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Tendai Rupapa recently in MUROMBEDZI
SURVIVORS of gender-based violence (GBV) here on Friday shed tears of joy after receiving food hampers from First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa before they went down memory lane recounting the horrific experiences they endured at the hands of abusive spouses.
It was an emotional experience as the women sat with the First Lady and recounted tear-jerking stories and fought back tears as they told their stories.
So disturbing were some of the stories shared by the women that one could see the importance of the mother of the nation’s intervention to curb GBV which affects mostly women and children.
The First Lady has been leading from the front in fighting domestic violence and recently she unveiled a national call centre, 575, providing GBV victims and survivors with a solid care package in the wake of a surge in domestic violence cases. The toll-free line is administered right in her office.
Through her nationwide Nharirire Yemusha Programme, Amai Mnangagwa is also encouraging families to live in peace.
All the beneficiaries, however, expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her thoughtfulness and love for people in desperate circumstances.
Narrating what she went through at the hands of her husband, a GBV survivor, Mrs Catherine Malunga (45) said; “I want to thank the First Lady on behalf of GBV survivors in Zvimba district.
“We are a forgotten lot, but our mother has remembered us and given us a shoulder to lean on, words of encouragement and goodies so that we feed our children.
“Her programmes uplift us and through her, we learnt to use our hands and send children to school. I was married in 1997 and had two kids. I later moved out together with my minor children in 2009 because of my husband’s abusive behaviour. I was his punching bag.
“In 2010, my ex-husband approached the relevant authorities and misrepresented that one of our children had died yet I was staying with them and were alive.
“He then obtained a death certificate for a living child which he used to fraudulently claim money from his funeral policy before proceeding to marry another wife with that money. This pains me a lot,” she said.
Mrs Abigail Kagwada (45), who was widowed 14-years-ago said the assistance she got from the First Lady was timely and would spare her the hard work of tilling other people’s fields for groceries or cash.
“I thank the First Lady for spending some time with us listening to our painful stories and the food hampers she has given us. We will take a break from menial tasks.
“My hands are sore as I weed for people to survive. My husband was murdered in 2008 and left behind three children. We had no home as we would look after people’s homes. Relatives would not accommodate us after his demise and life has just been difficult. To add salt to the wound, one of my children was impregnated at the age of 14,” she said.
Yet another beneficiary, Mrs Tecla Hove (68) was at a loss for words.
“I want to thank Amai for helping us. My husband took a second wife and started making life unbearable for me. He would send lawyers to harass me.
“My household property was attached and my kids were taken to live with his second wife. When I refused to vacate my matrimonial home, my then husband took off the roof and windows and rains damaged all I had left with,” she said.
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“We are grateful to the First Lady’s teachings for people to use their hands to survive. I have managed to build my own homestead, I can now produce my own crops and look after my children. They were finally given back to me after some years,” she said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, yet another beneficiary wished the mother of the nation long life filled with blessings.
“I was only 18 when my husband married me. The following year, he went on to marry a 45-year-old woman he took a from the bar. My children were still suckling at four months and one night he came ordering me to sleep on the floor purporting I was a maid.
“He bedded this woman in my presence and that of the kids and woke me up by wetting the blankets I was sleeping on with my children ordering me to prepare food for them.
“When I rejected, he bashed me until I yielded to his demands and her ordered me to do their laundry, including the blankets they had slept on. The man ordered me to return to my parent’s house without giving me bus fare.
“I would carry my children on the back as I cleaned and did laundry for people trying to raise busfare to our rural home. I struggled for more than a month.
“After raising some funds, I went back to my parents unfortunately my ailing mother later passed on and her sisters took away everything leaving me and my siblings with nothing to use,” she said in tears.
Amai Mnangagwa also donated basic food commodities to children’s homes in the area.
Mrs Joice Madzima, who owns Vimbainesu Children’s Home near Masiyarwa was lost for words at the First Lady’s benevolence.
“I am thankful for what Amai has done and I do not know how best to thank her. She has remembered us during this tough period. She always remembers us and gives us food for the children. I am thankful for her kind heart. May God bless her,” she said.
Online Reporter