
Equity Echoes
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Equity Echoes
@equityechoes
🎙️ Speaking Truth at High Volume! 📢 Zimbabwe's spiciest mix of analysis, wit & accountability 🇿🇼



Yes Dr Mzembi, @nelsonchamisa’s voice on corruption is indeed weighty — like about chaps who try to grab mines and productive chicken farms, before leaving the feeding trough in a hurry, only to try convince us they discovered sense on their way out like Sauro akananga Damascus.




It’s the right decision for Zimbabwe to reduce its tariffs with America to Zero. So has Singapore,Vietnam , Israel and many other smaller countries. The UK is expected to speak in similar terms. There is a new world trade order and it requires sober minds.




@memorynguwi Where does the culture of fully expensed vehicle come from? Why should a company buy a vehicle for a manager? The only vehicles a company should own are marketing pool cars

This took me back to 2005. I had joined the company in 2004 as a middle level manager. Company cars were due for replacement in 2005, the managers who had used their cars for 5 years were going buy their current vehicles at book value. For middle level managers we had been using Mazda SDX d/cabs. There was talk that they were going to replace the fleet with Nissan Almeras, imagine a freaking Nissan Almera 😡 I visited Nissan Clover Leaf Motors in Msasa to view an Almera I was not impressed. Anyway as a new manager the MD was clear to me that I was not going to be able to get my existing car. News I heard was that our Chairman back at the holding company at TA Holdings was not happy with this scheme of letting managers buy their old vehicles but hey a contract is a contract. I was head hunted by a competitor to become their Bulawayo branch manager and I was offered a Mazda 323 Familiar, I negotiated with the MD of that company to at least give me a Mazda 626, he said NO. I told him I would consider his offer and he gave me a week or so. I heard no intention of leaving, as an underwriting manager at one of the biggest insurance companies I was handling the biggest account in the country then Zimasco, I also handled Bindura Nickel, Cairns, Anglo American, Rio Tinto and I had just won RBZ insurance tender. This offer was my bargaining chip. I went to my MD and submitted my resignation, he refused to accept my resignation and we entered counter offer negotiations. Of course I am biased but I was extremely good in my work. I just wanted two things, a good replacement car and to be able to buy my existing car. We agreed and instead of an Almera I got a three year old Toyota Hilux d/cab KZTE one of the most durable cars I have ever driven, I have since bought two more Hiluxs and I swear by those cars. Unfortunately for my MD because I was driving a Hilux none of the managers on my level would accept an Almera and the company ended up buying Nissan Hardbody (Machembere) for most of the managers. I traded in my SDX and topped up and bought a Bedford truck and that is how I got into transport business. The following year 2006, I was transferred to become Bulawayo branch manager and in mid 2007, I resigned and applied for a South African skilled visa and left Zimbabwe. I understand the car policy was changed after 2005. In South Africa the remuneration is mostly cost to company, you buy your own vehicle and fortunately the interest rates are very low and anyone who earns at least $400 with a good credit history can buy a decent car on vehicle finance for example for a R100 000 car you pay around R2 000 instalment per month, if you choose a car that holds value then it’s a pathway to building wealth.



Many companies in Zimbabwe are rethinking their motor vehicle policies, moving away from the traditional model of providing fully expensed company vehicles replaced every 4 to 5 years. The shift is driven by the significant cash outlay required to fund such schemes—an increasingly unsustainable approach in an economy where working capital is hard to come by. Instead, forward-looking employers are adopting bank-organized, company-assisted vehicle purchase schemes. These alternatives allow employees to own their vehicles while still enjoying support from the company, often through bank structured financing arrangements[no cash outlay], ultimately offering a more sustainable and cost-effective benefit model. Running a fleet of fully expensed staff vehicles is not only capital-intensive but also burdens companies with ongoing maintenance, insurance, and administrative costs. While some employees still prefer the status and convenience of a company-funded vehicle, organizations must weigh this against business realities. The smarter move is to offer a benefit that empowers employees while preserving financial sustainability for the company. In this context, company-assisted vehicle purchase schemes represent a more modern, employee-friendly, and financially responsible approach—balancing employee motivation with sound financial stewardship. @ipcconsultants

A commonly debated issue is the fairness of how school fees benefits are distributed. Many companies tie this benefit solely to employees who have school-aged children, leaving out equally qualified employees without children. This approach can feel unjust, as it effectively penalizes those who don’t happen to have kids, despite performing at the same level as their peers. Some forward-thinking companies have recognized this inequity. They offer the school fees allowance to all eligible employees based on their job level, regardless of their parental status. By doing so, they ensure that the benefit is applied consistently and fairly across the workforce. @ipcconsultants


WATCH | Several people are feared dead after the Bandama Dam in Chipinge collapsed on Sunday. More details to follow…. ZBC News Online, Facebook




