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Across the continent, a new generation is stepping into rooms their granrents couldn’t enter, but even in these spaces, many are battling an internal ceiling built long before they arrived. Despite their qualifications, creativity, and resilience, they hesitate.

They play small. They over-explain.

They undercharge. Why? Because systems taught them to associate confidence with arrogance and assertiveness with disrespect.

From colonial education models that punished questioning to gender norms that reward silence over strength, African professionals were never just underdeveloped economically; we were underestimated psychologically. In this article I aim to challenge the internalised beliefs and systemic conditioning that make us, especially the younger generation, hesitate to show up fully in professional spaces despite being qualified, creative, and more capable than ever.

I’m not just writing to motivate you; my hope is that this serves as a psychological and cultural intervention designed to spark a mindset shift, validating the lived experience of professionals navigating legacy systems of oppression and limitation. A Unesco study revealed that in many African education systems, rote learning and obedience are prioritised over critical thinking and self-expression, conditioning that stifles confidence from a young age.

According to the African Development Bank, only 23 per cent of African professionals feel empowered to make bold suggestions at work, citing fear of hierarchy and hierarchical respect norms as primary barriers. And gender plays a compounding role.

In a 2022 report by McKinsey Africa, women in African corporate settings are 30 per cent less likely to apply for stretch roles, even when qualified, due to what researchers term “internalised competence doubt.” In other words, our talent isn’t lacking; our permission to believe in it is.

Confidence is not a personality trait. It’s a skill, one that’s been systemically stripped and now must be deliberately rebuilt.

And the confidence I’m referring to doesn’t just mean being the loudest in the room. I mean trusting that your insight has value before it’s validated, especially in systems designed to keep you quiet.

If you’re ready to unlearn the hesitation and step into your boldness, here are four strategies: 1. Audit the source of your self-doubtAsk: Where did I learn to shrink? Self-doubt often comes from somewhere.

A past experience. A critical teacher.

A culture of silence. Ask yourself, where did I learn to hold back? When you identify the origin, you can begin to separate your current reality from old conditioning.

2. Practice visibility without apologySharing your ideas is not self-promotion; it’s participation.

Post your work. Speak up in meetings.

Accept compliments without deflecting them. Visibility is not about ego.

It is a signal that you take your contribution seriously. 3.

Surround yourself with expansive peopleConfidence is social. Spend time with people who see your potential and challenge you to grow.

The more you engage with bold thinkers, the more you start to believe you belong among them. 4.

Redefine boldness as a contribution, not a disruptionEvery time you speak up with insight, you’re not interrupting the system; you’re upgrading it. When you offer a new idea or challenge the status quo, you are not causing trouble.

You are creating progress. Systems don’t improve when everyone agrees.

Remember, when you reclaim boldness, you don’t just change your career; you rewrite what leadership looks like on this continent. .

A video on social media grimly showed Isakwisa Atupele Mwamasage’s last breath, a 39-year-old Tanzanian kicking his legs as two South African police officers pinned him to the floor, and no sooner than he wet his pants did he stop moving. His place and time of death have been disputed.

The onlookers said ‘Ras Isa’, as he was known by his friends, died on the scene, right next to where he set up his roadside hustle as a shoe cobbler. The police would later take his lifeless body and claim he died in the hospital after spending time behind bars.

His death is reminiscent of the death of an African American with a white police officer’s knee on his neck. This incident sparked anti-racism and Black Lives Matter protests in various American cities.

But unlike in the American case, this was a Black African man killed by Black African policemen. Ironically, it is in this country that Tanzanians died alongside native South Africans as they were fighting for their independence.

His death was not a separate individual case; throughout this year, social media groups belonging to Tanzanians living in South Africa have continuously announced deaths of their fellow countrymen, whose crime was to look for better lives outside their country’s borders. Even after Ras Isa’s demise, debates have raged on social media, speculating about what he did for a living.

The people knew him as a cobbler, but police said he was selling drugs, and after seeing him behave suspiciously, they approached him. That’s when he swallowed the drugs to hide the evidence.

But the questions remained: does the small amount of drugs he allegedly swallowed warrant death? Speaking to Mr Mohammed Msangi, a Tanzanian sailor who resides in KwaZulu-Natal, he said, In general, no one is immune to the violence in South Africa; all foreigners from other African countries are targeted, and even South Africans are affected by the wave of violence in the country. “Zimbabweans and Congolese are among the worst targeted communities; I think Tanzanians are fourth,” Mr Msangi said.

He further elaborated on the difference in lifestyle between Tanzania and the country he has called home for years now. He said, with the exception of academia, most young Tanzanians going to South Africa are going there knowing there are no jobs for them to do; they have no skill set or educational qualifications to join formal job sectors.

So as soon as they get to the country, they are absorbed into gangs and delve into illegal activities, from petty drug trade to pushing sachets of cannabis just to survive and settle in. The young Tanzanians in such a quick fortune, unfortunately, graduate from thieves to hardened criminals.

“It’s like stealing has been formalised as a regular job,” he said. They risk it all, and if they meet untimely death by the bullet, life goes on; it fazes no one.

More young people will keep doing the same thing that ended their colleague’s life. Most Africans living in South Africa illegally are accustomed to the growing animosity towards them.

Seeking refuge with the police force is not an option; Mr Msangi is all too familiar with the look of contempt they receive from the law enforcers. He narrated how, just a few weeks ago, a Tanzanian named Rajabu was stabbed to death by his South African wife in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and the wife was just briefly held at the police station and let go.

Life is cheap; all you have to do is survive the night. “Another Tanzanian, Mr Likizo, was stabbed by a fellow Tanzanian while fighting for a corner in the street.

Each wanted to put their goods for sale,” he said. While one would think the police force would be on the hunt for the assailant, Mr Msangi said that is never the case; all the killer has to do is move to another place and carry on with his life; the police will not bother to look for him.

“It’s like you can kill someone in Mbezi and move to Kariakoo and live your best life,” he elaborated. These fights break out, fighting for a corner, because in some cases, this is where they sell their drugs, he said.

“They sell batik and other stuff, but under the table, they sell illicit substances,” he added. The Tanzanian community in South Africa is still traumatised by the killing of Ras Isa.

The police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, promised an autopsy to determine what caused his death. Western Cape Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) will be thorough with the investigation.

But Mr Isakwisa’s body has already been flown and buried in his hometown, Mbeya, Tanzania. While the world seems to have forgotten him, the videos of his heartbroken family weeping in church while saying their final goodbyes are a clear reminder of the faces and turmoil the violence has caused.

These are people, not just statistics. These are sons whose mothers grieve.

Lives shattered and dreams obliterated. Neither the South African government nor our embassy in Pretoria has explained in detail the recent deaths of these Tanzanians.

But Mr Msangi might understand why: “Our embassy knows some of these young Tanzanians are involved in illegal activities; hence, they just turn a blind eye,” he said. Whether Mr Isakwisa was a drug peddler, as insinuated by the Western Cape police in their case report, or he was simply a shoe cobbler, as his neighbours attested, I hardly see the South African government taking much time on it.

The Tanzania Ministry of Foreign Affairs of East African Cooperation has not even batted an eye. This is just another story with shock value that will fade into the background soon enough.

The Tanzanian media, on the other hand, would sensationalise morbid news rather than dig deeper. The bold headline ‘A Tanzanian has been killed in South Africa’ gets more clicks than ‘a petty thief murdered’; whether these young boys are criminals or not, every Tanzanian life should hold some value, and the right to life is universal and not based on your bank balance or lack of it.

“Death is everywhere in South Africa, especially in the African communities,” Mr Msangi said. “No one wants us here, so if we are murdered, the killers go unpunished,” he added.

Mr Mohammed has posted on his Facebook page too many Tanzanians who have died in South Africa; he can’t keep count of how many. Just recently, Mr Steven Bico Mwambeta was gunned down in Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal.

Another case that he is sure will go unsolved. Humans have been habitual nomads, migrating continuously since the dawn of our species.

We are now obsessed with the borders. The very borders in Africa came as a result of the Europeans’ scramble to divide the continent.

The “Bondeni” dream has already turned into a nightmare and a gravesite, but who is to tell the youth whose unemployment in Tanzania is so dire that they have no choice but to risk it all? On social media, Tanzanians are urging their fellow countrymen to retreat and return home, but as a man, a growling stomach and dreams of a fancy life before growing old will always precede any logic and instinct to heed danger. The best we can do is start addressing the elephant in the room, call a spade a spade, and admit we have a problem that has been there for a decade, which is a right start.

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Mbeya. Police in Mbeya have confirmed that two suspects were fatally shot during an attempted arrest in Chunya District and that a third suspect later died after allegedly jumping from a police vehicle, in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Mzumbe University student Shyrose Mabula.

The victim, a second-year law student, was reported missing on September 14, 2025 and her charred body was discovered on September 16, 2025 in the Nane Nane area of Isyesye Ward, Mbeya City. Regional Police Commander Benjamin Kuzaga said preliminary inquiries indicate the perpetrators intended to abduct Ms Mabula for ransom and, when that failed, killed her, poured herbicide, strangled her with a rope and set the body alight in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

Commander Kuzaga told The Citizen’s sister paper, Mwananchi on Monday that police arrested Marwa John (25), a resident of Uzunguni A, on September 24, 2025. Marwa is said to have confessed and identified Edward Kayuni. Mwantembele, described by police as a security guard, later cooperated and guided officers to locations in Chunya District where the other suspects were believed to be hiding.

According to the commander, on September 27, officers travelled to Chalangwa Village, Chunya District, after Mr Mwantembele led them to a rendezvous point where Mr Kayuni was believed to be hiding. When officers moved to arrest Mr Kayuni he drew a knife and threatened the team.

He was then shot in the leg. “Warning shots were fired but the suspect resisted and was subsequently shot in the leg,” Commander Kuzaga said.

During that fracas Mwantembele also attempted to flee despite warnings and several shots being fired into the air; he was subsequently shot in the leg and the chest. Both men were rushed to Chunya District Hospital but died while receiving treatment, Commander Kuzaga said.

After killing Shyrose it was alleged that Marwa chopped off her right-hand finger and took it to a witchdoctor who was alleged concealing items believed to be linked to the killing. The police ordered Marwa to take them to the witchdoctor.

But on the way he, allegedly, jumped from the police vehicle. Inquiries into the exact circumstances of his death are continuing.

In searches carried out by investigators, police said they recovered two handcuffs (locally known as pingu), two forged Tanzania People’s Defence Force identity cards, mobile phones containing images alleged to be linked to criminal activity and the victim’s undergarments, which, police say, were reportedly taken to a traditional healer for ritual purposes. Commander Kuzaga characterised the case as one motivated by financial gain.

“Our preliminary investigations show the suspects intended to obtain money from the victim’s family through abduction and, when that failed, they killed her to conceal evidence,” he said. Family reaction Reacting to the arrests and the subsequent deaths of the suspects, Dr Mabula Mahande, the victim’s father, praised the police for their professionalism and the assistance given to the family throughout the inquiry.

“I commend our police for fulfilling their duties. I request that they be equipped with modern tools because criminals change their methods every day; with better communication equipment they will be more effective,” he said, urging residents to help expose criminals living in their communities.

The Regional Police issued a public appeal against pursuing wealth through criminal means. “The police call on citizens to abandon the desire to obtain money and property by unlawful means.

Crime does not pay and the long arm of the law will reach those responsible wherever they are,” Commander Kuzaga said. Investigations into the circumstances of Ms Mabula’s death remain ongoing and police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward and assist in the inquiry.

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Some topics are too important to ignore, and money is one of them. Yet in many homes, it is often left unspoken, even though it fuels misunderstandings in families, friendships, and romantic relationships.

Simply put, money is a sensitive subject. However, it is one we must discuss.

Today, we’re looking at it through Morgan Housel’s perspective in his book The Psychology of Money. Housel centres his book on how human beings behave with money, shaped by the lives they’ve lived and the beliefs they carry.

In the opening chapter, No One is Crazy, he explains that people often make unusual choices with money, but that doesn’t make them irrational. What feels reckless to one person might feel perfectly reasonable to another.

Our lived experiences shape the way we see money. As Housel puts it, “The person who grew up in poverty thinks about risks and rewards in ways that the child of a wealthy banker cannot fathom if he tried.

” It reminded me that when I don’t understand someone’s financial choices, it may be less about logic and more about the story behind their life. Do you believe in luck? Or are you among those who think success comes only from hard work? I believe in luck.

Much because of luck, or grace, if you will. Money is no different.

Luck plays a significant role. Housel puts it beautifully: luck and risk are siblings.

Every outcome in life is guided by forces beyond our effort alone. When it comes to money, you need both the grace of luck and the courage to take risks.

Housel illustrates this through the story of Bill Gates. As a teenager, Gates attended one of the few high schools with a computer lab.

There, he met his friend and future cofounder, Paul Allen. Luck opened that door, but so did their willingness to dream big and take risks.

From that combination, Microsoft was born. Gates himself admits, “If there had been no Lakeside, there would be no Microsoft.

” One of the lessons that stood out for me is around the idea of “never enough”. Housel shows how dangerous it can be to keep chasing more without ever defining what enough looks like.

There will always be someone richer, smarter, or more successful, and if we measure our happiness against that, we will always feel lacking. For me, it comes down to contentment.

To be happy, you have to learn to appreciate what you already have. The next big thing, whether it’s a promotion, a new car, or even more money, won’t necessarily make you happier if you haven’t found peace with what’s in front of you.

Having enough means refraining from comparing yourself with others. “The point is that the ceiling of social comparison is so high that virtually no one will ever hit it.

Which means it’s a battle that can never be won, or the only way to win is to accept that you might have enough, even if it’s less than those around you.” Housel argues that the highest form of wealth is not more money but the ability to control your time.

To wake up and decide how you will spend your day, that is real richness. When I think about it, the moments I treasure most are not tied to how much I had in my account but to how free I felt with my time.

Choosing to spend a slow morning with a book, or taking a walk just because I wanted to. Housel reminds us that saving is not just about buying something in the future; it is about preparing for the uncertainty of tomorrow.

Life can change unexpectedly, and having savings gives you the freedom to face those changes without losing control of your time. For example, much of Warren Buffett’s wealth came not only from smart investments but also from the fact that he started early.

By saving and investing at a young age, time worked in his favour, allowing compounding to do its magic. “His skill is investing, but his secret is time.

And that’s how compounding works,” he writes. The Psychology of Money is a book about how to earn and keep money.

It explores behaviour and mindset around money. As you reach the last page, you will see the need to pay attention to your progress, because progress happens too slowly to notice, but setbacks happen too quickly to ignore.

As you plan for your future, remember that planning is important, but the most crucial part of every plan is preparing for it not going according to plan. This book is for anyone seeking to expand their knowledge of personal finance management.

Jane Shussa is a digital communication specialist with a love for books, coffee, nature, and travel. She can be reached at [email protected].

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In education as a whole, strategy plays an unimaginably significant role. This entails strategy not only in teaching but also in the entire process of adjudging the needs, discerning educational topics and materials, in the delivery process, and in the receiving process on the side of learners.

The educational cycle feeds itself and builds on the work done in the preceding cycle. The educational needs are the societal problems, the gaps needing solution; yet to attain these, a certain amount of groundwork is needed as a foundation; hence, we have curricula to guide the whole formal process.

The delivery of knowledge to learners is not the final stage of the process, nor are the grades the learners get. After learning, there is assessment, constructive feedback, reflection, application (in context), and adaptation of the content and the preparation process.

Educationists call this the teaching and learning cycle. Despising an appropriate strategy in any of these sections irreparably affects the productivity of the whole chain, regardless of the quality of work or output in the unaffected sections of the chain.

As such, we can say that education is, by its very form, content, and function, ‘a chain reaction’, contingent on the indispensable interdependence of all players in the process. For most learners, being educated at school is about memorising.

Why? Because that is how the system orients them to see education. Most learners view schooling as a reward system and themselves as heroes, depending on how high up the reward ladder they are ranked.

One is not considered smart, creative, or intelligent unless the grading system says so! All creativity and innovativeness have to be shrunk to fit into the demands of the spoon-feeding system, which, unfortunately, kills many dreams and talents. The question is whether learners are taught how to learn.

We cannot just presume that people, especially young people, know how to learn academically. Learning goes beyond reading and understanding books.

Learning is a process of integration, like putting together puzzle pieces until the whole picture makes sense. True learning sparks curiosity and stimulates the desire to keep exploring.

This is only possible if learners are helped to first discover their areas of interest, not just their areas of performance. A child may perform better in a subject they have no interest in simply because they like the teacher, but that interest evaporates when the teacher is changed.

The most outstanding ground for one’s interest is what they naturally feel curious about. There is no harm in exposing them to many options before making them express freely what they like to engage in, mostly in academics.

A learning process that does not involve the learner’s consent and feelings has a higher chance of achieving little or nothing by either producing uninterested experts who only do their jobs to earn a living, as what they do was never their passion. Teaching children how to learn helps them identify their interests and preferred learning styles, enabling them to become the best versions of themselves.

If the goal of education is to make people the best versions of themselves, then these considerations are of paramount importance. It is equally important to consider that times have changed, even if much of what is taught remains the same.

Worth considering is the fact that globally, the education system is handling young people who have a very different exposure, given the facility of technology, demographics, labour market demands and dynamics, and the fast-paced globalisation, among others. These factors affect the way they view education and its entire process, and even the questions they ask are different compared to questions asked by learners of the same levels 30 years ago.

The sooner we come to terms with this fact and are considerate of their worldview, the better chance we have of making education functionally relevant to them. The education system should be a means of transformation, not just a pipeline where people pass through with changed credentials yet remain untransformed.

In Tanzania, where 77 per cent of the population (about 47.5 million people) is under 35, education is the best legacy we can give them and the next generations, especially considering that the majority of the nationals are marginally represented in the national policy-making roundtables. This group is by far a ‘surviving’ group, with most of them not having life figured out due to unemployment and other systemic shortcomings beyond their control.

It is a testimony to poor planning, given that statistics obtained every year could have been used for comprehensive predictions and plans in anticipation of the problems we have now. If this had been done, we would be much further than we are, as we have a surplus of workforce in the young people of this nation.

To improve the quality of our education, we need well-articulated strategies which prioritise the role of learners, not just instructors. Shimbo Pastory is an advocate for positive social transformation and a student of the Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.

Website: “underlinewww.shimbopastory.

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Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s U-20 women’s national team, the Tanzanite Queens, continued their impressive run in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 away victory over Angola last Saturday.

The result secured them a spot in the third round with a commanding 6-0 aggregate score. Although the win underlined their dominance, head coach Bakari Shime and his technical bench admitted that the encounter was a learning experience, revealing weaknesses that must be addressed if the team is to remain competitive in the tournament.

“It was a good match for us and one that gives us a clearer picture of how to prepare for the next challenge,” said Shime. “We made several mistakes across all departments–defense, midfield and attack.

We have a lot of work to do, but I believe that with better preparation time ahead of the next game, we will perform even better.” Shime stressed the importance of self-assessment and internal improvement rather than focusing solely on future opponents.

“Our biggest task is to examine ourselves and identify the specific shortcomings that need fixing. Once we strengthen our own game, it will not matter who we face.

At our best, we can handle any team that comes our way.” The Tanzanite Queens will now prepare to meet the winner between Kenya and Ethiopia, who faced off yesterday evening in Nairobi.

That match will determine Tanzania’s third-round opponent in what is expected to be a more demanding test. Shime added that his side’s success should not mask the need for consistent growth.

He said that continuous development will be crucial not only for the current qualifiers but also for the broader ambition of building a strong women’s football foundation in Tanzania. The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be staged in Poland from September 6 to 27 next year, bringing together 24 of the world’s best teams.

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