How many of you remember the name Langton Toungana? How about those who remember who he is and what he does? Do I hear a chorus of voices asking, “Anoita nezvei?” (What does he do?).
My enduring memory of the man will always be of him trying to look as dignified as possible while frantically fielding a barrage of questions from a tough panel led by Happison Mucheterere.
The place was a ZBC-TV programme and the time was early 2008, in the run-up to the March presidential elections. Toungana sweated profusely, and spoke persistently in not- so-fluent English.
I can neither recall the specific details of his strategic thrust nor the contents of his manifesto, but I can clearly recall his unrestrained, gung ho disposition as he prepared to run for President.
If by some miracle he had won, he would today be the Head of State and Government and Commander In-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
The big question must be:“Where is Langton Toungana now?” I Googled his name and ransacked Wikipedia but there is not a word on where he is and what he is currently up to, though history proudly records that he once had a go at the highest office in the land.
It is quite ironic because some of the words used to describe him at the time included “non-entity” and “little-known”.
An even bigger question must now be: “Who is Langton Toungana anyway?” One day he was decidedly out of the public consciousness and the next he had firmly positioned himself on everyone’s radar.
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“A fourth presidential candidate last week filed his nomination papers to contest next month’s elections. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Presiding Officer Ignatius Mushangwe confirmed that Mr Langton Toungana had successfully lodged his papers. No one seems to know who Toungana is or which party he represents. So far he has not held a press conference or presented his election manifesto,” said Tichaona Sibanda, writing for an online publication on February 18 2008.
Toungana’s candidature as an independent was widely dismissed as possibly a last minute intelligence scheme to confuse the electorate, after Simba Makoni entered the presidential race.
Yet others suspected him of being fielded by the establishment to help split the opposition vote and validate the poll after earlier opposition threats to boycott the election over demands for electoral reforms and a new constitution.
There is no shortage of conspiracy theories that swirl around Toungana’s candidature, but there is no denying that his move to contesting in the presidential elections was in itself an act of considerable courage, though it was viewed in some quarters as grotesque, naked opportunism, if not a misplaced expression of his sense of worth.
For that reason, I can’t resist the temptation to characterise Toungana as some kind of enigma; his case has always fascinated me.
Even though he chose to take part in the elections and apparently went all the way, he must have known that his chances were those of a snowball in hell.
Presidential vote percentages are rounded to the nearest 0,1% and as it turned out, Toungana was credited with 0,0% which means he could have achieved anywhere between zero and less than 0,05%.
You might be wondering what exactly is my point in recounting the story of this man and what it has to do with the financial sector.
Well, my point is that despite his dismal political failure, from an academic standpoint, has some curiosity value, and with a bit of open-mindedness, we can even learn a thing or two from him.
Toungana embodies a phenomenon I have come to call “The Langton Toungana Effect” or “The LT Effect” if you like.
This is the act of suddenly emerging from nowhere (of course from somewhere but because of the utter insignificance of that place, we can safely refer to it as nowhere) just in time to catch everyone by surprise, grabbing everyone’s attention for an achingly short period of time in the process, before disappearing almost as suddenly.
Some could liken it to the legendary 15 minutes of fame. It could also be the effect of not being daunted by one’s apparent limitations and going for one’s dreams anyway.
It is for both reasons that I decided to focus on Toungana’s story this week for illustrative purposes.
As the first quarter of 2011 (Q12011) comes to an end, it is time to reflect on what, as individuals in the banking and other sectors, we have achieved.
This is the time when budgets are dusted up and reviewed as heads of departments (HODs) prepare quarterly board reports.
Explanations must surely be found for those negative variations while budget surpluses must also be explained satisfactorily.
New strategies must be found for those currently not working well or not working at all.
It is a time to separate those who like Toungana might have been content only with showing up to make up the numbers from those who, still like Toungana, chose not to let the apparent limitations of an uncertain operating environment stop them from achieving their Q1 objectives.
Financial results released so far appear to testify to a resolve to achieve objectives in spite of a tough operating environment.
It is also a time for performance appraisals that may have a bearing on “profit share” or performance-related bonuses that, in good times were traditionally disbursed at this time of the year after publication of audited financial results.
Given the rebuilding phase that banks are currently engaged in, it would however be interesting to see if the good old days of “March End” are back for bank workers.
I have always thought that the tragedy of incentives such as profit share is that even those who show up to make up the numbers feel a sense of entitlement and this, if not tied to performance, can have negative consequences on those who show up to make a difference and genuinely work hard to meet set targets.
In order to sustain the growth momentum that appears to have taken hold in the banking sector, the challenge is for every employee to seek to make a mark in their own individual way.
If Q1 did not give you the opportunity to shine, Q2 is definitely there for the taking.
The task of restoring Zimbabwe’s banking sector to its former glory in the region needs people to stand up and be counted.
The local banking sector used to have a good reputation both in terms of the breadth and depth of the market and the level of skills, such that bankers from other regional countries used to frequent Zimbabwe for training. If in 2011, bank employees desist from being significant for being insignificant and from being “known unknowns”; the task of restoring that reputation can be achieved sooner rather than later.
This reminds me of an e-mail that circulated earlier in the year, urging individuals to take charge of their own destiny.
“Kana ukaona gore rino uchidya sadza nematumbu ehuku, pfugama ucheme kunaMwari wako umubvunze kuti, and “Ko nhai Ishe, arikumbodya huku yacho ndiyani?’” (If chicken offals are still your staple in 2011, kneel down, pray to God and ask him who on earth is eating the actual chicken.)
If, from a place of absolute — not relative — obscurity Toungana stood up to be counted amongst political heavyweights such as President Mugabe, PM Morgan Tsvangirai and Simba Makoni, why can’t you make a mark in the banking sector this year?
However, unlike Toungana, do not show up simply to make up the numbers for a few days; seek real, lasting achievements that will give people a good reason to talk about you next year and in all the years to come. It’s not good to have people asking, “Anoita nezvei?” when your name is mentioned. FSS welcomes your views on the issues raised in this article.
Omen N. Muza is a banker and managing director of TFC Capital (Zimbabwe) (Pvt) Ltd writing in his personal capacity. Feedback: [email protected]
