Vusumuzi Dube
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
NEWLY appointed Bulawayo Polytechnic principal Mrs Chiedza Masanganise is the first female principal of the institution in its 96 years of existence and says she is confident of overcoming challenges that come with the position.
Her vision is to transform the institution into a vibrant industry that provides solutions that are responsive to national needs.
Bulawayo Poly opened its doors in 1927 and for almost a century now, had been headed by males, with Mrs Masanganise taking over the reins in a journey she described as long and difficult but worth the wait.
Mrs Masanganise, a product of John Tallach High School in Ntabazinduna, Matabeleland North Province and an engineer by profession, said she was delighted to be recognised and shared her life story, vision and the job at hand as she takes over as principal.
“My professional journey started with Bulawayo City Council in 1989 as a graduate engineer. I stayed there for a year under the Department of Water Engineering. I left in 1991 and joined Bulawayo Polytechnic and have been here since then. I am a civil engineer by profession, I trained in Greece with a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering.
“When I joined Bulawayo Poly I was the first and only female in the civil engineering department. You can just imagine then, there were very few engineers. It was difficult if I must say, even starting from the interview itself for lectureship, I was interviewed by the then principal Mr Aaaron Maboyi Ncube, and the person I remember specifically was the then head of the department, a white man.
“One of the questions he asked me was, imagine your daughter has been called sick and you are supposed to go into a lecture, what are you going to do? But I was rescued by Mr Ncube, who said I did not have to answer that question. One could tell then that there was that gender aspect that women could not be in this field,” said Mrs Masanganise.
She said she managed to land the post and was appointed the lecturer in charge within the first three years of her appointment, and moved to be the Head of Department Civil Engineering.
“I was given an opportunity in 2005 to start a B-Tech programme in Water Resource Engineering. I feel that was a milestone for me as that was one of the first degrees under polytechnics. I managed to create the syllabus and the programme took off. I really appreciate the honour I was given; I am sure they felt that I was capable,” she said.
As lecturer, Mrs Masanganise did not sit on her laurels academically. She obtained a Diploma in Education, a Masters Degree in Technical and Vocational Education and later a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the National University of Science and Technology.
She said she was inspired by her parents who were educationists and emphasised the value of attaining more academic qualifications.
In 2014, she was called up to act as the vice-principal of the institution and later became substantive in 2016 until 2021 when the principal and her personal mentor Mr Gilbert Mabasa passed away at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked about the current appointment Mrs Masanganise said she felt rewarded.
“I started acting as the principal and that is when, just weeks ago I was appointed as the substantive principal for the institution. I felt rewarded, I felt honoured and recognised. I had done my part, not that I was working hard to be a principal but people do recognise when you are working hard. It was not just good for me but for the women in Zimbabwe because it gives value to us because we do work hard, we put all our effort and when it is recognised you feel appreciated,” she said.
Mrs Masanganise said the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development was making strides in recognising women achievers.
She said she had a lot on her plate that she would like to implement.
“We have the mandate to develop Zimbabwe and specifically Matabeleland, we are the biggest polytechnic in the southern region. We have a lot we can give out. We have already started with the Binga Industrial College in Matabeleland North; we have students there and some graduated recently.
We also have Plumtree Polytechnic in Matabeleland South and we are building that project up.
“In Bulawayo we have a number of projects underway where are working with the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution’s office to develop people’s skills. People need to create jobs for themselves, you can only create jobs if you have a certain skill and we are imparting those to the people.
A few months ago we trained 200 people in various skills and we are still open to train more people to get basic technical skills,” Mrs Masanganise said.
As an institution, she said they have been imparting skills to people and letting them go, but the Government now have a position that tertiary institutions must help those set up systems.
“Currently we have two concrete consortiums where students have come together to form a company, one company is at a local university and the other is at an animal sanctuary doing construction work, they are getting a lot of experience and we will then release them.
“We know definitely they will not go into industry to look for jobs as they will have set up their own businesses. We are setting up these in different areas, the cosmetology department is also setting up these, we also have a clothing factory at our George Silundika campus and we want to become a competing company in the industry and make a difference,” she added.
She said due to the nature of courses at the polytechnic, students, after graduating were not going out to be dependants but to create their own jobs.
Mrs Masanganise said she was going to put her all in her new role and urged other women not to shy away from the challenges.
“For us to achieve as women, we must talk less and work more. The aim is to be productive, let people see what you are doing on the ground. Do not explain what you are capable of doing but show them by actions.”
Mrs Masanganise said she would leave a legacy of a transformed Bulawayo Poly.
“Transformation of Bulawayo Poly is what I want, transformed into an industry. I want to see an operational garage under the automotive department, to see a fully functioning farm under applied sciences and many more. I dream of seeing this industry grow and with the team I have I see that happening, they are capable,” she said.
Mrs Masanganise was born in Gutu District in Masvingo on 18 September 1963 and attended Mukura Primary School before heading to Zimuto to start her high school.
She later completed her education at John Tallach High in Matabeleland North Province. Soon after completing her high school she left for Greece where she did her five year training in civil engineering and attained a Masters Degree. —@NyembeziMu
Online Reporter