Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande-Mashonaland Central Bureau
WHAT began as a routine afternoon last September turned into a life-changing moment for 18-year-old Inasem Chitutu, a moment that would define his courage and save two young lives.
Inasem was walking home from a car repair job in Mupandenyama, Bindura, when he noticed thick smoke billowing from a house in the Clusters area.
As he drew closer, he heard faint cries from inside.
A crowd had already gathered.
Some stood filming with their phones, others were frozen in fear.
But Inasem didn’t hesitate.
“I stood there with my friend and thought I heard faint cries,” he recalls.
“When I asked my friend if he had heard the cries too, he told me to ignore them. But I couldn’t.”
Motivated by instinct and compassion, Inasem sprang into action.
He and a few bystanders tried dousing the flames with water, but the fire spread rapidly.
Determined to help, he rushed around the house and found a back entrance — but it was blocked by six heavy cement bags.
Undeterred, he removed them one by one.
“The door was locked, but luckily I saw an axe nearby,” he said.
“I used it to break the door.
“It didn’t open completely, but just enough for me to see a little boy standing in the middle of the fire.”
He quickly switched to the kitchen entrance, broke it down with the axe, and pulled the terrified boy to safety.
As he turned to leave, the child pleaded with him to go back for his brother.
“I had no choice. I went back inside,” he added.
“The second child was near a burning sofa. I grabbed him and got out.”
That was the last thing he remembered.
Moments after the rescue, Inasem collapsed, coughing blood.
He was rushed to Bindura Provincial Hospital and remained unconscious for three days.
Remarkably, this was not Inasem’s first act of heroism.
Months earlier, he had used his mechanic’s tools to free four people, including a driver, from a crashed pirate taxi near a railway crossing in Chipadze.
“I think I get this bravery from my mother. She’s fearless,” he said.
Today, Inasem does odd jobs as a self-taught mechanic.
Though he did not pass his O-Levels, he dreams of enrolling in formal motor mechanics training and is also passionate about basketball.
Despite challenges, he remains hopeful.
And now, the teenager is preparing for what he calls “the honour of a lifetime” — a personal meeting with President Mnangagwa and national recognition at the upcoming Heroes Day celebrations.
“I still can’t believe it. Sometimes I wake up at night and pinch myself. I want people to know where I live — house number 1223A Clusters in Bindura — so they can come celebrate with me,” he said.
“I want young people to know that you must always help where you can. You never know how far a good deed can take you.”
His mother, Patience Chigwande, could not be prouder.
“Inasem is well-mannered and kind. Neighbours love him because he is always ready to help. If he sees someone struggling, he asks me to give them food or clothes,” she said. “The fire wasn’t his first rescue, and I know it won’t be his last.”
She’s still overwhelmed by the honour her son is about to receive.
“It’s not everyone who gets to meet the President. Even people who do great things often go unnoticed. I’m so proud.”
The mother of the rescued children, Josephine Mhiripiri, still trembles at the memory of that day.
She had left her two children — Calvin (7) and Kayla (5) — at home while she worked at her flea market stall.
“It is suspected they tried to light the gas stove, starting the fire,” she said.
“I was called around 3pm. When I arrived, I thought I had lost them. I fainted. But when I woke up my children were alive. I was told a young man had saved them.”
She later found out that Inasem had nearly died in the process.
“I feared he might die after saving my children. We lost everything in the fire, but we didn’t lose what matters most.”
