TellZim Reporter
Former TellZim News accountant Edmore Munjeyi recently graduated with a doctoral degree in Accounting from the prestigious Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.
Dr Munjeyi, who hails from Gutu in Masvingo was conferred with the PhD at a colorful ceremony at the university in Gqeberha, South Africa on April 21, 2022.
His thesis, “A Framework For Digitalising Tax Revenue Collection For The Informal Economic Sphere In Zimbabwe” looked at how the Zimbabwean economy can use a digitalized framework to curb revenue leakages in the informal sector, which is now more dominant in the country.
“I have seen that there are many loopholes within the governance and our formal system has collapsed. There are many revenue leakages and in order to curb those loopholes there must be a framework, with this framework being a digitalized framework now.
“As we have seen, the economy of Zimbabwe has shifted from formal to informal; everything is now informal in Zimbabwe. If government wants to pursue money from informal (traders) for example money changers, artisanal miners and so on, how can we deal with those issues? So I proposed a framework which integrated artificial intelligence such that by the end of the day there is an audit trail and no one will have cash in his hands,” Dr Munjeyi said.
Dr Munjeyi said through the framework he was advocating for a ‘cashless’ economy, which curbs corruption, tax evasion and other such ills associated with the informal economy.
Dr Munjeyi is now one of the few people with a PhD in Accounting in Masvingo Province and said his motivation was the uniqueness of the qualification, which gives him a vertical alignment regarding his academic path.
“My first degree was Bcom Honors in Accounting followed by Master of Commerce Degree in Accounting and I proceeded to a PhD in Accounting. I wanted that vertical alignment to an extent that I will be a guru in that particular field.
“I wanted also to add my voice in issues that have to do with economic, corporate governance and so on,” said Dr Munjeyi.
Dr Munjeyi said he wanted to encourage others who would want to take the same route to be determined and to leverage on their networks in order for their academic journeys to be easier.
“What I have discovered is that networking is key. I have been with my former director Golden Maunganidze who helped me when I wanted people to interview for data collection. My encouragement is that you listen to your heart; take that which you really want and again align yourself in terms of vertical articulation,” Dr Munjeyi added.
He said as someone coming from humble beginnings, he has a heart to support the underprivileged in order for them to access the same opportunities he did, which prompted him to register Donhodzo Revana Trust to empower the underprivileged, especially the academically gifted children.
“The founders of that Trust include myself, Dr Tado and Svitsai Mujuru. We are together in trying to empower starting from the primary level. We are trying to uplift the broken spirit. Without preempting my plans, for my celebrations I will be with children from Alpha Cottages,” Dr Munjeyi added.
