Prof Jonathan Moyo Bans Simon Bere From Speaking at Government Educational Institutions for Sharing His Views on STEM in Africa. Intellectual Freedom!
Eng. Simon Mandhlaenkosi Bere (M.Sc.)
?Resultsologist ? Strategy, Performance, Problem-Solving & Solutions Consultant?ISWM?Speaker? Planner ?Climate, Pollution, Environment ?SDGs ?Training & Education?Leadership?Entrepreneurship/Business/Marketing/Sales
My purpose and mission is to contribute to making sustainable development a reality in Zimbabwe, Africa and The World. I am also collect and develop and improve and share solutions that help others to successfully solve their problems, achieve their goals, manifest their dreams, discover and enjoy their highest potential, to live their best possible lives and to become their best possible selves as individuals, teams, organisations, continents, countries, businesses and societies and in areas of life such as personal life areas, environmental management, economic, business, political and societal. The backbone focal areas for my solutions are;
Everything I do is related to sustainability, sustainable development and the sustainable development goals. All my solutions are well organised into a science-based and formulaic driven, strategic system directed at the core areas of SITUATIONS MANAGEMENT, SUCCESS, PERFORMANCE and RESULTS.
I share and contribute to these ideals through
2. Professional Speaking, Talks and Lectures
3. Writing (Articles, Papers, Books, Manuals, Guidelines, Blue Prints, Worksheet, Reports, Reviews and so on)
4. Presentations Seminars and Workshops
5. Training
6. Teaching and Instructing
7. Developing People
8. Group and One On One Coaching
9. Mentoring
10. Strategy and Strategic Advisory services
11. Other events
?I can call myself a veteran speaker because I have spoken on many events in different topics. So some years ago before the current government, I was invited to be the main speaker at a breakfast meeting organised by one of Zimbabwe’s training institutions. One of the directors had attended an event where I had been the main speaker at British Council Management Express event.
The event had been scheduled on a Wednesday in the training institution’s auditorium. So on the Monday I work up putting financial touches on my presentation. Then around mid-morning, I had call from the director who was in charge of the event, asking me if I could meet her at the then Meikles Hotel’s public lounge area.
For some reason I smelt some fish because it was my first time an event organiser where I was I speaker request such an emergence meeting two days before the event. The clients I have worked with either give me a topic to speak on or they describe the audience or the situation and they ask me to prepare an appropriate speech or presentation that addresses the issue or meets the needs of the audience.
I met the director and we sat in a seclude area in the lounge. After greeting each other and ordering some tea, the director pull a copy of an article and hand it over to me. I took it and saw that it was a copy of an article on STEM in Africa that I had written for the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette. I immediately concluded why the director had asked for the meeting and the conclusion thereof.
“Are you the one who wrote the article?, she aske rhetorically because the article had my name as its author on it.
“Yes its me!”, I admitted.
“I was given this from the Ministry this morning.”, she continued
“Ok!” I answered.
“So they said look at what the person you have invited to speak is writing. You are sleeping with the enemy.”
“Really?”, I asked, very surprised. “Have you read the article yourself?”
“Yes, I have,” she said.
“What do you think about the article”
“I am also struggling to understand it all. I think this is a fair article providing your personal opinions of STEM in Africa on what alternatives that you think are better than the current thrust on STEM in Africa.”
“OK. So I am wondering what exactly about this article because it talks about STEM at an African level.”
“Maybe its because Zimbabwe is also rolling out a STEM Program,” she suggested.
“Anyway!” I resigned.
“So it means we are unable to go ahead with the event on Wednesday. I was asked to call it off.”
The director looked and sounded very disappointed and disturbed. But she devised some strategies by which I could still contribute to intellectual discussions at the institute’s event under rudder without attracting the attention of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology.
I was letter told that this ban was directed by the Minister himself, Professor Jonathan Moyo because he was the driver of STEM in Zimbabwe. What most people did not know then was that STEM was not the Professors Initiative. STEM was actually an American initiatives that was then copied and pasted as is in Africa. But in Zimbabwe, The Professor made it appear like it was his original initiative coming from his original stroke of genius. So may be since my article gave the historical context of STEM, he felt I was exposing him. I had also pointed out that STEM was already alive in Africa and African needed not even increase students doing Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. I had suggested that Africa’s main problem was exodus of STEM professionals and also lack of employment for many STEM graduates. I had suggested that Africa’s needed to focus on building many research and development institutions to absorb stem graduates and professional. I was speaking as typical STEM graduate and professional.
?AFRICA is an interesting continent, but one of many inconsistencies and paradoxes. The continent has vast natural resources, which is vaunts and brags about to the whole world and yet its people remain the poorest in a world where other continents are light years away in terms of living standards.
Even the fact that Africa does not need to accidentally stumble at the right economic success algorithm as other continents like North America and Europe did has done nothing much to bring Africa closure to the right formula for accelerated, sustainable economic development and growth. "A sample of Simon Bere's Article of STEM" https://allafrica.com/stories/201604210389.html
?Maybe the titles of both the article and the presentation unnerved the Minister. You see, when you submit an article to media outlets; they often play around with the title and look for title that attracts reader. So many times people mistake of attributing the title of an article to the author which is not always correct. Editors can change the title. It was the same with the topic of the presentation that I was meant to deliver because it was on mind-sets and how they affect results. The people who made the graphics made the graphic speak loudly by saying “Same Old Theory Equal to Same Old Results”
My ban was only lifted when the current government came into power. Professor Amon Murwirwa and I personally know each other. We once worked for the same government department in the same section an area of work. So I met him and told him about my ban and he laughed it off.
I was shocked that of all people, Professor Jonathan Moyo would be the one to stifle intellectual freedom and ban fellow Zimbabweans intellectuals from speaking at their own institutions. But that is life.
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?Simon Bere, 2025
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER at PATTED FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS (PTY) LTD
2 天前Sometimes life happens for sure