First Lady rallies Beitbridge learners to focus on education, abstinence . . . urges TshiVenda community to shun drugs, uphold culture First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa talks to Grace Moyo who presented traditional foods consumed by people in Beitbridge during nhanga/gota/ixhiba programme in Beitbridge.

Tendai Rupapa and Thupeyo Muleya in BEITBRIDGE

SCHOOLchildren must focus on education and shun drugs and early sexual relationships which only pile misery on them, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.

She made the remarks during her educative Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session in Beitbridge aimed at moulding morally upright children at a time when drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and general immorality are rearing an ugly head among youths.

The First Lady and elderly women from the community took the girls through their lessons in the Nhanga as community leaders and elderly men taught boys what was expected of them in the Gota.

The mother of the nation also held a male engagement session as she sought to arrest issues affecting mainly children and the family institution. 

“Girls we have come with your grandmothers to discuss several issues with you. We want you to ask us questions relating to your well-being. We shall discuss adolescence, the effects of having sexual relations before time, the effects of drug and substance abuse, child marriages, teen pregnancies, menstrual hygiene, and the importance of education. We want you to feel free to ask us questions and speak because I want you to come out of this program knowing a lot of life lessons,” she said.

“Do you know why it is bad to sleep with a man before the time is ripe. What does it bring?” she asked.

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa hands over a cellphone to Grace Moyo so she can communicate with her and other girls on issues that affect the girl child after nhanga/gota/ixhiba programme in Beitbridge.

The question elicited a lot of responses including pregnancy, diseases, and dropping out of school.

“My daughters it is unwise to rush into sexual relations, value your education and guard your virginity jealously until marriage. We want future pilots from you, doctors, and lawyers. Are you not encouraged to see our female pilots in Zimbabwe? 

“How will you achieve this if you leave school midway? Preserve your morals and be respectable parents tomorrow with dignified lives. A career is important in your life. What do you want to be when you grow up?” she said.

 The girls responded by saying they wanted to be pilots, soldiers, teachers, and doctors.

“If you are not learned you can’t be a pilot. I urge you to focus on education,” she said.

A young girl decried that some children were abusing drugs.

“Mostly secondary school students are abusing drugs such that we run away when we see them because they can do anything while under the influence of drugs. I want to thank you Amai for your awareness campaigns against drugs because truly the situation had gone out of hand. We also thank you for Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba Programme which is so educative,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa weighed in, highlighting the disadvantages of taking drugs.

“Drugs are harmful my children, stay away from them. In my office, there is a 575 toll-free. On this line, I received a call yesterday from two families seeking to be counselled. They said their two children a boy and a girl who are relatives went out and took drugs. While high on drugs, they had sexual intercourse. 

“They were caught whereupon the girl started alleging rape while the boy is also claiming the same. Because they were both intoxicated, they ended up sleeping together and now that they are sober they do not know what they were doing. My office referred the matter to the police for further management. Shun drugs, shun alcohol, shun sexual relationships, and concentrate on school work vanangu,” she said.

First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa is greeted by girls exhibiting their Venda culture during nhanga/gota/ixhiba programme in Beitbridge.

Flight Lieutenant Tilda Angoni (29) a pilot with the Air Force of Zimbabwe, who was brought by Dr Mnangagwa to motivate and show girls who attended the Nhanga programme that they could also occupy and get prestigious careers if they worked hard, spoke about the value of obedience while giving the children career guidance. 

She gave an account of the work she had to do to achieve her dream.

“Obedience starts at home. When you are told or instructed to do something you do not have to be hesitant. You have to straight away do it, wash your dishes, and do whatever you are told. If you do that, even when you get to school, it won’t be difficult for you because you will be someone who will be focused. 

“I know some of you when you are instructed to do stuff by our parents you will be like let the old man do his stuff or let the old woman do her stuff. We want obedient girls, isn’t it? We want girls who when they are given an order comply.”

“My sisters, we want girls who put much effort into their schoolwork. We want you to pass and hear of all the A’s coming from schools in rural Beitbridge. You have to be known for doing well at school not for being mischievous. 

“When people come to Beitbridge, they should know Malala Secondary School because of you, holding the flame of excellency being a girl child. It all begins at home. You are told to do something you have to do it wholeheartedly. 

“Some of you procrastinate and choose to do homework at a later date. It’s not like that. You have to work hard, you have to put in effort. A woman works hard. A woman is persuasive and has endurance. If you cannot do it now, it can be a problem in the future. We want to come here next year and hear that all of you would have attained 10As and above. 

“All of you have been wondering how I became a pilot. I asked you earlier on what you want to be. Some of you raised your hands that you want to be soldiers, pilots, and doctors. About 70 percent of you said you want to be pilots. 

“Well, it is very possible because it all begins in the mind that you want to be a pilot or become this in life. At O’Level that is when I started breaking barriers. At our school people did a maximum of eight subjects, but I had to go to 14 subjects. 

“I did some of the subjects on my own without anyone helping me but because I had the focus that I wanted to be a pilot tomorrow, I had to do that. At A’Level I had to do four subjects. During our time it was weird again because people were doing three subjects. 

“After all, I knew it would help me become what I wanted to be. We also had to do that military training and we succeeded despite being women. We can all do it. We should be thankful to our mother the First Lady who is so passionate about girl child empowerment. Take her teachings seriously as they will help you tomorrow,” she said while inspiring the children.

One of the girls, Grace Moyo, expressed joy to the mother of the nation for visiting Beitbridge with the educative programme.

Flight Lieutenant Tilda Angoni (29), a pilot in the Air Force of Zimbabwe was brought by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa to motivate and show girls who attended nhanga programme that they can occupy and get prestigious careers if they work hard.

“Thank you, Amai for coming here to change our minds because most of us were lost. We shall keep the lessons you gave us in our hearts forever. Parents were troubled by our mischief as we were all lost. Life is difficult but we would have caused this on our own. 

“Most of my age mates were impregnated and left school midway but in most cases, this will be our fault for being disobedient. We wish to be well-mannered girls and not embarrass our parents, communities, and the nation. Mhamha you show us love as children in this country and we are forever grateful. You have people at heart, especially the girl child. We will not let you down Mama, we love you so much,” she said before bursting into tears.

The First Lady calmed her down while fighting back tears.

She said that was the purpose of her visit to inculcate good manners.

“That’s why I came to discuss with you vanangu because I love you. I saw that you are obedient children who are eager to learn. God planned that we meet today and therefore I shall never leave nor forget you. I love you my children and will always do,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa brought sewing machines, material, and all accessories and her Angel of Hope Foundation team taught the girls to sew reusable pads. 

The children were taught to sew using both the machines and the needles.

She then donated sewing machines to schools so that the girls carry on with the sewing project.

In her teachings, Gogo Stella Mathe advised the girls to dress appropriately and not put on clothes that exposed their flesh.

“Children must always dress appropriately. Some of you put on skimpy outfits that expose your flesh in front of your parents and other elders. This is so embarrassing and attracts problems for you. We must always be presentable and not put on clothes that we will not be comfortable moving freely in,” she said.

Another pupil Ruth Sibanda thanked the First Lady for rolling out the reusable sanitary pad training programme for the girls.

 

Girls being taught how to sew reusable sanitary wear by Angel of Hope Foundation during nhanga programme organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa in Beitbridge.

“We are thankful to our mother for rolling out such an important programme for us. It gives us a life skill and teaches us to do things on our own. Coming at a time when the cost of disposable sanitary pads is beyond the reach of many, the programme ensures no girl misses school during their monthly cycle and that we do not use cow dung or tree leaves that may be harmful to our health,” she said.

The First Lady appointed the learners her ambassadors so that they may visit schools together with the elderly teaching other girls. 

She bought one of the girls a mobile phone for easy communication with the ambassadors.

Amai Mnangagwa later addressed the whole community, stating her undying resolve to ensure children were well-cultured.

“We have come once again to train our children, both boys, and girls, so that they have good morals. We did not do this so that they rush into marriages. We did so to prepare their future, especially in terms of dressing where our daughters are walking in the nude which is embarrassing. I am glad the children I met today have the zeal to learn and are well-behaved,” she said

Dr Mnangagwa later invited a boy and girl to recount what they had learned in the nhanga and gota.

The pair said her visit was not in vain as it left life lessons for them.

Representing the girls, Grace Moyo, pleaded with parents not to marry them off before time saying they should be given opportunity to finish their studies and realise their full potential.

She said as children they needed guidance from their parents and further urged her peers to be disciplined and well mannered children who shun drugs.

“I am so pleased my children and thank you for teaching your peers showing you have grasped the teachings,” the First Lady said.

This came as communities in Beitbridge vowed to embrace the Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba initiative.

Boys too were trained on several Tshi Venda cultural rights from the age of five years to 18 years.

Boys being taught traditional values and culture during a gota programme organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa in Beitbridge.

They were taught by senior community elders about basic domestic chores, rearing livestock, discipline, the importance of respecting the family institution, puberty challenges, and the effects of juvenile delinquencies.

“I have learned a lot today and I want to thank the First Lady for such initiatives. There is a lot we can learn from our elders through programmes like these and my wish is for such tutorship to go on from generation to generation,” said a pupil- Ndivhuwo Muleya.

Julias Ndou said he had been taught basic skills on how to slaughter a goat and the dos and don’ts of puberty.

He said he was excited to see Dr Mnangagwa after having followed her works through the media.

“I am excited about this programme and that it is being revived by Dr Mnangagwa, our mother. If we continue like this we will have fewer cases of moral decadence in future as many people will be taught on social ethos at a tender age,” he said.

Julias said he was concerned about how some of his peers were engaging in drug abuse.

He said parents and community elders should work together in raising well-disciplined children.

One of the village elders, Mr Emmanuel Moyo said he had a passion to revive the Venda culture and that he was humbled to see Dr Mnangagwa leading the way in reviving forgotten cultural norms.

“This Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba programme is interesting and educative. I have a passion to see young boys growing up in line with our culture. It makes me happy to see the country’s most influential citizens taking an interest. We are going to keep teaching children across the district,” said Mr Moyo.

“Although we have been doing this, it has been at a small scale, but from today, we will cast out our net wider in the community.” 

Beitbridge senior traditional leader, Chief Stauze, (David Mbedzi), commended Dr Mnangagwa for taking culture and traditions seriously.

He said there were many social ills affecting communities and it was pleasing to note that Amai Mnangagwa was leading from the front in teaching children the right ways.

The Chief said the youth were future leaders and hence it was important to inculcate Ubuntu from an early stage.

“As traditional leaders, we are happy with the support we are getting from our mother,” he said.

He added that they were also happy with the work of Dr Mnangagwa as the environment and tourism patron. 

He said communities had adopted the initiatives which will help them adapt to the effects of climate change.

The mother of the nation later held a male engagement session.

Before addressing the men, she sought permission to address them in line with the country’s traditional norms and values where women submit to men.

“Allow me vanababa to stand before you discussing issues affecting our families as we put our heads together. We see that our children are ruined by drugs. We are near the border post where many things pass through and we therefore need to protect our children. What must we do to end the drug menace which has affected the whole nation? Long ago, women were respected but this is no longer the case as violence with men beating women saying I bought you is on the rise. How is the relationship between a father and his sons and mothers with their daughters? Are you having time to sit down and talk as a family? Where has this trend of marrying off children at tender ages come from? Who is doing this between baba naamai? Who is starting domestic violence and where has the love of old gone?” she asked.

In response, Mrs Lucia Khumalo said it was essential to follow the word of God at all times.

“When God created marriage, he said it is good. If we happen to follow the way God wants, there won’t be domestic violence but nowadays in the early days of marriage, it will be all rosy, family issues being solved amicably, and communication will be fine. The husband will be coming home early and enjoying supper together. However, after some time the love disappears and men become rough, start coming home late wearing clothes that they would not have bought and stop bringing money home choosing to spend time with girlfriends. If you ask then he turns violent and starts bashing you in the presence of children. What are we teaching our children as their role models? This even affects children at school. Our husbands should love us because we as women are also loving,” she said.

Mr Julias Mbedzi spoke along the same lines, saying he was worried about domestic violence.

Part of the crowds that welcomed First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa who held an interactive session with them in Beitbridge. Pictures: John Manzongo and Thupeyo Muleya.

“The issue of domestic violence troubles me. Men were given authority by God and women were told to be submissive but as men, we are abusing this power and start bashing our spouses. Love should not hurt, love does not beat. We also want to be loved because some women do not respect their husbands, they do not know how to talk. If she wants money for relish, why not say Daddy I love you can I have money for relish,” he said, triggering laughter in the gathering.

The First Lady said there was a need to have good communication in the home at all times and for women to use their hands to do projects and live in peace and harmony.

“As a mother, I do not consider one’s political or religious affiliation. All I want is for women to work and succeed as we mould one another,” she said.

The gathering including the elderly, chiefs, and headmen received maize meal, cooking oil, macaroni rice, and sugar from Dr Mnangagwa’s Angel of Hope Foundation.

The First Lady also brought along health experts who were conducting cancer screening and other health checks.

Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Abednico Ncube said there was a need to maintain cultural practices that mold well-mannered youth.

“Parents no longer have or find time to teach their children the proper path to follow as they grow up. As such we applaud the First Lady’s initiatives to create such dialogue and demonstration of the need for such engagement with both boys and girls. Furthermore, the impact that men have in societies cannot be overemphasised, hence it is important to engage them in issues affecting families,” he said.

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