The Rat Race: Why Hard-Working Zimbabweans Stay Broke

Dear Hard Worker,

If this message does not change how you think about money and work, then nothing else will.

Most people are not poor because they are lazy. Look around you. Zimbabweans are some of the hardest working people on the continent. We wake up before dawn. We hustle until sunset. We take on second jobs, side businesses, cross-border trading, anything to survive.

And yet, most of us are still struggling.

Why?

Because hard work is not the problem. The trap is.

That trap is called the Rat Race.

And the painful truth is this: the Rat Race is one of the biggest causes of poverty in Zimbabwe today.

What is the Rat Race?

The Rat Race is a situation where people work constantly just to survive, but never truly get ahead in life.

It is like running on a treadmill — you are moving, sweating, exhausting yourself, but you are not going anywhere.

The Rat Race is when a person:

– Works hard every day
– Earns a salary
– Pays bills
– Takes loans
– Gets more expenses
– Works harder again

And the cycle never ends.

No matter how hard they work, they remain financially stuck. Year after year. Decade after decade.

How the Rat Race Works in Zimbabwe

Let me paint a picture you will recognise.

Stage 1: You Get the Job

You finish school. Maybe you get a degree, a diploma, or just enough qualifications to land a job. You are excited. Finally, you are earning.

Let us say you get a job paying $400 a month.

You rent a room in Mbare or Mufakose. You take a kombi to work. You eat sadza and vegetables. You are surviving, but you are hopeful. You tell yourself: “When I get a raise, things will be better.”

Stage 2: The Raise Comes

You work hard. You get promoted. Now you are earning $700 a month.

What do you do?

You move to a better room — maybe a cottage in Waterfalls. You start taking an inDrive sometimes instead of waiting for kombis. You buy better clothes. You start eating out sometimes. You upgrade phones every year to the latest models.

Your expenses are now $650.

You are earning more, but you are not saving more. You are just spending more.

Stage 3: The Big Promotion

Years pass. You climb the ladder. Now you are earning $1,500 a month. You are “successful.”

What happens?

You move to a flat in Avondale. You buy a car — on loan. You put your children in better schools. You upgrade your phone. You take your family out on weekends. You start “living well.”

Your expenses are now $1,400.

You are earning almost four times what you started with. But you are still left with almost nothing at the end of the month. You are still waiting for payday. You are still one emergency away from crisis.

Stage 4: The Trap is Complete

You are now middle-aged. You have worked for 20 years. You have earned tens of thousands of dollars over your career.

But what do you own?

The car is still being paid off. The house is rented. The children’s school fees consume everything. The lifestyle demands constant feeding.

You cannot stop working. If you lose your job, everything collapses. You have no investments. No passive income. No escape.

You are running as fast as you can. But you are not moving forward.

That is the Rat Race.

Why It Is Called the “Rat Race”

The term comes from experiments where rats run endlessly on wheels or through mazes, chasing food they can never quite reach.

They run. And run. And run.

But they never escape the cycle.

That is how many Zimbabweans live:

– Wake up at 5 AM
– Catch a kombi to work
– Work all day
– Catch a kombi home
– Eat, sleep
– Repeat

For 30 years. 40 years.

Then retire with nothing but a worn-out body and memories of all the running.

And we call this “making a living.”

No. This is not living. This is surviving. There is a difference.

Signs You Are in the Rat Race

Be honest with yourself. You are likely trapped in the Rat Race if:

1. You depend only on your salary.

If your employer stopped paying you tomorrow, how long could you survive? One month? Two months? If the answer is less than six months, you are trapped.

2. You have no investments.

No land. No shares. No business. No assets generating income while you sleep. Everything you have comes from trading your time for money.

3. Your expenses increase with your income.

Every raise, every bonus, every windfall gets absorbed by lifestyle upgrades. You earn more, but you save the same — nothing.

4. You are always waiting for payday.

The last week of the month is always tight. You count days until salary comes. You borrow from family or take salary advances. The cycle repeats every month.

5. You cannot stop working.

Not because you love your job, but because you have no choice. If you stop, everything falls apart. You are not working to build — you are working to survive.

Why the Rat Race is Dangerous

The Rat Race is comfortable. That is what makes it dangerous.

You have a salary. You have a routine. You have just enough to get by. You are not starving. You are not homeless. So you tell yourself things are fine.

But “fine” is a trap.

While you are running in circles, time is passing. Years you could have used to build assets are being spent maintaining a lifestyle. Opportunities you could have seized are being ignored because you are too busy surviving.

And then one day, you wake up at 55 years old. Your body is tired. Your employer is looking for younger, cheaper workers. The pension — if there is one — will not cover your expenses.

And you realise: you spent your whole life running, but you never arrived anywhere.

How to Escape the Rat Race

The good news is that the Rat Race is not a prison. It is a trap — and traps can be escaped. But it requires intentional action.

1. Stop Upgrading Your Lifestyle Every Time Your Income Increases

This is the most important rule.

When you get a raise, do not move to a bigger house. Do not buy a new car. Do not upgrade your phone. Keep your expenses the same. Bank the difference. Invest the difference.

The gap between what you earn and what you spend is your escape route. If you close that gap every time you earn more, you will never escape.

2. Start a Business

A salary makes you dependent on one source. A business gives you control.

It does not have to be big. Start small. Open a shop. Start farming — even on a small plot. Start a manufacturing business. Launch a transport company. Offer professional services. Open a salon or barbershop. Start a catering business. Sell building materials. Trade in commodities. Repair phones or electronics. Sell clothes. Run a tuckshop. Start a poultry project. Offer driving lessons. Become a clearing agent. Start a printing business.

The options are endless. Use your skills, your knowledge, your connections. Test ideas on weekends. Grow what works.

A business can start earning while you are still employed. Over time, it can replace your salary. Eventually, it can exceed it. But it will never happen if you do not start.

3. Build Multiple Income Sources

A salary is one stream. A business is another. But do not stop there.

What happens when one stream dries up? You need backups.

Have multiple businesses. Rent out a room. Offer freelance services. Sell digital products. Earn commissions. Anything that brings in money that does not depend on a single employer or a single customer.

Even if each stream is small — $50 a month, $100 a month — together they add up. And together, they protect you.

4. Invest in Assets

Assets are things that put money in your pocket. Liabilities are things that take money out.

A car that you drive to work is a liability — it costs fuel, insurance, maintenance. A car that you rent out for deliveries is an asset — it generates income.

Buy land. Buy property. Buy shares. Start a business. Acquire things that generate income even when you are asleep.

5. Reduce Unnecessary Expenses and Liabilities

Look at your expenses. How many of them are truly necessary?

The subscription you do not use. The data bundles you waste on social media. The clothes you buy to impress people. The eating out that drains your wallet. The loans for things you did not need.

Cut ruthlessly. Every dollar you waste is a dollar that could have bought your freedom.

6. Learn High-Income Skills

Some skills pay $200 a month. Some skills pay $2,000 a month. The difference is not working harder — it is working smarter.

Learn skills that the market values highly. Digital marketing. Programming. Financial analysis. Sales. Project management. Skilled trades that are in demand.

Invest in yourself. Your skills are the one asset that cannot be taken from you.

7. Make Money Work for You

The rich do not work for money. They make money work for them.

When you earn, invest. When you invest, your money earns. When your money earns, reinvest. Let compounding do the heavy lifting.

The goal is to reach a point where your investments generate enough income to cover your expenses. At that point, work becomes optional. You have escaped the Rat Race.

A Different Way to Live

Imagine this:

You wake up in the morning. You do not have to rush to work because you are not dependent on a single employer. Your rental property generated income while you slept. Your side business made sales overnight. Your investments are growing.

You work because you choose to, not because you have to.

You spend time with your family. You pursue projects that matter to you. You build things that will outlast you.

This is not fantasy. This is what happens when you escape the Rat Race.

It takes time. It takes discipline. It takes sacrifice in the short term. But it leads to freedom in the long term.

Final Thought

The Rat Race is comfortable. But comfort is not the same as progress.

It gives you a monthly salary. But it steals your financial freedom.

It keeps you busy. But it does not make you wealthy.

And if you do not escape it early, you may spend your entire life running — but never arriving.

Look at your life today. Are you building? Or are you just running?

The treadmill is not taking you anywhere. Step off. Start walking in a direction that leads somewhere.

Your future self will thank you.

With respect for your journey,

ZimLedger Admin