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Tendai Rupapa in Masvingo

FILMS of dust engulfed the air as hundreds of people sang and danced with joy when First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa took her educative Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme to children in churches, in a first of its kind move.

This comes after she successfully held the programme in schools and communities throughout the country’s provinces.

Like all the others preceding it, yesterday’s programme in Masvingo North, Wondedzo, under Chief Musara was over subscribed and helped reinforce her all-encompassing drive of leaving no place and no one behind. 

The First Lady, with the help of community elders, held an interactive session with the children where she emphasised the need for them to concentrate on their studies and wait for the appropriate time to date and start families.

During the session, the children were allowed to ask questions on various subjects with Dr Mnangagwa and the elders present providing the answers.

While Amai Mnangagwa and the elderly women were in the nhanga (girls’ bedroom) with girls, boys were in their traditional bedroom (gota) with chiefs and elderly men being taught what is expected of them.

Self respect, dangers of indulging in sexual relations at a tender age, the importance of education, respecting elders, proper dressing and dangers of drug and substance abuse dominated the nhanga/gota discussions.

Girls were also taught about menstrual hygiene.

The programme was held at Chief Musara’s homestead.

This comes at a time the country is battling a surge in drug abuse and general lack of morals among youths.

Wherever Dr Mnangagwa visits, she sets up committees that become whistle blowers working with the police, her office and Ministers of State offices to report illegal activities.

This has seen drugs peddlers being arrested.

Teen pregnancies are also rife countrywide, forcing many girls to quit school. “Vanambuya we have come to educate our children and leave them with life lessons. A child is yours alone during pregnancy but once born, the child belongs to everyone. As mothers, let us agree to have our children counselled by others when they do wrong. We are embarrassed as mothers by their naughtiness. 

Girls from different churches being taught how to prepare traditional grains such as rice, sorghum, rapoko and millet for the preparation of traditional meals using mortar and pestle and grinding stones during the nhanga/gota/ixhiba session organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at Chief Musara’s homestead in Masvingo.

“Let us discuss freely without being shy because we have come to mould you vanangu. You are the reason I am here today. I am happy you came from different churches,” Dr Mnangagwa said before giving the floor to the elderly women.

The women enacted a play in which a granddaughter was refusing to perform household chores, preferring to spend time on social media. 

She would swear and talk back to her grandparents, not listening to them, dressing improperly until she fell pregnant and dropped out of school. 

The girls drew some lessons from the play and confirmed that the play depicted what some of them were doing at home.

They promised to change their ways after Amai Mnangagwa shared with them words of wisdom. 

One of the girls, Sarah Zimhango said there were some children in her area who were taking drugs.

“Mhamha, in our village there are some boys who are taking drugs and end up doing lewd things,” she said with a voice pregnant with concern.

The First Lady urged the girls to have the said boys arrested before they committed worse crimes like rape, robbery and murder while intoxicated.

“Report to the police promptly to have the boys arrested before they rape you or break into homes under the influence of drugs and other intoxicating substances. 

“You must police your bodies and refuse to sleep with boys before the time is ripe. I have call centre in my office 575 so please make use of it muchindiudza zvakaipa zvamurikuona kwamugere (to inform me of the bad things you are observing in your communities),” she said.

Gogo Mugabi voiced concern with the way the children were dressing.

“My grandchildren you are wearing mini skirts and walking in the nude with blouses that do not cover the navel. Boys are squeezing your breasts like avocados on the market. 

“You are rushing for issues beyond your level because of your penchant for sweet things. 

“When sent to the shops, some boys will offer to buy you jiggies (corn snacks) and drinks laced with intoxicating substances and you sleep with them as you will not be in control. “When you fall pregnant, you will not know the responsible guy,” Gogo Mugabi said. 

Similar words were echoed by Gogo Makotofo who also hammered on the need for children to respect elders at all times.

“It is critical to respect elders at all times yet children of nowadays no longer respect them at household level. If you are not well-mannered, you invite ridicule for your parents or grandparents who will be accused of not teaching you properly. When you do disrespectful things you betray your mother,” she said.

An elderly discussant decried the wrong use of social media.

“Phones are bringing challenges to our children. At school they no longer listen while focusing on social media where they learn foreign cultures. Children are rushing to have sexual relations because of a quest for data bundles and airtime. 

“When counselled by neighbours, they shoot back. I was once scolded by a schoolchild I had found with a boy in the bush. The child belittled me and said she did not take advice from people who were not her parents,” the elderly lady said.

In response, Dr Mnangagwa said children were supposed to focus on their future and education.

“Fix your future and education. That is your first husband. If you leave your education midway, will your future be bright? The country needs doctors, pilots, lawyers, nurses and the police among other professionals. Now if you cut short your education while rushing for love affairs, what will happen? What are the dangers of rushing into sexual relations?” the First Lady asked.

In response, the children said diseases, pregnancy and dropping out of school were some of the undesirable results of misbehaving.

The First Lady told the children to wait for their time and concentrate on their schoolwork.

Boys from different churches being taught how to skin and prepare a goat for a traditional meal during the gota/nhanga/ixhiba session at Chief Musara’s homestead in Masvingo.

“My children, your age is not to go about seeking love affairs, but to chase after books while planning the future. Your parents look forward to being looked after in the future, so be a principled person. Even when called back to school after giving birth, will you concentrate? Your performance will it still be the same my daughters? I have come as a mother and as a grandmother so that we educate you and share good morals. Through my Angel of Hope Foundation, I have scholarships for you and I am expecting you to do well and pass. I give these to well-mannered people who do not embarrass me wherever they go outside the country. I want you to flourish and give the nation a good name. Those who were chasing after boys, leave them now. We want children who listen to elders,” she said emphatically.

Dr Mnangagwa said what was happening nowadays was a lot different from how she grew up with hunger to succeed.

“I grew up with a passion for education. Following the death of our parents I was left with my siblings and I had a passion to succeed hence I pursued my education. My children I am saying this to encourage you to concentrate on your studies. Obstacles are there but soldier on and all shall be well. I am pained seeing children blowing away the chance they received to go to school,” she said.

Gogo Musara thanked Dr Mnangagwa for her visit which she described as timely.

“We are thankful for your visit. We were thirsty for this and have been gratified by the lessons you have brought that will stay for life in our children and grandchildren. Those with ears have heard. Vanangu, what you have been taught must remain in your hearts and proceed to share the lessons with others at schools and around your communities. Amai we will carry forward this programme as grandmothers. We won’t let you down. We are forever grateful as the Musara community and Masvingo province as a whole,” she said.

The First Lady made all the children who attended yesterday’s session her ambassadors and implored them not to embarrass her.

“My daughters you are now my ambassadors, do not embarrass me. I want you to share with others what you have learnt here,” she said.

Chief Bonface Musara thanked the First Lady for visiting his area of jurisdiction.

“We are so grateful for the programme we have been given by the First Lady. This programme had disappeared in our way of life as blacks. Most of the things that are taking place and what we are seeing as we conduct the programme we appeared to have forgotten. Children are misbehaving because we have lost our cultural norms and values. Children are being impregnated at tender ages, abusing drugs and doing things that were mostly affecting urban areas and have now cascaded down to rural areas,” he said.

The Chief decried that as traditional leaders, their powers were limited and some cases were considered to be beyond them.

“As chiefs we have limited powers. We are excluded from dealing with certain cases because they are considered to be not under our jurisdiction, yet the offenders are from our areas. We would want to deal with cases and set examples in our areas. Today, we taught the boys a lot and feel the teachings must not end today. We agreed that together with the headmen, we must work with families that have children who abuse drugs and find ways to help those children so that they leave drugs. We also discovered that some adults were working with children in selling drugs and also selling drugs to children. On cases of teen pregnancies we saw that some elderly people were preying on young girls and deserve punishment. We want to thank our mother, the First Lady for remembering us,” he said.

Boys were also upbeat and thanked the First Lady for her thoughtfulness and quest to see them growing as morally upright people.

Boys from different churches being taught how to till the land using an ox drawn plough during gota/nhanga/ixhiba session organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at Chief Musara’s homestead in Masvingo. — Pictures: John Manzongo.

Emmanuel Tauya (20) said he was delighted to have learnt valuable lessons from the mother of the nation.

“Through this programme, we were taught to live in a way in which we are not under any influence to take drugs or dating before the right age. We were taught about the Pfumvudza farming concept, carpentry and building. I shall go out there and teach those who were not here so that we are kept engaged without time to waste. Education is so valuable and as future leaders we need to acquire education,” he said.

Wellington Chaka, a learner at Wendedzo Secondary School, said he felt honoured to be visited by the First Lady in his community.

“I am here because our First Lady came here at Chief Musara’s homestead to be with us. We were taught that as boys we need to perform tasks which enable us to acquire assets before we marry. As boys we were told to do gardening, ploughing and hunting so that when we marry we do not stress our wives but be able to look after them and feed them. We were told that we need to always be occupied so that we wont have the time to take drugs or alcohol. I thank the First Lady because for such teachings and for that I am very grateful. We shall teach our peers the challenges of taking drugs and playing with girls before time is right,” he said.

Dr Mnangagwa also held an interactive session with the community members who had gathered.

The community also started with a play showing what was done long back when a boy sought to marry without making the girl elope. 

“It is my pleasure to be here with you after I came to sit down with children from various churches across the province as we teach each them good morals. God created us differently with different cultures but we teach one another our own culture as black Zimbabweans. We did these Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba teachings in all provinces and today I have launched this for children in churches. I have come to children in churches because I am not leaving anyone behind. Churches teach children how to relate well in families and I wish to thank those that teach children.

“Our children are affected by drugs and some inject themselves with intoxicating substances and take a whole week drunk. I humble myself before you churches and say lets face this challenge of counselling children together. Girls are consuming alcohol more than their fathers while their dressing is shameful as they walk in the nude. They do not want to be counselled saying they have rights and rush to report to the police but tomorrow they come back pregnant and you also hear that they stabbed someone for not wanting to be counselled. 

“These are our future leaders and what sort of country is it that can be ruled by someone high on drugs. As blacks we have our culture that we follow. We grew up being taught to listen to our parents. We say no to those who take alien cultures. I saw it prudent to sit down with children in churches who live under the teachings of the bible. It is my wish that you have a bright future. Children are giving birth at tender ages as they misuse phones and watch things that are not of their ages. If someone falls pregnant at a tender age, they encounter complications at birth because their body will not be strong enough,” she said.

Dr Mnangagwa sought to know who between fathers and mothers was marrying off children at tender ages.

An elderly woman blamed this on the children themselves.

“These children are doing that on their own. Their parents will hear from third parties that the child would have eloped. But the marriage wont last, leaving me with the burden of looking after the grandchildren. We are now hypertensive and have heart problems because of these children,” she said.

This however differed from the views of an elderly man who said women were to blame.

“Women are the ones causing this because of their penchant for nice things. A child can bear kids with five totems because the mother will be given tokens by boyfriends,” he said.

Another contributor said the collapse of the extended family unit had brewed trouble.

“These children grow up without morals because as grandmothers we are no longer allowed to take our rightful positions. Our daughters-in-law bar their children from visiting us saying we are witches. However, when the child is impregnated, she is set to us the very same people who are branded witches,” she said, triggering laughter.

Dr Mnangagwa weighed in saying: “You hear a mother asking a schoolgirl what she would have brought because some come with bags full. Where do you think she would have found the groceries. Is this not sending them to have boyfriends? Vana mai ngatichengetedzei vana. Madzimambo, madzimai emadzimambo, masabhuku ndinozvininipisa pamberi penyu, hero basa tidzore vana vedu nguva ichiripo.” 

Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira thanked the First Lady for always remembering his province.

He commended Dr Mnangagwa’s community empowerment initiatives.

“As Masvingo you always uplift us. Your programmes benefit everyone from children to the elderly. You are empowering all age groups. We are forever grateful for your educative programmes that are benefiting the nation,” he said. 

Both boys and girls had practical lessons that included preparing and cooking traditional dishes.

Dr Mnangagwa gave the children food hampers, toiletries and stationery.

In addition, the girls were given reusable sanitary pads. 

Even the elderly men and women who taught the children in the gota and nhanga went home with goodies.