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Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
HIS left side is dysfunctional.
He cannot move his left hand, left leg and left side of the face.
He was born like that.
However, this does not mean that he is disabled.
Lee Chitsinde (21) is uniquely abled and intelligent.
He can work his brain quite well, evidenced by the five Ordinary Level passes he attained last year.
He passed Mathematics, Physical Education, Shona, Family and Religious Studies and History.
“I would have passed all eight subjects, but I am a slow writer. I was given the same examination time as able-bodied learners. I, however, do not mind because we are all equal and I passed my exams,” he said.
The moment he opens his mouth, one will not fail to notice that Lee has a gift of the gab. A gifted lawyer, he shall be, he says.
“When I finish high school, I want to study law at university because I want to be a human rights advocate. I want to continue advocating for young persons with disabilities. Advocating for that young girl who thinks she cannot do anything because of her gender and those being pushed into early marriages,” he smiles while scrolling through his phone to show the reporter his music.
He is an upcoming artiste.
Lee is inspired by High Court Judge, Justice Samuel Deme.
Justice Deme who is visually impaired was appointed to the bench in 2021 after impressing almost everyone who followed the public interviews that were broadcast live on the national television.
“Not many people with disabilities have succeeded in ascending up the ladder in the justice delivery system, but he did. I want to be like him. He debunks all myths about people living with disabilities and I salute him for that,” said Lee.
Lee’s journey of life has not been a bed of roses as he was rejected by many primary schools because of his disabilities.
His grandmother, Gogo Idah Kureva (70) who has been taking care of him since he was three, said securing a place for Lee to enrol for his primary education was a struggle.
“Most schools referred us to Chengetai Special School, yet his disability is different from that of learners enrolled at the school. Chengetai Special School is for kids with Down Syndrome, yet Lee suffered a stroke on his left side while in his mother’s womb. His brain functions well and he is not a slow learner, so I kept knocking on schools’ doors to have him enrolled, but they kept rejecting him. Sheni Primary School in Dangamvura finally enrolled him.
“However, his stint there was short-lived as they told us that the saliva which was always drooling from his mouth was spoiling his books. They said he should be transferred to a resource unit,” she said.
A resource unit is a unit within a school where children with like abilities are given special care for them to learn.
Gogo Kureva said Lee was a sickly child while growing up, a reason his parents brought him to her while he was just three-years-old.
While other children walk at one, he only started at four after he was put in the care of his loving grandmother who would take him to doctors regularly.
He also started talking at five after Gogo Kureva started teaching him.
“He was afraid of talking and walking, but I did all I could to help him. When he started walking and I called his mother, she was over the moon. When he turned five, I feared enrolling him at kindergarten, thinking that he would be bullied. I stayed with my grandchild at home until he turned eight and I started looking for primary schools to enrol him in. That was a road full of thorns,” sighed Gogo Kureva.
After leaving Sheni Primary School, Lee was referred to a resource unit at Chisamba Primary School in Sakubva.
“We stay in Dangamvura, so I would take him to school using public transport in the morning and wait for him to finish school because of resources constraints. The school authorities felt for me and transferred him back to a school in Dangamvura that had once rejected him,” she said.
At that time, Lee was now receiving academic awards for being an intelligent child.
“By then, he was scooping prizes in different subjects and they could not reject him. They welcomed him with open arms. Lee was a very intelligent child and only attended three years of primary school before advancing to secondary school,” she said.
In Grade Seven, Lee came out with 14 units.
While he passed with flying colours in other subjects, he performed dismally in Agriculture.
“Agriculture is not my thing, but I think I failed it because it was introduced into the curriculum when I was doing Grade Seven. Otherwise, I would have passed it despite not liking it,” laughed Lee.
Lee later did his secondary education at Dangamvura High School.
Lee currently advocates for PWDs and the girl child’s rights through his music.
He is a songwriter, but because he does not let his disability limit him, he also doubles up as a musician.
“I write and perform my music, most of which are songs of advocacy. I have PWDs at heart and advocate for them so that we get the same chances like everyone else. I want people to see through me that disability is not inability. I want PWDs to see a role model in me and aspire to do greater things than me,” said the ever smiling young man.
He met some household names in the music industry like dancehall star, Freeman and sensation, Anita Jaxson during the Creative Reproductive Health Arts for Transformation Festival (CRAFT) competitions where he scooped some awards for creating good music.
“Freeman appreciated my music and encouraged me to remain focused. I will never forget that moment. Anita Jaxson also encouraged me,” he said.
In 2021, his song, ‘Sorry’ won him US$80 which he used to register for his O-Level national examinations.
Currently, Lee is doing his Advanced Level studies at Hillside Institute in Dangamvura.
He is studying History, English Literature and Family and Religious Studies.
Recently, Lee participated in the SayWhat-sponsored competition and won a first prize through his song, Musarovane.
He walked away with a Samsung Note 8 mobile phone, a watch and a hamper with promotional materials.
“I just hope authorities at tertiary institutions will accept me with my disability. I have no doubt that I will attain 15 points during my A-Level examinations,” he said.
A neighbour, Ms Rudo Mapfurasi said the grandmother-grandson duo should be emulated.
“Most people with children with disabilities hide them from the public, with some not even enrolling them in school, but this woman did all she could to see that her grandson could walk, talk and go to school. She knocked on many school doors and they would be shut in her face, but she persisted. Look at her now, she is a proud grandmother of an intelligent boy.
“We were not shocked when he passed because he scooped so many academic prizes from primary school. His mother and grandmother are overjoyed and we celebrate with them. I hope that one day, he will also take care of his grandmother as she did to him. Her love for that child is out of this world and I think parents of children with disabilities should emulate that,” she said.
Senator for PWDs, Senator Nasper Manyau said a disability should not be a barrier and everyone should have equal opportunities.
“Moving with President Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, our focus should be shifted to ensuring that every child is in school. We do not want parents who hide their children because of their disabilities. Every child should be in school because they are our future lawyers and doctors,” she said.
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