to the administration alone but should also be taken up by ex-students and parents.”
This is the bold call by Musengezi High School headmaster Mr Darlington Chapotereke to all students to come together and regain the lost glory of their once flourishing school.

Following years of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, one of Zimbabwe’s well-known schools, which distinguished itself in agriculture and music witnessed a steady decline and is slowly rising up.
The enormous work ahead requires the assistance of not only the local Member of Parliament and patron of the school, Cde Webster Shamu, and a few others but the thousands of students who went through its doors over the past four decades of its existence.

Opening its doors originally as an agriculture training institute for emerging black farmers in 1966, the Government school has mutated to become a full educational institute that now offers advanced level studies.
However, the infrastructure has failed to match the rising demand and growth of the school that has seen it now accommodate a total of 700 students. Of the total, 578 are boarders with the remainder coming from the surrounding farming community.

The school, most famed for its gospel music choir, continues to do well academically and has a pass rate of more than 90 percent for both advanced and ordinary levels.
“We are an institution that has a lot of potential but that can only be realised by the support of former students and well wishers. We understand that the Government has a lot on its plate and thus cannot sponsor the development of schools in the country,” said Mr Chapotereke.
The school was appealing to former students who are doing well in industry and Government to come together and help chart the school’s future developmental path.

“Our main focus is resuscitating the various agriculture projects that used to sponsor the school development such as piggery, poultry, dairy and vegetable and market gardening,” he said.
“These were badly affected by the economic decline experienced in Zimbabwe over the past decade. That is where we need a lot of support from our former students.
“Minister Shamu has done a lot for the school but we understand he has a number of schools and other developmental projects to take care of. He has helped resuscitate the poultry and diary projects. Our target is to ensure that by the end of the year, Musengezi High will be self sufficient in the dairy and garden products. We thus are in urgent need of tractors to enhance our field operations.”

With the assistance of Minister Shamu and local mining company Zimplats, the school has secured 1200 broilers and 4,5 tonnes of stockfeeds to kick-start the poultry project. The school intends to resuscitate the school farm and vegetable projects to ensure that it can provide food for its students. The greatest setback is lack of reliable water supply after their water pump that served the gardens was stolen.

One of the longest serving teachers at the school, Mr Wonder Mhova, said the growth of enrolment was not being matched by the infrastructure.
The buildings that were erected in the 1980s could no longer accommodate the school population.
“As such the school does not have a proper library, bigger dining hall and advanced level blocks.

“We have been forced to use the classrooms that were meant for lower classes to accommodate the upper class students. That has created pressure on existing infrastructure. We badly need additional rooms,” said school senior master Mhova.
The school was not able to offer sciences at Advanced Level because it does not have a laboratory with facilities for such studies. It only offers arts and commercial subjects.

“If I was asked what the school urgently needs, I would encourage our former students to assist us with the construction of a new dining hall, library and laboratory so that we can fully cater for the educational needs of our schools.”

He said in the past the school had an old students’ association but the grouping had become dysfunctional.
“The association could have been a victim of the economic problems that hit the school and has of late not been involved in spearheading developmental projects at the school. Efforts are being made to either resuscitate it or establish a new one,” he said.

Established in the mid-1960s the school has undergone a complete metamorphosis from an agriculture college for black farmers to an F2 institute in the 1970s and to an F1 school in 1978 before being turned into a full academic institution in 1980.

Starting with a few students, the school has continued to increase the number of students to its current enrolment. In addition to its academic prowess it is one of the top chess playing schools in the country. Under the guidance of Joseph Moyo, the school has won a number of national awards and came second in the 2011 Nash National Chess Championship Under-14 boys and girls’ competitions.

“One of our students Wendy Kuvava came first in the 2010 championship but failed to travel to Poland for the world junior championship because of a lack of sponsorship. In 2005 Isheunesu Chioreso, a student at the school took the national flag to Turkey in the same category,” said Mr Takaendesa.

The school has produced some of the country’s great chess players such as Farai Mandizha and Rodwell Makoto, who went on to star in the Southern African championship.
With the help of former students Macdonald Chidavaenzi aka MacDee in the musical circles and Elvis Bokosha the school choir famed for releasing gospel hit album Ngaisangane Africa has re-ignited the music fire and has just left the studio with a sizzling album Tamirira.

The school has contributed a lot to the country’s music scene with names such as Mac Dee, Emmanuel Manyeruke aka Guspy Warrior and Petronella Gobvu.

  • If your school was once great and you want to challenge former students to do something about it contact: [email protected]

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