Online Reporter
Mthokozisi Ncube
AT 28 years old Zobuhle Ndlovu has six children with three fathers.
The fathers abandoned the kids at birth.
She is jobless and destitute.
With what is threatening to be a bitterly cold winter just starting, Ndlovu is living with her three sets of twins in Bulawayo at an unfinished house without a door.
One of the children has been hospitalised with pneumonia, probably from continued exposure to the elements.
For many, motherhood is a blessing. However, for Ndlovu it has become a daily fight for survival, dignity and an unending battle against hunger.
Carrying six children all under the age of 11, Ndlovu is afraid to seek help through formal channels because she believes the social welfare department will take away her kids and separate them for adoption.
Her first set of twins, now 10-year-old girls, were born when she was just 19 while living in South Africa. The father, a man she had dated for nearly two years, initially acknowledged the children but disappeared a month later.
Ndlovu’s second set of twins, now four years old, were also born in South Africa after another relationship ended in abandonment. The father allegedly changed residence and cut off contact completely after learning she was pregnant with twins.
The emotional toll on Ndlovu became severe, leading to hospitalisation after she developed a stress-related heart condition.
Her third set of twins, now one year and six months old, were born in Tsholotsho’s Sipepa area after yet another relationship collapsed when the father promised to travel for work but never returned.
“When I told him I had given birth, he denied responsibility and questioned why they came earlier than expected,” she said.
It was only after she sent pictures to his family that resemblance was acknowledged.
With all three fathers absent, Ndlovu’s life began spiralling into extreme hardship. At one point, she stayed with her aunt, but food shortages became so severe that the children often went hungry for days.
“We could spend two weeks without food. My children cried and other children laughed at them at school,” she said.
Desperation pushed her into constant movement in search of survival. A woman promised her a job and even sent her money to travel to Bulawayo.
However, when she arrived in the city with her children the woman blocked her number and ghosted her.
“I realised I had been blocked. I did not know what to do,” she told B-Metro.
She said she stayed briefly with a friend in Emakhandeni, but was forced out after two weeks when the landlord ordered her to leave immediately.
Carrying all six children, she wandered through Bulawayo with nowhere to go.
At her lowest point, a pastor gave her US$5, which she used to buy food for her hungry children. Soon after, a man she approached for shelter initially refused but later offered her a half-finished room after seeing her condition.
The structure has no doors, no electricity and only a functional toilet.
“To survive, I take on piece jobs such as washing clothes and cleaning homes for as little as US$1 or US$2 per job, barely enough to feed my children,” she said, her voice breaking.
Despite her circumstances, she fears involving social welfare authorities, worried her children may be taken away.
“I love my children very much. I want to raise them myself,” she said.
Her situation came to light after a nurse, Victor Dube, noticed her condition during a clinic visit and alerted philanthropist Ezra Sibanda, who visited and discovered one of the youngest twins was suffering from pneumonia.
The child was rushed to hospital and is now recovering.
Since the story became public, food donations and support have begun trickling in from organisations and well-wishers, including Bulawayo bussinessman Tendai Charuka.
“As a society we must help families like this,” he said.
Despite the assistance, Ndlovu says the struggle is far from over. Her children still lack birth certificates, and the older twins urgently need school enrolment support.
“I appreciate every little bit of help. But my children need a future,” she said.
Members of the public who wish to assist Ndlovu can contact Victor Dube on +263 77 153 8566 for more information.
