Online Reporter
Tendai Rupapa in MASVINGO
THOUSANDS of high school learners, mainly boarders from schools in and around Masvingo, emerged stronger and prepared to confront social challenges after being empowered with life skills and moral guidance on Friday during a vibrant Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba session organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Held at Mutendi High School, the lively interactive session offered learners a rare opportunity to engage directly with the mother of the nation, ask pressing questions and sharpen their social and interpersonal skills. The initiative aims to raise morally upright and responsible children who will shoulder the country’s future.
While girls attended the Nhanga session with the First Lady, together with female teachers and women from the community, the boys gathered in the Gota with elderly men and male educators to receive valuable life lessons. Timed to coincide with the end of the first school term, the session served as a timely intervention to help learners navigate the school holidays responsibly — a period often marked by increased cases of teenage pregnancies, drug and alcohol abuse, and other vices among youths.
The programme encouraged children to spend their holidays productively by helping with household chores, maintaining discipline and dedicating time to their studies.
Dr Mnangagwa emphasised that learners could only excel and meaningfully contribute to national development if they steered clear of distractions and negative influences that prevent them from pursuing their education.
The session also came at a time when most children had become wayward due to the effects of Westernisation, as well as internet and social media abuse, where some are copying behaviours such as same-sex relationships, drug and substance abuse, indecent dressing and premarital sexual activities. The mother of the nation also invited the Police Victim Friendly Unit and officials from her 575 national gender-based violence call centre to address the children.
Iyasa, a Bulawayo based arts group, provided edutainment and added colour to the programme. As patron of the environment, the First Lady began Friday’s proceedings by leading in the planting of different types of trees at the school, including mutuputupu/tipuana tipu tree. This type of tree is becoming extinct due to deforestation.
The mother of the nation spoke separately with the girls as boys were on their own, learning things expected of them, before they later came together for a joint session.
“I am glad to have come to speak to you, high school learners. Most of you are boarders. But back home, how are you living with parents or now that you are boarders and in high school you feel you can make your own rules? What kind of friends do you have at school? Are you studying and sharing with one another the importance of books? When you grow up, what do you want to be?” the First Lady asked.
The question elicited a lot of responses, with Anna-Maria Muchetu saying she intends to become a pilot.
“I am a science student and after finishing school I intend to be a pilot. My friend Cleo is also doing sciences,” she said.
“Why did you choose her as a friend?” Amai Mnangagwa asked.
“Because she also loves education and is not naughty. Both of us have never been cautioned for mischief at school,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa sought to know the kind of mischief that takes place in schools, and the learners pointed at drugs and promiscuity, with some girls dating male teachers and cases where some girls dated other girls and boys dating other boys.
The First Lady implored the children to be morally upright.
“Grow up morally upright and teach others wherever you go. Being involved in love affairs before the time is ripe is unacceptable. I hear some learners in same-sex schools are dating one another. Is that good? Please do not dabble in drugs because they affect your internal organs. Drugs are addictive and once you start taking them, you cannot quit. Besides damaging internal organs, what are the other reasons as to why drugs are bad?” she asked.
“You can be sexually abused if you are intoxicated with drugs,” a learner said.
Another contributor added: “You can end up with unwanted pregnancies if you are high on drugs and fail to know the person responsible.”
Dr Mnangagwa emphasised the need for learners to be disciplined at all times.
“Girls, now that you are in high school, it’s not a passport to rush into marriage. Acquire your first husband, who is your career. I am happy some parents have also turned up and I warn you against marrying off our daughters at tender ages. The law of the land forbids this. Boys who are still in school are your brothers, so interact with them only when doing books,” she said.
To inspire the boys and girls, Dr Mnangagwa told the learners how she excelled in school through hard work and having good friends to study with.
“My daughters, guard your virginity jealously because it is a once-off phenomenon,” she said.
Sister Mary Zhezhu, a teacher, expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her commitment to moulding morally upright citizens for the nation.
“I am happy because I once got the opportunity to accompany learners to Harare for the First Lady’s national girls’ camp. We were taught a lot of things that benefitted both teachers and the learners. Today, I want to talk about dressing. My younger sisters, we are walking in the nude. Some of us would have literally turned orange owing to bleaching. Men will abuse you and hide behind a finger that you brought it upon yourself,” she said.
“Some of these men can pounce on you at any time because they have no shame at all. I am a Catholic nun who is sworn to celibacy, but I am inundated with love proposals by these men. Let us be dignified so that we grow up into well-cultured women,” she said.
The mother of the nation weighed in, expressing hope that the children had taken note of Sister Zhezhu’s contribution.
“I hope you have heard her words and grasped them. Know what is good for you. Appreciate why you are attending school and get something to take home. Let us not soil the good names of our schools through bad deeds. Do not date teachers so that you score high marks,” she said.
“Never seek favours because you will be abused and just work hard. You are the solution to challenges affecting your family back home. Schools are there so that you acquire a qualification, and not disease and pregnancy. You may fancy yourself hot being followed by all the boys, yet they will be taking turns to cheapen you. You are responsible for policing over your body,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa urged the children to assist their parents with household chores.
“Are you performing household chores or you leave everything to the househelps? You shall be mothers in the future, but will you manage when you are this lazy? Be role models in your family, school and community,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa also touched on personal and good menstrual hygiene.
She also spiced up proceedings with an educative question-and-answer session.
One of the learners asked: “How do I handle a situation where parents will be forcing me to do sciences when I love arts or commercials. My father may say I am the one paying the fees, so he will decide for me.”
In response, the First Lady said it was not good for parents to do that because once a child is forced, they then fail or start having boyfriends.
Another learner sought advise on how to deal with depression arising from the loss of a parent.
“The first stage on healing is acceptance. Accept because death is the law of God. Also make use of counsellors at school and God must comfort you,” she said.
A Form Three learner said their mischief was due to lack of exposure, saying parents needed to allow their children access to fast foods, ice cream and other niceties.
She said they were dating older men so that they get ice cream.
However, the First Lady answered by reprimanding her.
“Ice cream will always be there even when you complete your education. If you fail to understand your background, you can’t complete school. If you knew my upbringing you would not say what you are saying. We never knew what ice cream was. Shuwa mungatambiswe nevarume nekuda kwe ice cream? Vanangu, gutsikanai nezvamurikuitirwa nevabereki venyu,” she said.
Another learner asked: “Children can be raped by people who are close like a father, but the perpetrator moves freely without having justice. What can we do because I won’t be safe?”
The First Lady invited the police Victim Friendly Unity to respond.
“Quickly make a report to the police and they will swiftly take action. Abusers deserve to be jailed. Sometimes families sweep the matter under the carpet to save the father. However, as police we urge you to report such cases.”
“Among us there are some who were violated and now want to live well with good manners. Is it too late?” asked one learner.
In response, Dr Mnangagwa said: “It’s not too late, my daughters. Start walking the correct path now and do not say I did it already so why wait? If you stop doing that you can live well. Go back to the correct path my children.”
One of the learners said they could not open up on abuse to their teachers since some of them were the perpetrators.
Amai spoke against such acts from people who are expected to be safeguarding the students.
“Our mothers have some people whom they regard as sons-in-law so that we can marry them in future, what should we do?” a student asked, triggering laughter.
A parent responded saying: “Some women are ill-mannered and jealous. They want to hook on to men who are rich so that they get involved with their daughters.”
Yet another learner said her mother bought her miniskirts and short dresses, which she was not comfortable in.
She was, however, told that such a parent was not good.
The First Lady also tackled the issue of bullying in schools.
Boys also discussed a lot of issues, including career guidance, drug and substance abuse, health and wellness.
They also touched on internet and social media abuse, children engaging in online dating while parents think kids are safe at home.
“We had a lively session where a number of issues were raised, including that of elder women going for young boys because they are believed to be more active in bed. However, boys have been urged to desist from falling into such traps as they risk getting infected with diseases like STIs. We were also warned against homosexuality. We were told that drug abuse was ruinous as it forced people to drop out of school and even end up in rehabilitation centres,” said Thomas Moyo, as he recounted the issues they had discussed.
The First Lady later addressed the boys and girls jointly, counselling them to remain morally upright.
“I have come focusing on high school learners, asking whether boys and girls know what is expected of them, morality-wise. The level you are at requires that you be serious with life because from here you are proceeding to tertiary institutions. We reject those who scale security walls of boarding schools to quench their thirst at beerhalls and meet elderly men. You boys must desist from proposing love to your sisters. Whenever mischief- makers are named, your name is commonplace, is that okay? You girls also must leave your brothers to pursue education. Even chores at home, we expect that you boys and girls give a hand,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa asked schoolboys and girls if they knew how to cook.
She was impressed when they described how different types of food are cooked, showcasing their cooking skills.
Amai urged parents to raise children in a dignified manner, teaching them household chores.
“These lessons we have imparted in you are essential in the future.”
Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira spoke glowingly of the First Lady and her interventions.
“We welcome our guest of honour, the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, to this greatly significant occasion. This event underscores your unwavering commitment and dedication to ensuring that our cultural values are preserved and passed on to the next generations for our beloved Zimbabwe to maintain its unique identity for prosperity,” he said.
“ I want to applaud and give much credit to the First Lady for championing Nhanga/Gota programmes. We are beginning to see results of disciplined youths as well as women empowerment initiatives and the reduction of gaps between men and women. As a result, equal opportunities are being created in even the marginalised communities. We thank the First Lady for coming up with educative programmes which remind us of the spirit of Ubuntu,” he said.
Learners were upbeat about yesterday’s programme and thanked the First Lady for spending her time educating them.
Tinashe Murimbika, a Form Four learner, could not hide his joy.
“I want to thank the First Lady for her immense show of love. We have been equipped for the future and advised of what we need to do to become responsible citizens in the future. She warned us against dabbling in drugs, telling us that they are ruinous,” he said.
This dovetailed with the views of Thomas Rupende, a Form Three learner in the province.
“I was touched by the First Lady’s gesture and teachings. She has given us valuable information which will make us make the right choices in the future. She also gave us stationery for use in our studies and warned us against same-sex relationships which are taking place in schools against the globe. I thank her verily for her love and non-selective approach,” she said.
Amai donated stationery to learners, while, in addition, girls were given sanitary pads to ensure they do not miss school during their monthly cycles.
