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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter

A GOOD turn deserves another.

This statement rang true yesterday when an engineering firm, inspired by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s efforts to ease the plight of vulnerable communities and empower womenfolk, donated to her Angel of Hope Foundation a locally designed sheller to enhance her work.

The sheller, which can process between 1 and 1,2 tonnes of grain per hour, was designed by Ms Faith Matsveru, a female student from Chinhoyi University of Technology.

The machine is also compatible with traditional grains like sorghum.

The donation was timely as it came barely a week after the mother of the nation appeared on national television hand-shelling maize which she helped various groups produce at Portugal Farm in Seke, Mashonaland East.

Through her Angel of Hope Foundation, Amai Mnangagwa initiated the farming project in all the country’s provinces and provided all the necessary farming inputs.

The project benefited vulnerable groups that include widows, orphans, former ladies of the night and those with disabilities among other groups.

After harvesting, the Mashonaland East beneficiaries invited her to see what they produced, therefore the mother of the nation is now waiting to be invited by other provinces so that she sees if the inputs were put to good use.

Angel of Hope Foundation patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa talks to Ms Faith Matsveru the designer of the sheller which was donated to her foundation by Mansen Engineering while the company’s Operations Director Mr Yaseen Mahomed looks on at Zimbabwe House yesterday

The operations director for Mamsem Engineering, Mr Yaseen Mahomed said his firm was inspired by the tremendous work being done by Angel of Hope Foundation in providing welfare and empowerment for women and the girl child, and further eradicating poverty and inequality.

“This specific machine was designed by Ms Faith Matsveru, a graduate from Chinhoyi University of Technology. She designed this machine while on attachment at our firm. She is currently a graduate and we were so impressed with her abilities and her professionalism that we employed her full time.

“Locally designed and manufactured products such as these prove that we have the necessary skills and abilities in Zimbabwe to manufacture equipment locally.

“These abilities will eventually allow us to cut out the need to import equipment and in the process allow us to create employment for our beloved Zimbabwean people.

“We want to thank you Amai for the effort and patience you are putting to your foundation. We will try by all means to support you as much as we can,” he said.

Mr Mahomed said Mamsem Engineering was a multifaceted engineering firm that was established in 1987.

“We have been in service for three decades and have had the privilege of servicing numerous clients throughout various industries and sectors,” he said.

The company’s managing director Mr Hanif Mahomed said he felt privileged working with young people like Ms Matsveru.

“I feel very privileged to have the young generation coming on board. We have been in the industry for over 40 years and it is good to see young people coming with these innovations and we have got to support them as much as we can. We also want to thank the First Lady for everything she is doing for the people of Zimbabwe through her Angel of Hope Foundation. She is a mother who loves all her children so much. We were touched when we saw her on national television and in the press helping women in Seke to harvest their crops and hand shelling maize. We then decided to support her as a firm,” he said.

Ms Matsveru was at a loss for words as she urged the First Lady to continue with her empowerment programmes.

“I would want to thank you on behalf of young ladies like me for showing us love and impact through your work. I thank you for the work you are doing for women and girls in Zimbabwe. Keep on strengthening those efforts and encouraging the youths,” she said.

The First Lady sought to know what inspired Ms Matsveru to design the sheller and who she worked with.

In response, the bubbly student said: “For the maize sheller I got inspiration from subsistence farmers. Most of them cannot afford the maize shellers that are being sold or imported from other countries.

“I was also looking at the young children because most farmers tend to withdraw their children from school when it is harvest time because that is when they need help and that is where I got my motivation. I got help from my bosses who are here today with me.

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa thanks Ms Faith Matsveru and Mansen Engineering operations director Mr Yaseen Mahomed for the sheller donation. The sheller was designed by Ms Matsveru, a graduate from Chinhoyi University of Technology, while she was on Industrial attachment

From Chinhoyi University, in my class we were 60 students doing Mechatronics Engineering, but then we were only 10 girls. Most of them were hardworking women with the passion and zeal to learn.”

The mother of the nation was on cloud nine and thanked the company for coming in with machinery to enhance her work.

“Allow me to welcome you to my offices with such a present. Together with vulnerable women country wide whom I helped through my foundation to embark on farming project, we are associated with farming both traditional grains and maize. So, you will find us under the tree or just in a kitchen hand-shelling maize. Your idea of coming here with such a present to Angel of Hope Foundation is something that I did not expect and i am grateful.

“Thank you so much. It is my fast time seeing you and i am thankful that you heard, have read and have followed and have seen what I am doing towards the upliftment of our people and that I am involving girls, child-headed families, the elderly, those with disabilities all of them I look at how they are living. Your coming in with this machine will go a long way in making our work easier. I was in Seke a week ago where we were hand-shelling and bagging maize which will be sent to GMB to benefit other people who did not do very will this past rainy season,” she said.

The mother of the nation showered Ms Matsveru with praises, saying what she had done would inspire other young ladies in particular and women in general.

“We are saying women take these positions and make sure you are also there when things are done. Mix with the men because we are the same and you have seen it yourselves, that’s why you have given her a full-time job. Your mind is also looking at the girl child, you are looking at the women, you are looking at the underprivileged, so your company said we will give this to Amai. Today we are talking about this lady who has come up with this machine produced by your company and I want to thank you very much. Those who are seeing this today, other women, other young ladies now emulate what she has done. And we are saying more and more of them should come and do the same and we develop our country,” she said.

Amai Mnangagwa said when invited to the other provinces, she would carry the machine for shelling.