The ManicaPost
Shame Isaki Post Correspondent
Fifty-four-year old Mrs Dzimati-Munoangira lost her husband Josphat Munoangira in 1998. Then, she was only 35 years old. Josphat Munoangira was a war veteran who had been seconded to the Ministry of Health as a village health worker popularly referred to back then as “Murambatsvina”. When her husband passed on they already had four children namely Nomsa (12) then, Tapera (9), Andrew (7) and the last born Desire (3).
And as fate would have it, she lost her husband when she had just enrolled at a local teacher’s college to train as a teacher and so she had to look after the children all by herself and at the same time continue her studies. She had to do both.
Admittedly, her task had “insurmountable” written all over it but her strong resolve saw her managing to strike a balance between taking care of the children and furthering her studies. How this native of Chitakatira under Chief Zimunya managed such a feat still baffles her community.
She concedes that life was difficult without her husband but is also quick to acknowledge her departed partner’s foresight after he bought a grinding mill, which then became the only source of income for the family even though the money it generated was not much. After she completed her studies and got a job as a teacher, her salary started complementing the little generated from the grinding mill.
Mrs Munoangira said: “Since I started working I have never enjoyed my salary but have always saved it for my four children’s fees. I adopted a very tight saving culture where the family survived on sadza mostly with mufushwa and nyemba; at times without cooking oil.”
Asked why she chose such a difficult life, Mrs Munoangira responded saying, “I was inspired to fulfil my husband’s wish to educate the children and the exposure I got after I trained to become a teacher motivated me to make sure I also worked hard to educate my children.”
A firm believer in the philosophy that with education one can never go wrong, she has always encouraged all parents to value their children’s education. The fruits of her toil were there for all to see on December 31, 2017 when she hosted a graduation party for two of her children Tapera and Desire who graduated the same year at Midlands State University.
All her four children were there donning their graduation attire. The first child Nomsa graduated in 2013 at the University of Zimbabwe and next was the third born Andrew who graduated in 2014 at MSU while Tapera and Desire graduated last year. On average, the hard-working widow has managed to produce a graduate every year in the past four years. Amazing!
No wonder they say “educate a woman and you educate a nation”. What a challenge to other women especially the widows and single mothers. Mrs Munoangira admits it’s hard but can be done. Of course she is not done yet — she will be funding her only daughter, Desire’s education up to Masters Degree. In two years time Desire will be a holder of a Masters Degree, God willing.
Mrs Munoangira also expressed her desire to further her education now that she has achieved her important goal. Widows are a special class of people in the eyes of both God and society. Special in that they would have lost their loved ones who happen to be breadwinners in most cases, which leaves them with the challenge of raising kids alone.
Usually civility demands that society, especially close relatives, extend a helping hand to the widows and orphans but more often than not, instead of helping the widows and orphans, society has tended to be hostile to them.
Very often, some relatives have been found guilty of targeting to loot property left for the widow and her children leaving them with virtually nothing. Some children have been adopted by their relatives but harrowing stories of ill-treatment have been told over and over again and some of these kids if not most of them have ended up destitute, roaming the streets. Worse still with the current economic crunch life has become hell even for those with both parents surviving.
It will be exciting to note that during all those years, Mrs Munoangira could not afford a decent dress, hairstyle, meal or even a trip to Birchenough Bridge and as a way of cheering her up and appreciating her — her children, the graduates, combined resources to send her on an all-expenses-paid holiday that will see her for the first time visiting Birchenough Bridge, Great Zimbabwe and Lake Kyle.
She deserves it and more. She sacrificed life’s pleasures, refusing to get married though she was young enough to remarry because she had a dream — a dream to educate her children and make a difference not only in her life but in the nation at large. Women like her need recognition!
