Herald Reporter
Premier Service Medical Investments has heeded the call by First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe to have Mbare grandmother Mrs Idah Hwiza provided with a new set of teeth, after she was touched by her plight at a rally recently. The First Lady referred Mbuya Hwiza to PSMI’s Premier Service Dental Clinics (PSDC) where dentists successfully gave her the set of new teeth which has helped return her life to “normal”.

Mrs Hwiza is famous for having provided sanctuary to liberation war fighters at her house in Mbare during a mission to bomb fuel tanks in Southerton in December 1978.

The bombing of the fuel tanks provided a new impetus to the liberation war which had until then mostly been confined to the rural and farming areas. The act made racist Rhodesians realise that the war was now at their doorstep and this contributed to their calls for negotiations to end the war and bring independence to the country.

After realising that she had housed the liberation fighters, Rhodesian authorities caught up with her and brutally assaulted her. It was during the course of the assault that she lost all her teeth. Speaking in an interview after receiving her new teeth, Mrs Hwiza said she was thankful to the First Lady for her act of generosity.

“When the First Lady said that she was going to make sure that I get a new set of teeth, I thought she was kidding, but now I am out of words,” she said. “I never thought in my whole life that I will ever have teeth in my mouth. It was proving expensive for me to do this, so I had adjusted to chew meat with my gums. I have strong gums which can chew meat and I did not have any limitations when it came to eating.

“Look at me now, I have teeth and I want to dye my hair black and dress myself well and knock at Dr Mugabe’s door so that she sees how beautiful I look. I also extend my gratitude for what she has done for me.” Mbuya Hwiza paid tribute to dentists at the PSMI Dental Clinic after she underwent tests and eventually had her new teeth fitted.

Her daughter, Ms Loriet Nyatsine, said: “She is now more beautiful and her grandchildren have bought her a toothbrush to clean her new dentures.

“Everyone at home is more than excited by this and we appreciate the First Lady’s efforts.

“We are also grateful to PSMI for this wonderful job. We thought it was going to be a painful process, so we were a little bit scared, but we have seen it for ourselves that it is possible.”

Commenting on the procedure, PSDC general manager Dr Nyasha Kunzekweguta said the fitting was done without any complications. “At PSDC our mandate is to serve the community we live in and also to make sure patients get the best services,” he said. “PSDC takes pride in giving patients their smiles back.”

PSMI has a philanthropy arm TOUCH (Together we Understand and Care for Humanity) which is the group’s tool of engaging the communities it serves with the aim of bettering, enhancing and promoting life. Mbuya Hwiza was a beneficiary of this programme.

PSMI business development and customer relations manager Mr Nhamo Marandu said they would continue helping the elderly in society. “It is the duty of PSMI to take care of our senior citizens and the group will continue to extend the philanthropy arm to the community through mobile clinics where free medical check-ups are conducted and also helping people like Mbuya Hwiza,” he said.

During the rally in Mbare, Amai Mugabe praised Mrs Hwiza for her bravery during the liberation struggle and promised her that she would be fitted with new teeth.

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