‘Kachingwe was humble, selfless’

regime to achieve her goals.
Mrs Kachingwe (76) died at her Greendale home on Thursday from a heart ailment.
In an interview yesterday, State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, a former student of the late Mrs Kachingwe at Goromonzi High School, said she taught her students a lot about oppression that was perpetrated by the white settler regime.
“She was my teacher in Form Three and was a good teacher and one of the few who would be willing to talk to us about the oppression that was being perpetrated by the colonial government,” he said.
“She taught us about the need to fight to reclaim our dignity and some of us were enlightened by her teachings.” Minister Sekeramayi said the political consciousness she exhibited was because of her experiences as the first black female student at the University College of Rhodesia, now University of Zimbabwe.
“She faced a lot of discrimination as a student at the university so she became politically conscious and you would never doubt her when she spoke to you,” he said.
Minister Sekeramayi said Mrs Kachingwe never boasted about her achievements. “Even after independence she worked tirelessly to improve the livelihoods of the black majority. She will be sadly missed.”
Former Reserve Bank Governor, Dr Kombo Moyana, who was also Mrs Kachingwe’s student, said: “She was a humble person and taught us a lot of things on events that were happening during our time.”
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists has sent a message of condolence to the Kachingwe and Chavunduka families. “Mrs Kachingwe’s death has come as a shock,” said ZUJ secretary general Foster Dongozi.
Mrs Kachingwe was born in the Tandi area of Rusape in 1936 and was the fourth born in a family of eight.
She went to Dowa and St Annes Goto Primary Schools and Goromonzi High School.
She is survived by her husband, Joe, three children and five grandchildren.