adminIsaac Waniwa Managing Editor
Women have been commended for taking a leading role in taking care of the vulnerable children such as orphans. Speaking after receiving maize for the Zunde Ramambo/Isiphala Senkosi from Ignatius Gonah’s family recently, Chief Musarurwa of Chivhu communal lands, said most vulnerable children were being taken care of by women. Chief Musarurwa who said the donation by the Gonah family was not the first towards assisting vulnerable members of the community, said the family through Gonah’s wife, Vaida, had earlier donated pots and other household utensils to be used by the Chief’s family during big gatherings.
He said Gonah’s wife came up with a number of projects such as poultry to assist the needy families.
“Instead of giving the needy fish, Gonah’s wife taught the families how to fish when she assisted them to start income generating projects,” he said. Chief Musarurwa said Gonah’s wife was a shining example of women committed to uplifting the lives of people in communities they live in.
“On behalf of my subjects I’m donating a heifer to Gonah’s wife to thank her for playing such a leading role in our community,” said Chief Musarurwa christened Vaida, Mbuya Marumbi, which he said was the name of King Mutota’s third wife. Gonah is of the Rozvi clan who are the descendants of King Mutota.
It was tears of joy as Gonah’s wife accepted the chief’s token of appreciation and as though to confirm that once joined in holy matrimony the couple becomes one soul, Gonah joined in the crying.
The Isiphala Senkosi concept was initiated by the government to enable chiefs to assist vulnerable families especially during years of drought. Chiefs have communal fields and their subjects take turns to plough, plant,weed and harvest the crops.
The crops so harvested are stored in a community granary and the chief from time to time distributes the produce to needy families. The government has over the years been providing inputs such as seed and fertilizer to the Isiphala Senkosi in order to enhance communities’ food security.
Gonah who is a Bulawayo-based businessman, said having realised that not much could be harvested from the exhausted soils of Nharira, his home area, he came up with a number of projects meant to assist the community.
He said the projects included fish farming and tourism. We want to fence a big area and start game farming so that tourists could visit this area. Gonah who recently completed building a modern homestead which has become a shining beacon in his village, said plans were under way to harvest all the run off water from the surrounding hills which will be directed to a nearby dam where villagers will, apart from fish farming, draw water for horticulture irrigation.
Online Reporter