We grew up being taught: empty vessels make the most noise.
Tendai Ruben Mbofana
Pokello Nare recently created a social media spectacle by flaunting an 18K rose gold Richard Mille RM 07-01 Automatic watch, valued between US250,000 and US450,000.
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Paraded before a struggling public, this display by the president’s daughter-in-law was no isolated incident of high fashion.
It is a textbook symptom of a broader, rotting insecurity plaguing Zimbabwe’s elite circles.
In a nation where millions face daily economic hardship, socialites, political proxies, and tenderpreneurs persistently broadcast their mansions, exotic car fleets, and quarter-million-dollar wristwatches.
This raises an unavoidable question: why must wealth in Zimbabwe always be performed so loudly?
To understand this phenomenon, one must look at basic human behavior.
When riches are not earned through genuine hard work or innovation, those who hold them feel a deep, burning need to prove they belong.
When wealth is acquired through systemic patronage, political connections, or opaque deal-making rather than enterprise, the owner often faces deep-seated skepticism regarding their legitimacy.
The public display of a hyper-luxury watch or a multi-million-dollar vehicle fleet becomes an aggressive counter-effort.
A desperate attempt to construct indisputable proof that the fortune is real and that the individual has arrived.
This creates a glaring contrast with established, institutional wealth.
Genuine wealth builders—think of Telecoms titan Strive Masiyiwa or international technology founders like Bill Gates—rarely feel compelled to turn their personal lives into luxury catalogues.
True industrialists derive their confidence from within.
Their standing is validated by global market capitalization, audited balance sheets, and real-world infrastructure.
People who hold genuine, undeniable power rarely feel the need to show off.
High-status individuals deliberately forgo ostentatious status symbols to communicate that their position is so secure they operate above the need for cheap validation.
A tycoon building fiber-optic networks across a continent does not need a Swiss watch to command respect in a boardroom.
Conversely, those operating in the shadow of political patronage depend entirely on public attention to feel important.
For figures whose standing hinges on visibility and proximity to state power, public attention is the primary currency.
The conspicuous consumption we see from figures like Wicknell Chivayo, political beneficiaries, and high-society socialites serves a double purpose.
Beyond seeking public applause to appease personal insecurities, it acts as a declaration of immunity.
In environments governed by political patronage, flaunting extreme affluence sends a clear signal to both rivals and the public that the individual operates under elite protection and holds an untouchable seat at the table.
Furthermore, this spectacle relies on a profound misalignment between price and intrinsic value.
Horological masterpieces like a Richard Mille are engineered for microscopic mechanical precision, yet in the hands of the insecure, they are reduced to noise-makers.
The watch is stripped of its craftsmanship and converted into a shield against personal insignificance.
The value to the owner exists entirely in the gaze of the spectator; if the audience stops looking, the asset loses its primary function.
This obsession with visible consumption highlights a clear divide in how wealth is perceived.
Legitimate wealth creators view resources as working capital to build enduring enterprises, generate employment, and leave a structural legacy.
Conspicuous consumers view money purely as an instrument for immediate consumption and social dominance.
When money meets insecure individuals, it rarely creates quiet confidence.
Instead, it breeds a relentless need for public validation.
When money meets insecure individuals, it fails to produce genuine dignity.
It produces a circus.
No amount of 18K rose gold, roaring V12 engines, or acres of real estate can purchase true substance for a cheap mind.
A society that values the spectacle of consumption over the hard work of production will always be held hostage by loud spenders.
In the end, the noise changes nothing: true power remains quiet, while insecurity is condemned to forever shout for attention.
*Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to contact him on +263715667700 or *
mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com
