For Zaereka love is indeed blind Esline Zaereka (left), her husband Samson Mpofu and three of their eight children outside one of the family huts bulit and thatched by the former
Esline Zaereka (left), her husband Samson Mpofu and three of their eight children outside one of the family huts bulit and thatched by the former

Esline Zaereka (left), her husband Samson Mpofu and three of their eight children outside one of the family huts bulit and thatched by the former

 Freedom Mupanedemo Syndication Writer

Born in the model of a modern woman, she is a rare breed; an epitome of bravado, tolerance, warmth and faithfulness. The 47-year-old Elsine Zaereka from Pandashango Village, Mberengwa, could have been an award winner if circumstances had not given her a “profession” that is devoid of rewards.

She, however, accepts life as it is and lives it to the fullest.

Zaereka chose her own path, marrying her sweetheart despite his disabilities.

Her husband, Samson Mpofu (60), lost both his arms during Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.

She has since taken over the role of the family breadwinner.

“I do everything here; from my role as a woman, mother and wife so that I can fend for my disabled husband and family,” Zaereka said in a recent interview.

Her marriage to a disabled man has stood the test of time, 35 years on the trot, and blessed with eight children.

Despite the challenges, Zaereka is still in it – without regrets.

Mpofu, a victim of both fate and geography, looks up to Zaereka for everything.

Every morning Mpofu wakes up looking up to the woman who has been a source of passion, love and strength.

Life for him revolves around his wife who dresses him up before he goes aimlessly through the routine movements walking around every corner of his homestead before he finds a comfortable place to sit.

There, Zaereka brings food and spoon-feeds him like a baby.

In the arid Mberengwa, food is hard to come by and with El Nino-induced drought having wrought havoc with the harvests, the food situation in the district is dire.

The Mpofu family is badly affected.

Zaereka has literally become a scavenger trying to fend for her family.

However, life goes on!

For Zaereka the duties are aplenty.

She is literally both the man and the woman.

She builds and thatches the huts, tills the land, looks for food – doing literally what should be a preserve for the man of the house.

“I have learnt to do everything for my family and am now used to it.

“I bath my husband, I dress him up, I cook, I am the one who built all the huts you see in this homestead,” she said in a soft voice.

She said she emotionally fell in love with Mpofu back in 1981 when she was still a teenager.

“I had visited a relative in Mpofu’s village and we ended up getting hitched leading to our marriage,” she said.

Soon after the nuptials, Zaereka took over the family’s “fatherly” role learning to do everything for the family.

She can do anything at the homestead.

“I am a self-trained builder and I can build any structure today. I am the one who does all the duties here including farming our land,” she said.

Zaereka said when Mpofu proposed love to her, she was touched by his condition and could not turn him down.

“When he approached me, I thought God had a purpose for it and I fell for him and until today I don’t regret anything,” she said.

Zaereka said as a rural woman playing the fatherly role, she faces many challenges including sending all their eight children to school.

She appealed for assistance for her husband and family.

Her husband needs another set of artificial hands.

The pair he wears today was donated soon after independence in 1980.

“He used to feed himself using the artificial hands but now he can’t use them as they are worn out.

“I also struggle to raise school fees for the children and the $50 which my husband gets from Social Welfare is not enough,” she said.

Mpofu said he lost his limbs to the brutal Ian Smith colonial soldiers who abducted him at the height of the liberation struggle.

He said his wife was Godsent.

“With my condition, I never thought I would marry but as God would have it, I married my wife in 1986 after she accepted my situation and today she is my saviour,” says Mpofu.

Mpofu, who occasionally broke down during the interview, said at times he is hurt as he sits in awe with his wife going around doing duties which should be legitimately his.

“I am more hurt when she struggles to put food on the table, she struggles to raise fees for the children, she struggles in everything but she perseveres. I thank God for her,” he said with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Mpofu might have been a victim of the protracted war, a tormented soul but in Zaereka he has found a consoling partner.The only challenge Zaereka has is reining in her brood.

“At times I have challenges controlling them because they know that their father is disabled but what can I do? Such is life! I have been blessed to lead this family,” she said.

She might not be your Florence Nightingale, but to Mpofu she is more than a saint.

Zaereka, despite the challenges, looks like she will run the race to the finishing line with her husband. – Zimpapers Syndication Services.

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