Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
SITTING in his black wheelchair under a mango tree at Kaprinis Complex along Lobengula Street in Gweru is a popular street vendor, Mr Chengetai Nesta Maturure, who has turned the shed into a vending site.
Mr Maturure has been a vendor for the past nine years.
He graduated from the Midlands State University (MSU) with a degree in History and International Studies and is now a familiar face on the streets of Gweru.
The father of two is earning a living from selling Jumbo snacks, cigarettes, sweets, and assorted maputi among other foodstuffs. At his main stall, Ras Zhen, as he is popularly known, sells iced watches, phone chargers, batteries and other electrical gadgets.
This reporter caught up with him at his vending spot where he works with his wife, Ms Shupikai Euphorbias.
“As you can see, I’m wheelchair-bound but that doesn’t stop me from fending for my family,” he said.
Mr Maturure said he was born in 1989 in Shurugwi District adding that according to his mother, they thought he would be a “normal” child.
“At three weeks after my birth, my mother said she left me on the bed in her bedroom and when she came back, I was crying and seemed to be in pain. So she took me to Shurugwi District Hospital where she was accused of having fractured my legs,” he said.
Mr Maturure said he was told that the doctors put plaster on his leg and they went back home.
He said after some time, he fractured his legs once again.
“This time the doctors referred my parents to Mpilo Central Hospital for specialist assessment. It was at Mpilo where I was diagnosed with a condition called Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). OI is an inherited (genetic) bone disorder that is present at birth. It’s also known as brittle bone disease. A child born with OI may have soft bones that break (fracture) easily; bones that are not formed normally, and other problems,” said Mr Maturure.
He said at the age of about two-and-a-half years, he started going to Jairos Jiri Association for Rehabilitation of the Disabled and Blind in Southerton, Harare.
“I sat for my Grade 7 examinations and attained 10 units. I then enrolled at Pakame High School in Shurugwi and in 2007 I sat for my O-level examinations and got six passes. I proceeded to A-level at the same school and got nine points and that was in 2009,” he said.
Mr Maturure said in 2011, he was enrolled at MSU where he would see himself offering printing and typing services to fellow students for a fee.
“I had dreadlocks then and my machines, especially the printer, would jam time and again. That is when fellow students gave me the nickname Ras Zhen. They said my equipment was not genuine,” he giggled as he explained.
“So basically, it is my business acumen, my zeal and my will to survive that has seen me this far despite being in this wheelchair.”
He said with a degree in History and International Studies attained at MSU in 2014, he hasn’t been fortunate enough to find employment, a development that led him to the streets.
“Soon after graduating from MSU in 2014, I started looking for employment in the formal sector but my efforts didn’t yield favourable results. I remained a loafer, poverty was creeping in and the need to take action arose. It is from this background that I ventured into this small-scale business enterprise,” said Mr Maturure.
He said he raised enough capital to start his vending business after he worked for a fellow vendor selling his merchandise for a commission.
“I was selling potatoes and other products for this guy and after some time of saving, I established my own vending stall. At one time, I was right at Kudzanayi Long Distance Bus Terminus where I was one of the vendors selling to the traveling public,” said Mr Maturure.
He said together with his wife, they run two vending stalls.
“I sell foodstuffs from the other one and here I sell electrical gadgets and watches,” said Mr Maturure.
He said through vending, he is able to pay rentals and look after his family.
“I would want to be in the formal sector and at the same time have a side hustle but this is what I’m doing now with my wife. I stay in Ascot suburb, “Kugomba”, and we raise rentals and school fees from vending on the streets of Gweru,” said Mr Maturure.
He said he has two children.
Mr Maturure challenged those living with disabilities to overcome all societal barriers and start living a full life.
“To other people living with disabilities out there, they themselves are makers of themselves. By virtue of the thoughts that they cherish and encourage, the only person that can feel pity for them is God. Please don’t expect society to pity you, you’ll die of poverty. Try to work and change your fate,” he said.
Mr Maturure said he managed to get a gold claim in Shurugwi through the Shurugwi Development Trust and is looking for partners to start mining explorations.
“I have a gold mining claim but I have no capital. If there are any investors, please come through. I can’t afford to sit down or depend on my wife simply because I am physically challenged, no. I wake up just like everybody else and look for ways to make money,” said Mr Maturure.
As this reporter was interviewing him, a client arrived and asked for cellphone accessories.
Mr Maturure responded, “My guy, I haven’t forgotten your order. This week I’ll be traveling to Harare and I’ll bring your order.”
He said he is not bound by the wheelchair and can travel anywhere to source goods for his clients.
Ms Euphorbias said she met her husband in 2013.
“It was difficult at first but we are working together to raise our family. The only challenge we have is traveling when it’s raining. I’ll be pushing his wheelchair and the road becomes muddy. But we’re okay,” she said.
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