Chronicle Editor
Raymond Jaravaza
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LIKE folklore that are passed on from generation to generation, Madzibaba Ishmael Wadawu learnt the craft of making pots, bathing dishes, and wheelbarrows from his grandfather.
With no formal education, Wadawu honed his skills over the years by observing his grandfather create household utensils from what others would consider scrap metal. As a five-year-old, his role was simple yet essential — passing the hammer, fetching nails, and bringing drinking water for his grandfather while the old man tirelessly pounded metal under the scorching heat at their family house in the Entumbane suburb.
When the time came for Wadawu’s apprenticeship to begin, the then ten-year-old was handed an old hammer and instructed to put all his years of watching his grandpa work to use. Years of understudying the old man culminated in Wadawu making his first pot, perfectly sized for a prospective buyer to cook a decent meal for a family of four.
Wadawu’s story is not an isolated one; AmaPostori, the pioneers of black entrepreneurship, have been perfecting the art of passing on their handwork expertise from generation to generation. Today, at the age of 52, Wadawu continues the family business of crafting household utensils and wheelbarrows.
To diversify his business, he has also ventured into making pans used by poultry farmers to feed broilers. With the emergence of small-scale farmers and individuals rearing chickens in their backyards, business has been thriving.
However, Wadawu yearns for more opportunities to be made available for black entrepreneurs like him, in the form of funding from banks and the Government.
“Because my family comes from a long lineage of worshippers of the Johannes Masowe church, people just call me Madzibaba, even when I’m no longer an active member of the church.
“I have never worked for anyone in my life. I did not finish secondary school because my late grandfather wanted me to work and perfect the art of making pots, dishes, and wheelbarrows instead of wasting my time in class. People might think my grandfather was unfair to deny me education, but that’s the way it was back then, so I have no regrets. I have been in this business since I was a young boy in the early 1980s, and that’s how I have taken care of my family,” Wadawu tells the Saturday Chronicle at his wares selling site in Makokoba.
While his products may not possess the sophistication and polish of machine-made pots and dishes sold by established companies like Kango Products, Wadawu perseveres to make ends meet.
“I have my customers who prefer the kind of pots, dishes, and wheelbarrows that we make here. People have different tastes and budgets to spend, so our business will keep going strong for years to come. Unlike my grandfather, my kids go to school and only assist me during weekends because I want them to have a better education and more opportunities to make a better life for themselves,” he said.
In the city centre, in a small makeshift workshop tucked in a corridor between two buildings, three gentlemen are hard at work. With hammers and nails in hand, they meticulously craft brooms and mops, which will soon grace the market.
David Matswai, a 57-year-old devotee of the Apostolic sect church, is engrossed in his work, meticulously assembling a broom.
“We buy the material (woven yarn) for making a broom from Kadoma Textiles, the wooden sticks from Mutare, and the brittles for making brooms from Harare, and assemble everything here,” said Matswai.
Together with his two colleagues, they formed a company called Court Rains Enterprises.
“People always say MaPostori business will remain small because we don’t want to move with the times, but that’s not true. We formed a company and sourced funding from Agribank, who have been very helpful over the last few years by giving us loans when we have a huge order to supply. The volatile currency disruptions are making our business challenging, but we will keep going,” he said with determination.
Matswai further said that the notion that Apostolic sect members are the pioneers of black entrepreneurship is indeed true.
“Our fathers and grandfathers never worked for anyone. Their way of life was manufacturing things and selling, and that’s the only way of life that we know,” he said.
It is important to note that while AmaPostori have a rich history of craftsmanship and entrepreneurship, there have been instances when a few individuals tarnished their reputation. In the early 1990s, scandals rocked the Apostolic sect members who had ventured into cross-border trading, with some being implicated in smuggling rackets.
However, as Wadawu was at pains to explain during the earlier interview, these incidents should not overshadow the hard work and honesty of the majority of AmaPostori artisans.
“Those are just bad apples who soil our name. Most of us are honest and hard-working MaPostori,” he remarked, reflecting the sentiments of many within the community.
Online Reporter