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Mashudu Mambo
THE love story of Niah Ndlovu (70) and Mavis Ncube (68) from Old Magwegwe suburb in Bulawayo is a true reflection that faithfulness has great yields in a marriage.
The couple has been married for 51 years and they are blessed with seven children and 20 grandchildren. Ndlovu said he met his wife when she was still at school during the holidays.
“I met my wife while she was still studying and by then l had started working.
It took her some time to accept my proposal and we started dating. She dropped out of school after she got pregnant, and she came and stayed with us. “I went to South Africa for work for three years and while l was there one of my cousins approached my wife and asked her to be his second wife.
She turned down the proposal and when l came back she narrated the whole ordeal to me and it was at that moment when l vowed to spend the rest of my life with her,” said Ndlovu. Ndlovu said that she knew that his wife was the one when he realised that he loved her more than the other girls that he was dating.
“When l was a young man, l had a number of girlfriends and l realised that l loved my wife more than the others and this was because of her personality,” he said. Ncube said what drew her to her husband was his dress code and the way that he carried himself around.
“The first thing that drew me to my husband was his dress code, he was classy and smart. I felt lucky to be approached by such a man and after some time of knowing each other l fell in love. “We got married in 1973 and the key to our relationship has been understanding and communicating.
I remember at some point when people asked me how l was surviving with my partner whom they described as a rogue and I told them that we live peacefully because we respect and love each other,” she said. Ncube highlighted that the secret to her long-lasting relationship has been overlooking her partner’s weaknesses.
“Marriage is sacred and it is important not to engage any third parties in it because people ruin relationships. As a couple, we sit down together and correct each other in a respectful way and overlook each other’s weaknesses,” she said.
Ncube stated that a number of relationships fail because people do not focus on the ways to strengthen their relationships. “It is the duty of a couple to work on their relationship together, the challenge we have nowadays is that people focus on the negative attributes of their partner.
“The youth listen to the advice from their friends who tell them that marriage is not important and that they must not submit or apologise to their partners when they are wrong,” she said.
Online Reporter