1. This man reminds me of Unoka in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. His son Okonkwo was embarrassed by him. He was perennially in debt & didn’t care. He was lazy and constantly borrowing from friends and neighbours. He didn’t pay back. Always looking for favours. 
2. One day a creditor came to collect his debt. Unoka dismissed him. “Look at that wall," Unoka said pointing to the wall of his hut. "Look at those lines of chalk". Okoye, the creditor saw groups of lines drawn in chalk.
3. Unoka took some snuff & sneezed dramatically & said, “Each group there represents a debt to someone and each stroke is one hundred cowries. You see, I owe that man a thousand cowries. But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it. I shall pay you, but not today”
4. Unoka then delivered the final blow to Okoye, “Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. I shall pay my big debts first." And that was that. Okoye left with nothing.
5. Our own Unoka acknowledges that we already owe China debts that we are failing to pay back. But somehow he thinks China is stupid enough to continue pouring money into Zimbabwe at no cost to us. He doesn’t know that there is no such thing as free lunch.
6. It’s easy for him to say this because his generation will not be there to carry the cost of reckless borrowing. The cost will be carried by young Zimbabweans. In fact, the rampant plunder of resources is part of the cost & the indebted regime can’t hold the Chinese to account.
7. Our man may be Unoka, but China is not Okoye. It does not leave with nothing. With this kind of disposition, he will leave generations heavily indebted & beholden to the Chinese. People can change this embarrassing Unoka-style course by registering to vote #RegisterToVoteZW
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