Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
For 15-year-old Silethokuhle Sibanda (not real name), marriage was not even part of her plans but she found herself in the hands of a monstrous man.
Her parents gave her to Thandolwenkosi Ndebele, a well-known gold panner who splashes money on beer at the growth point, in exchange for a few bags of grain and some groceries paid to them as “lobola”.
Once in the house, Sibanda turned into a labourer who worked in the fields regardless of her being heavily pregnant.
It took the intervention of the community and a brave Chief Nadabezinhle Gwesela who retrieved her from the “marriage” and took her to the Chief’s homestead where he gave her temporary shelter while the matter was being looked into.
What is worrying is that such child marriage cases are rampant in Zhombe and Silobela.
The situation has since been worsened by the climate change that has seen crops not doing well during the 2021/22 summer cropping season.
According to Midlands Crop and Livestock Officer, Mrs Medline Magwenzi, only 10 percent of the maize crop in the province thrived.
The situation has left villagers in dire straits with some parents arranging marriages for the girl child as a source of livelihood.
Chief Gwesela explained how he retrieved Sibanda and two other girls from their so-called marriages.
“I received a tip-off from some villagers that there were three girls who had been married. They were pupils at St Faith Manzimnyama in my area. I quickly went to the houses where they were purportedly married and I took them under my care. Two of them were forced by parents to get married while one of them had eloped,” explained Chief Gwesela.
He said the families who had forced their children into marriage are now appearing before his court.
“We are still dealing with the issues but we are also looking for ways that these girls can go back to school even if they are already pregnant. We also want to look at ways of making their livelihoods even after giving birth so that they do not think of getting married as a solution,” he said.
He said such cases were rampant in his area due to poverty.
“Crops didn’t do well due to climate change and we encourage the Government to intervene before the situation gets worse. Gold panners are now taking advantage of the situation by luring the girls using money and they fall pregnant,” he said.
According to the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICs), 32,6 percent of girls were married before the age of 18 in Zimbabwe.
Ward 10 Junior Councillor Sithembinkosi Ncube said child prostitution was rife in her ward.
“We have Joel Growth Point in our ward where child prostitution is rife. Some of the girls were expelled from school for untoward behaviour and they turn to sex work. Girls from the ward have become wild as they are lured with money by illegal gold miners,” she said.
Clr Ncube said boys were also dropping out of school to venture into illegal gold mining activities due to poverty.
“In most families, there is hunger and starvation and the situation is driving them into the activities as the gold panners use the same money to lure school going girls and they end up impregnating them,” she said.
Recently, Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Senator Larry Mavima castigated child marriages and prostitution in the area.
“I am reliably informed of the issue of child marriages in this area of Zhombe and Silobela. The First Lady Dr Auxilia Mnangagwa is always preaching this gospel saying let’s stop abusing the girl child. I also preach to you from the same Bible that let us shun child marriages and prioritise that our children go to school,” said Minister Mavima.
He said the Government was doing all it could to ensure that there is food security in the country.
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) president Ms Edwick Madzimure noted that providing grain was not enough to solve the scourge.
She said most girls do not have access to clean sources of water close by hence the situation becomes unbearable for the girl child.
“The climate crisis is also contributing to water scarcity. We can link this to menstrual hygiene where we are asking whether the girls are getting water for the menstrual hygiene. They also do not have access to pads due to the financial crisis since they largely rely on rain fed agriculture,” she said.
Ms Madzimure said issues of climate change were not receiving due seriousness.
“It is sad that the climate change crisis is not being given the seriousness it deserves. Of course, we talk of adaptation measures but are they really speaking to the day-to-day challenges that communities are facing. We should first ensure that the girls are safe as most of them have to travel long distances to fetch water and along the way, they face a lot of challenges,” she said.
Recently, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) expressed concern at the high prevalence of child marriages, sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls in the country which it said needs urgent address.
ZGC chairperson Mrs Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe said the diabolical situation has challenged the Commission to take steps and amplify its voice on the issue so that it becomes a national discourse.
She said the Commission was conducting a national inquiry to red flag the social injustices while also accelerating responsive mechanisms aimed at redressing the social dysfunctions.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission is working with the United Nations Development Programme, Government, traditional leaders, civil society organisations and other partners.
Poverty and the Covid-19 pandemic worsened the situation as more girls dropped out of school to get married.
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