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Mkhululi Ncube, Bulawayo Bureau

CHIEF Hikwa is not your everyday chief.

At 80 years old, she might be easily dismissed as just another elderly woman, walking with the aid of a crutch. But within her lies a heroic spirit determined to preserve the legacy of her revered grandfather, whom she succeeded.

Chief Hikwa ascended to the chieftainship after her brothers, who could have taken the throne, were held back by their fears.

“I saw that it was not good for the name of my grandfather to die a natural death. It was not good that people from outside my family be chosen to act as leaders when we are here. I am not comfortable divulging why my brothers did not take up the post,” she said.

For her, taking the reins was not only about leadership but also about showing her brothers that the throne was safe and they could ascend to it once she stepped down.

Despite acknowledging her age, she felt it was her duty to assume the role.

“I am old and I will not wait until I die to vacate the position. The country’s Constitution has provisions for one to vacate the leadership should they want to. I have opened the way for my brothers; I think they will be free and unafraid now to take over,” said Chief Hikwa.

Born Adelaide Hikwa Nleya to Robson Hikwa Nleya and Tjiyipe Maphosa, the newly installed chief has always worn ‘special garments’ in her life. At 17, after completing her primary education at Tjondenga and Dombodema Primary schools, she convinced her parents to allow her to go to Zambia to study nursing.

“Back then, after primary school, it was hard to go to secondary school. Firstly, it was the issue of finance. My father had three wives and many children. The few available secondary schools were very far away, and it was hard to enrol. Most people did secondary school via correspondence. I only did secondary level while working,” she explained.

Chief Hikwa applied for nurse training in Zambia during the Federation days. Convincing her father to let her go was a challenge, but her mother was supportive.

“Through determination, I managed to convince my father to let me go,” she said.

She boarded a train from Mpopoma in Bulawayo to Livingstone, Zambia.

“Back then, our only means of communication was through letters. It was very expensive to phone. I trained in nursing at Rhone Antelope Hospital; a three-year course. After training, one was called a medical assistant because we were assistants to doctors,” she recounted.

Chief Hikwa preferred Zambia because she had cousins who had trained there and were employed as nurses. After training, she was deployed at Kitwe Government Hospital for six months while waiting for her certificate. During her graduation, her uncle and cousin attended as her parents couldn’t make it.

She also worked at Choma District Hospital and returned to Livingstone, where she met her late husband, a train driver. They had six children together, although four are now deceased.

“Back then, when you got married or went on maternity leave, you would resign and reapply when you returned. I got married in Zambia, but my husband was from back home in Plumtree. During my lobola day in Zambia, my father was represented by my uncle who worked there,” she said.

Chief Hikwa and her husband travelled from Zambia to Victoria Falls to vote in the first democratic elections in 1980. They returned to Zambia to sort out their papers and prepare to return home after independence.

“We had to give notice of resignation and have our packages sorted. I was earning around 400 Kwacha, and the money had value. I could raise a family and take my children to school. I came to Zimbabwe and worked at the United Central Hospitals from May 1981 to 1998. I then transferred to Plumtree and retired in February 2009. I lost my husband in March 1993,” she said.

While working in Zambia, one of the darkest days for Chief Hikwa was when the late ZPRA commander Rodgers Alfred Nikita Mangena died.

“We used to host a lot of freedom fighters in our house in Zambia. Many of them, like the late Dumiso Dabengwa, Tshinga Dube, and George Silundika, would visit my home, and we treated many of them at the hospital. The day Mangena died, he had left my house in the morning. We attended to many injured freedom fighters at Choma Hospital on the day Mangena died because it was a big hospital,” she said.

Her nursing career was mostly spent working in the children’s, orthopaedic, and geriatric wards. Chief Hikwa couldn’t wait to retire due to the economic challenges during the bearer’s cheques era.

“Things were extremely tough during the year of my retirement because there was no money. So, it was a real relief to retire then. I stayed in my house in Plumtree for some time before going home to assume the role of acting headman,” she said.

The Hikwa chieftainship had been demoted to a headmanship by the colonial government, and the family worked to have it revived. She was installed as headman in 2009 after acting for two years since 2007. In 2023, the Second Republic granted the revival of the chieftainship.

“Assuming the traditional leadership role was a strange feeling for me. It is different from nursing because the latter was a calling for me while being a headman and chief is a family heritage. One needs ‘isibindi’ (to be brave) as you will be speaking to people and handling many matters,” she said.

Chief Hikwa still cannot believe she has transformed from a nurse to a chief but says it is all worth it.

“The night before my installation as chief, I could not believe it was happening. The support from the family was my mainstay. They came in their numbers from both my mother and father’s sides and from the Tshuma family, where I was married,” she said.

After assuming her new role, Chief Hikwa has focused on education, water, road networks, wildlife management, drug and substance abuse, and cultural revival. She says the shortage of schools affects education as learners are forced to travel long distances.

“Schools are very far, and our primary school-going learners are very young to walk long distances. We can blame teachers or learners for poor results, but long distances affect education delivery. We also have human-wildlife conflict in our resettlement areas.

“Water is also a challenge as we have few boreholes. Some people share water sources with animals. In some areas like Tjehanga, some still draw water from the river. Our dams are silted. We also have a terrible road network which causes transport challenges,” she said.

Chief Hikwa believes the Government needs to be tough on drugs and substance abuse by dealing strongly with the supply chain.

“I observe culture very much, and I will work on reviving our culture because we cannot be a people without culture. I will work on reviving traditional dances and plays in my area. We also have the revered Manyangwa mountain rain-making shrine. That place is a crucial part of who we are as Kalanga people,” she said.

Chief Hikwa stresses that women can do any work men can do as long as they are supported, but one needs “isibindi” and respect from their people.