Joshua Marikopo

Recent global events continue to expose the deep tensions surrounding migration, citizenship, and responsibility between nations. A recent discussion I had with a colleague forced me to reflect more deeply on how different regions of the world respond to displacement and refugee crises — and why. The conversation began after reports that Kuwait had revoked the citizenship of individuals deemed not to be of “true Kuwaiti blood.” This raised broader questions for me about belonging, identity, and responsibility in times of crisis. Historically, when conflict erupts in parts of the Middle East — Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, and elsewhere — neighboring countries often hesitate to absorb large numbers of refugees. Meanwhile, Western nations, despite growing resistance, continue to accept migrants and asylum seekers in significant numbers. At first glance, this contrast can seem contradictory or even unfair. Why do culturally or religiously similar neighboring states sometimes resist...

Beautiful African children.  Image credits Gross incompetence and poor governance sit at the heart of most council-run cities and towns across Africa, and Zimbabwe is no exception. While a few countries on the continent have managed to build relatively functional local administrations, the dominant story remains one of mismanagement, neglect, and systemic failure. These failures are not accidental; they are the direct outcome of leadership that prioritizes self-interest over public service. There is overwhelming evidence of public officials abusing state resources for personal gain—extravagant lifestyles funded by public money, rampant corruption, and endless scandals involving illegal deals tied to national resources. This unchecked looting has crippled economies, destroyed public institutions, and plunged millions into poverty. The consequences are visible everywhere: rising crime rates, collapsing health systems, declining education standards, food insecurity, and, in extreme ca...

 Harare, and much of Zimbabwe- and a greater part of Southern Africa has received good rainfall this season. This has been a much welcome change; in 2024 the El Nino (a weather occurrence which causes poor rainfall and droughts swept across the region, and as a consequence more than 50 million people were in need of food aid, according to World Food Program (WFP, 2024). However these good rains continue to expose how much unprepared our Southern cities are for abundant rain because of flooding within many cities. Just a few days ago the Town Council of Harare issued a warning that there were high flood risks in many parts of the city. You can read the story on the following link Harare issues sterk warning of flooding risk This comes as no surprise really, many drains have been clogged with dirt and rubbish and are no longer functional. The water has no exit points and all the water end up flooding most homes and buildings. Proper maintenance of the city’s key infrastructure is so ...

 Today, with Birdlife Mashonaland Club, we visited the Lake Chivero bird sanctuary. The following birds were observed including: Hamerkops (loads) White-faced ducks (loads) African Fish-eagles (many) Yellow-billed kites (a couple) Common Moorhen  Allen's Galinule African Jacana (a few) Red-collared Widowbird  Red bishops (loads) Common waxbills Grey herons (many) Purple Heron (1) Squacco Heron (1) Emerald-spotted wood-doves Ring-necked doves Spectacled Weavers Pied kingfishers  Grey Hornbill (1) Scarlet chested sunbirds (a couple) Orange-breasted Bush-shrike Flappet Lark Wire-tailed swallows Brown throated Martins Willow warblers Great reed warblers Lesser Swamp-warbler  Village Indigobird Now back to the subject, Harare has been getting plenty of rain, along with most parts of Zimbabwe. It is easy to assume that there is enough rainfall to fill up our lakes, but that has not been the case. The water levels look receded. Of course, we still have till April with ...

 Yesterday, human rights activist Jacob Ngarivhume posted the following on X: “This is Parirenyatwa Hospital, formerly Andrew Fleming Hospital. I took this picture this evening. This is the OPD entrance. There are no lights, even at this front entrance of the OPD.Inside the hospital, most sections are dark. Its scary inside the hospital. Fellow Zimbabweans, we have a crisis at hand. The failure of Zimbabwe has been a failure of leadership.” @NgarivhumeJ Sadly, this is a reflection of the state of all public general hospitals. I went to Harare Hospital with a sick relative in March of this year and the situation is just the same. Patients are not attended on time, spending hours in the casualty section without seeing a doctor. Usually there’s just one doctor attending patients in the ward and in the casualty sections. The healthcare professionals are not to take the blame. The hospitals lack basic medical equipment and medication, there are power outages half of the time, health wor...

  Social justice may be defined to the equal and equitable distribution and use of resources, opportunities and privileges within a society, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their ethnicity, background, gender, religion or beliefs are treated equally and have the full access to rights and opportunities. Social justices call for the elimination of systematic and institutional inequalities and the promotion of fairness, inclusivity and the full enjoyment of human rights According to Bell (2007), social justice involves “full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs.” This definition highlights the importance of both equity and collective responsibility in addressing societal disparities. Similarly, Rawls (1971) defines social justice as a system of fairness in which institutions strive to balance individual freedom and equality, ensuring that the most disadvantaged members of society are protected and supported. So...