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Tendai Rupapa-Senior Reporter

WOMEN must work together and comfort each other in difficult times since they bear the brunt of all challenges in families, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.

She made the remarks while consoling the family of national hero, Engineer Oliver Chidawu, who was Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution.

The mother of the nation expressed grief at the loss of the minister, who suffered a sudden death on Tuesday, and fought back tears as she addressed mourners.

Dr Mnangagwa urged his wife to be strong for the sake of the family left behind.

Eng Chidawu passed away after the demise of his son, Isheanesu, in 2017, who died in almost similar circumstances.

“Madzimai tinodengezera zvakawanda, uye rufu rwunorwadza, rwunouya tisingafungire. I say to women let us unite and stand with each other. Whatever comes is faced by the mother. Her age does not matter, mudzimai anotakura mitoro. When we meet as women, I would have met vamwe verudzi rwangu rwechidzimai as we are all women. Naizvozvo, it is important to comfort each other. It is just time, which is not ours,” Dr Mnangagwa said.

“If I am not mistaken, only recently a boy child left us in a similar manner. All these things confront the mother. You would have expected things to take place in a certain direction as a mother. You may say where did I go wrong? Here I was correct and for my child I did this, but all that is of no use because we are mortals. 

“If I look at the history, when the son died, it happened in the hands of the mother. How the son died is similar to the way the father went. When we all thought the person was going to access help at the hospital, they had already passed on. 

“Such losses are hard to forget. You may expect the person to say something, yet they would have died. Today it is here and tomorrow we do not know where it will be. This is why I go about encouraging women to comfort one another. Such happenings which leave the mother lonely are painful. We encourage you to look after the family.”

Eng Chidawu’s wife, Spiwe, thanked the First Lady for her words of encouragement and comfort.

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa pays her condolences to mourners at the home of national hero and Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Engineer Oliver Chidawu, while Mrs Chidawu looks on in Harare yesterday.

She gave a brief narration of how her husband died.

The First Lady also had words of encouragement and comfort for the uncle of the national hero, Mr Stephen Chidawu.

“You are the only father left as all your children have gone. Be strong since you are the one present and comfort the whole family in this difficult time,” she said.

In response, Mr Chidawu, said: “I am grateful for your words of comfort Amai. There is nothing we can do since time belongs to God. We would have wished for him to live longer and look after his family, but if it is God’s time we cannot do anything. I thank you for coming to comfort us.” 

Another relative of the deceased sang praises for the First Lady and said her visit had lessened the burden in their hearts.

She chronicled the philanthropic work being done by the First Lady across the length and breadth of the country, including in remote areas.

“Amai, we want to thank you for coming to comfort us. Tadziirwa nerudo rwenyu Amai and this shows that as a nation we really have a mother. You are not selective Amai, you have all your children at heart, you do not care whether the people you are visiting are elderly people or whether or not the area is inaccessible. 

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa comforts Mrs Spiwe Chidawu, the widow of national hero and Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Engineer Oliver Chidawu, at the family home in Harare yesterday.

“What you have done for us as a family is a big thing that our hearts feel lightened that Amai has come to console us. Spiwe was crying. She looks like a strong person because she is someone who knows God yet she is hurt. What happened here we also cannot explain, but your visit here shows us that we have a mother who is a mother. For our President to be able to do all that he is doing in the country is because of Amai’s support. 

“We ask God to bless you and give you more days of life full of wisdom. Not anywhere in the world have we seen a mother like you. If we do not say this, even God would not bless us. Keep doing the good works for surely we have never heard of a mother who visits remote areas, but you are always with the people,” she said.

Eng Chidawu is survived by his wife and two children — Dadirai and Ropafadzo.