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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
BOWING to public demand, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has agreed to continue with her educative and interactive Nharirire Yemusha programme which has seen her tour all the country’s 10 provinces as she leads in the search for solutions to challenges bedevilling families and society today.
She will be taking the programme to districts, amid calls by impressed citizens for her to ensure everyone benefits.
Yesterday, Amai Mnangagwa was in Mashonaland East Province as she concluded her nationwide tour of the country’s provinces and those gathered roundly pleaded with her to continue with the Nharirire Yemusha and Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba programmes for the benefit of everyone.
Sekuru Kudakwashe Makosvo said he would be most grateful if the First Lady continued with her programme which was pregnant with lessons for the country’s citizenry.
“This is a good programme we want to continue seeing. Not forgetting the Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba programme, it is also a good educative programme and our children and grandchildren need constant reminders on the dos and don’ts in life therefore we plead with Amai to continue with these programmes because these youths have lost morals.
“They no longer dress properly and do not respect our country’s norms and values. Girls are dressing inappropriately in mini-skirts and where are we going?
“Boys put on more than three trousers at once as if they are in a war situation where one moves around with their wardrobe.
“With these programmes, men, women and children have been moulded,” he said.
The view was supported by Sekuru Golden Mutongwizo who said he had drawn valuable lessons from the mother of the nation’s Nharirire yeMusha programme.
“There are a lot of things we were witnessing in homes as men and I think even my wife who was also present has learnt something.
“Personally, I have also been helped because we were having some quarrels with my wife. I would sleep with my gumboots and worksuit on and constantly fight over conjugal rights with my wife because we lacked such lessons.
“My wife would sleep on the floor while I slept on the bed and vice versa. Hapana kana anga achitaudzana nemumwe mumba imomo (We were not talking to each other in the house) but from today going forward, we promise to change and live in harmony with my beloved wife.
“I am happy we both attended this programme and though we came separately, we will walk hand in hand when going back home. May our mother keep on with these teachings which are helpful,” he said.
Women and chief’s spouses implored the First Lady not to bring down the curtain on her educative programme.
The wife to chief Nyajina, Mrs Oppah Nyajina added her voice and urged the First Lady to continue with the programme.
“We are thankful for the programme and we humbly request that you take it to districts and down to wards so that everyone knows his or her role in the home, community and country,” she said.
Mrs Edna Chigaramasimbe, the wife to Chief Mangwende pledged to continue supporting the First Lady and her programmes.
“Since this was your last province Amai, we urge you to go to districts and grassroots level. Amai we want this programme to continue to cascade to every corner around the country because we had lost morals and children had no one to correct them,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa gave Mashonaland East folk an opportunity to list the qualities of a model man and woman they wanted. The programme comes at a time when the country is grappling with cases of juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancies, alcohol and drug abuse among youths due to lack of parental care and Western influences.
After affording all provinces a chance to come up with the qualities they expected in the best man and woman they want in their provinces, views from all the provinces will be put together to come up with the ideal man and woman Zimbabwe wants.
The mother of the nation said the Nharirire Yemusha programme, which came from suggestions made in the Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme, sought to preserve and strengthen homes.
“The issue I have come with today seeks to preserve our homes through the Nharirire Yemusha programme which came from the Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme. I have gone to all the provinces with this one being the last.
“This programme came into being after children hinted that they were learning mischief from their parents. They said parents were fighting in their presence. The children said even reports that they had gone wayward because of social media were not confined to them. Their parents were not spared.
“They said their mothers spent the whole day with pulling socks on the head chatting on WhatsApp without bathing, while fathers also did the same.
“Because of that, they no longer had time with children who seized the opportunity to attend vuzu parties and go clubbing.
“We then discovered that we needed to talk to the parents to assess how they are living with children who have lost morals,” she said.
In starting the discussion, she asked the gathering whether or not they knew what Nharirire was and the discussants gave different views. In response, the mother of the nation said in the olden days, Nharirire was known as someone who was watching over something and would alert others whenever he or she saw something bad approaching.
“The guard who would be keeping watch, would sound the alarm when he/she saw something bad.
“Nharirire yemusha protect their familes and do good to those they live with. In the case of a mother, what is your daughter learning from you? On the other hand, if a father does bad things, his son learns those bad deeds,” she said to applause from the audience.
Men and women were later put into separate groups where they discussed the qualities they expected in an ideal man and woman respectively.
Presenting the views by men, Chief Nechombo, Mr Langton Chikukwa said men at the meeting agreed that an ideal man must possess leadership qualities.
“Here, we expect a father to be a good listener. He must respect his family and be impartial and must unite his family. He must have vision for the future and be able to enforce regulations.
“We want a father who cares and builds a home so that the family has somewhere to stay. Once that is achieved we say the man is a star. As Mashonaland East, we say an ideal man works hard so that he may leave the children good inheritance.
“He must be dignified. Here we want a father who knows how to dress and humble himself.
“He must eat the fruits of his sweat. We want a God fearing man. He must be loving and kind-hearted. If we pay lobola we please our wives and show respect to the in-laws,” he said.
On expectations from their wives, men said they needed respect and to be put in their rightful positions.
“We want to be respected and be placed on our rightful positions.
“We want women who bath and are always smart, who do not select relatives and treat our mothers the same. We have rejected women who deny us conjugal rights.
“We want to be fed on time and want women who know what their husbands want. Women must not divide children and their father and must never cheat,” the men said.
Led by the wife to Chief Seke, Mrs Naume Chimanikire, Mashonaland East women said an ideal woman must be hard working, organised, prayerful, secretive, not a drunkard and promiscuous, but a unifier.
Mrs Rumbidzai Chigwiko said a respectable woman must stand by the truth and not gossip.
“We want a woman who does not gossip and keeps family’s secrets. They must not be selective and love children the same. A woman must organise her home and perform household chores and do projects so that they assist their husbands in looking after the family,” she said.
Another discussant, Mrs Anna Murasiranwa, said women must be prayerful, respectful and be prepared to help others.
“A good mother is not supposed to be pompous. She must be approachable and be always willing to assist those in need. She must not cheat and love her one and only husband. We want a woman who works to fend for her family and help her husband. We say no to a woman who takes liquor and revenges when a husband cheats.
“We want parents who protect their families because if both of you cheat, what does the future hold? Children have been ruined by drugs because they have no one to correct them. Let us monitor what our children view on social media,” she said to applause.
Speaking along the same lines, Mrs Thandiwe Mabika said women must not be talkative.
“Let’s not behave like radios or two gigabytes which fill up fast and we start discussing our husbands with neighbours. If you have challenges, iron them out between the two of you in peace and if your husband’s temper flares, hold your cool. This reduces domestic violence. A soft response lowers anger,” she said.
In the same vein, Mrs Jullet Mushamba said ideal women were unifiers.
“We want a woman who unites the families from theirs right down to the extended family. Some women dispatch a truckload of groceries to their families but send a plastic bag to the husband’s family. We say no to this. Some women beat up the sister-in-law or mother-in-law. We also say no to this Mike Tyson behaviour of beating up our spouses. If you want to fight go to the ring and do not do this at home in front of the children,” said Mrs Mushamba.
In conclusion the First Lady asked the gathering who was the Nharirire between men and women and everyone concurred that both played a similar role in raising the family.
She said she had heard and accepted people’s pleas for the programme to be taken to districts.
Amai Mnangagwa who is also the country’s health ambassador urged people to be always alert because Covid-19 was still there.
“This pandemic is real and deadly. If you had not been vaccinated, please do so and let us now go for the booster shot. If you are on medication for other ailments, do not stop,” she said.
She urged people to eat traditional healthy food and had an interactive session with the gathering sharing ideas on how traditional foods are prepared.
She also spoke candidly against domestic violence and rape.
Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Aplonia Munzverengwi said the first Lady’s teachings were important for her province as it helped improve the quality of life.
“Your target for everyone to have a dignified life is plausible. As a mother you are showing us that success in the home requires men and women to work together. You gave us an opportunity to appreciate that success can be achieved if people, families and communities work together,” she said.
Senate President Cde Mabel Chinomona also attended and thanked the First Lady for her programme and said she too had learnt a lot.
She implored attendees to value the lessons they had been given.
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