents are senseless toward a child, how will a child behave sensibly to him/herself and others?
When we notice unacceptable behaviour in a child, we resort to calling a child illegitimate but in fact, there is no illegitimate child. There are illegitimate parents.
It is time men regained their identity and put their houses in order.
Let us bequeath our children a good inheritance of love, hope and faith.
Chikonaz