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Roselyne Sachiti Features Editor
“WHEN I turned 32, my brothers’ wives started calling me the village aunt (tete vemhuri). “The village aunt is a woman who has gone past her expected age of marriage and might never marry. My situation was worse because I am an albino.

“Everyone had lost hope in me, but God had the answers, I found my true love. “Above all the ridicule my lobola (bride price) was the highest ever paid in the history of our clan.”

Loice Sanyangore (35) never thought she would find a husband, moreover walk down the aisle.

Her family and society had written her off and concluded that people like her would be lucky to be asked out for a date, even by the worst man in the village.

But on May 17, 2015, Loice “shocked” many when she walked down the aisle with her husband Everson Mujuru, also known as Thulani Chiwandire (42).

Their wedding was a spectacle and surprised many who did not picture an albino marrying a man with full skin pigmentation.

To some people marrying an albino is taboo, and Mujuru had crossed the line and maybe lost his sanity.

Not many in his family wanted his offspring to have albinism.

They thought by marrying Sanyangore, their kids would be albino.

But fate had other plans and handed her the perfect man, one who looks beyond her skin, who loves and cherishes her despite her genetic condition.

Theirs is a love story made in heaven, one that they both say was God sent.

It all began in 2012, when Sanyangore who was 32 met Mujuru then 39 at their church shrine near Gwanzura Stadium in the high-density suburb of Highfield, Harare.

“I had joined the apostolic sects in 1998 while still in the village near Zarura Secondary School in Makoni.

“My two brothers Simon and Norman are also albinos and we all attended Musaringo Primary School.

“First school days were not pleasant. I would sit on my own until when other kids became comfortable with me.

“The school headmaster also did not want me to discriminate myself and would assist me a lot,” she said.

In 1990, her mother, who was the first wife in a polygamous union, died and her paternal grandmother took care of her and the two boys.

“I became used to other people in society. I learnt how to defend myself when other kids laughed at me. They knew that I would sometimes get very angry and even beat them up if they overdid it,” she said.

In 2008, she moved to Harare to stay with her uncle and started attending church at the Johane Masowe weChishanu shrine near Gwanzura Stadium.

Mujuru had joined the church in 2007 and the two became friends.

But, about one-and-a-half years down the line they both noticed that they could be more than friends and Mujuru declared his undying love for her.

At 32, Sanyangore still did not have a boyfriend, hence the nickname “village aunt”.

Mujuru was a bachelor and in no time they were head over heels.

“I always asked myself where I would get a boyfriend given my skin colour. But the assurance that being albino does not mean I am different from anyone else made me strong. Even cows have different skin colours. Fruit trees are also different but remain in fruit. We are all human,” she said.

Mujuru would see her at a shop where they would both buy groceries after church.

“In the second year of our relationship, we both told our families that we wanted to marry. The first day meeting his family was the hardest,” she said

Mujuru revealed that most of his relatives were surprised when he told them that he had settled for Sanyangore.

Some openly asked him if the country had run out of women to marry.

Others spoke about his choice behind his back.

Then a few just looked and said nothing, as if waiting to see how it would end.

He said some had their own issues and raised them.

A daughter-in-law should do housework, lots of it and Loice’s condition could limit her, they told Mujuru.

Some were afraid that since she is an albino it would be difficult for her to do outdoor work like working the fields.

“I told them that she is the person I had chosen and I love her. When they got to know her, most started to see beyond her skin colour. They saw that she is no different from any of us,” he said.

On December 31, 2014, the two lovebirds ended the year on a high note when they customarily married.

Mujuru who is a self-employed electrician had raised $2700 for lobola, a record many in Sanyangore’s family are yet to match, let alone break.

Months following the customary marriage, the two started preparing for their wedding.

They did not have big plans, they wanted the wedding to be like any other.

Their itinerary was as follows.

First, they would wear their white church robes, which are an important part of the wedding blessing (since they do not wear rings) that would be conducted by sect leader Madzibaba Moses Gwasarira.

Then they would have a reception at TN Highfield to accommodate their relatives who were not members of the apostolic sect.

Here Sanyangore would wear her wedding gown and veil and Mujuru his suit.

Their bridal team would have seven women and seven men and they were to choose the colour of dresses and suits to wear respectively.

They also planned on how many cars they would need; a Mercedes Benz for the bride and groom, a Honda CRV and a Nissan Elgrand for the bridal team.

The list for the big day which was to start at the church shrine was specific.

But on their wedding day, everything changed spectacularly. The church service went on well, and they received blessings. A surprise awaited.

“After the church service, one person asked me where my suit was. I wore it and he told me to wait. A few minutes later, I saw a limousine with stickers that had our names emblazoned on it driving to where I was. I was shocked. I never thought our wedding would turn out like that,” he added.

Moments later, more cars like the imposing Hummer and many other models joined the wedding procession, headed for TN Highfield, the reception venue.

Here, even those who had thought their relationship was unusual forgot their fears, ate , drank soft drinks and danced to Tocky Vibes, Oliver Mtukudzi and Koffi Olomide’s music.

“Up to now, I do not know who hired the limousine. It is still a mystery. But I thank whoever did this for us,” Mujuru added.

Now staying in Unit J Chitungwiza, the couple says some people still stare at them when they walk.

“Sometimes when you are walking, you just see someone staring at you like they would lose balance and fall. My trick now is to stare back, straight in the eye until they stop,” he added.

The two hope to start a family soon.They are happy and want to live life to the full and love each other more.

They are also excited that society is finally admitting that theirs was a match made in heaven and what God has joined no mortal can put asunder.

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