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Leroy Dzenga Features Writer
“While everyone applauds me for what I have done at my age, I do not wish for it to happen to anyone`s child. There is just too much pressure. I am willing to work hard to ensure that I play my part in reducing the number of orphaned students who drop out of school.”
A serial bookworm by reputation, record breaking Maud Chifamba, Zimbabwe’s youngest graduate, has another personality, an unbelievable sense of humour that can disarm anyone.
The humourous character is hardly fathomable for all who have read or heard of her story. Maud’s tale is beyond the chronic rags to riches diatribe we have ever known. A “battle-hardened” teenager, life’s misfortunes having been part of her life, Maud has grown to be a mature person beyond her age. At 18-years-old, Maud is wiser than her age, and her stature is bigger than her spare frame.
Listed among the most influential African women under 40 by Forbes Magazine in 2012, her moving narrative depicts how she refused to be another statistic robbed of the opportunity to give meaning to life through bereavement. Now regarded as Zimbabwe`s academic sensation, Maud last week, graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy Honours Degree from the nation`s most prestigious tertiary institution, the University of Zimbabwe.
She took time to share her “other self” in an interview full of wit, and humour. And what would one write for someone who has been breaking records for the past 10 years.
A lot, one would notice.To break the ice, it was Maud who had the questions instead of the journalist.Confessing she was talkative, Maud had to make sure the interview was on record.
“I hope you brought a recorder because I talk too much,” she said with a cheeky smile.Armed with unmistakable wit, she answered some questions with metaphors and quotes from yesteryear philosophers.
Punctuating the engagement with phrases like; “if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid”.
She was quoting Albert Einstein speaking on differences in abilities. Maud has a way out of what she considered tricky questions; asking counter-questions and cleverly crafted responses.
When asked about her immediate plans after graduating, Maud circumvented around the question. “Two things you should not make public easily are your income and your next move,” she said with a smile.
She, however, relented and revealed that she would be enrolling for her Masters’ Degree in Accounting before the year ends. Enough of her education, Maud dismisses assumptions she is a bookworm.
She, however, revealed that she never partied not because of books but her “lousy” dancing. Her dancing skills, or lack thereof, saw her avoiding parties, let alone, experimenting with clubbing.
“My body is so stiff, I would not succeed at dancing even if I tried. I am considered a boring person, I do not eat pork, I do not drink and these are usually the activities at parties I assume. So I just don’t fit in. I am not a dancer, (maybe) my brother Mukundi took all the talent in that field,” she said.
Maud believes the time is not ripe for her to look for a job. “Of course I need some money for my make up, so that I continue looking on point but I feel it is too early for me to be thinking of employment. I have other priorities I need to attend to,” Maud said.
She attributed her love for education to her family values. “Every family has its strategy, like in a family if the eldest child becomes a soldier the siblings may want to be soldiers too.
“My father was a soldier, my mother did not hold any professional qualifications and I chose my own path,” she said.
That desire to be a high achiever was a driver to success. Blessing Chimuti, Maud’s friend since their days at Sandringham High School recounts how her warm character led to their friendship.
“She was my classmate, we did Maths, Accounts and Business Studies together, I realised that she was a unique classmate and I reached out to her. Despite her special gift, she was grounded and always sharing a joke just to lift the mood up. Maud is funny and witty. She can create a humorous phrase in the middle of a conversation or rearranging words someone has just said to make a joke,” Blessing said.
He, however, acknowledges how Maud has remained humble despite her popularity and acclaim. “When she came to Sandringham, Maud behaved just like any other pupil and no one knew that she was going to be an inspirational figure like she is today.
“She knew she is unique but has stayed the same, now a grown woman, she still remains the Maud we have grown to know,” he said. Blessing further revealed Maud’s love for her power song, American superstar Beyonce’s “I was here”.
“She always talks of how the song motivates her to try and make an impact in the world and leave a visible trail from her work, something I feel she is achieving steadily.” Maud’s journey, which began in 2003, has not been rosy.
“It all began at a satellite school called Hurudza Primary in Hunters Area in Chegutu where we used to have a huge infrastructure challenge at the school,” she said. The improvised setting worked to her advantage.
“We used to share the classroom – Grade 3 pupils on one side and Grade fours on the other – so I was mistakenly given a Grade 4 Test Paper and I scored top marks.” That aptitude saw her teachers taking a gamble making Maud attempt a Grade 5 examination and she, once again, scored very high marks.
In 2007, she dared to sit for the Grade Seven National Examinations and the audacious attempt proved worthy as she attained Six Units.
“Where I am from there is no secondary school, so I read high school material on my own and after two years, I felt ready to take a shot at the Ordinary Level examinations.” To cut a long story short, she excelled.
With Government taking care of her Advanced Level, she capped Upper Sixth with 12 points. She became the youngest-ever student to enrol at the UZ in 2012 pursuing a Bachelor of Accounting (Honors) Degree.
“It has been a journey of mixed fortunes, I will not say that I had it difficult because of the assistance I received from a number of people and organisations,” Melody said.
“The modules were not at all easy but when there are expectations on your shoulders, failure is never an option.” There are times when Maud found herself socially lost due to age and intellect leaving her in a dilemma.
“Throughout my undergraduate years, I had a challenge making a lot of friends because those I learnt with considered me too young to be their peer. On the other hand, those my age found it difficult to interact with me because they felt I am older than them,” she said.
Her enrolment at the UZ was both a blessing and a curse as it brought her media attention.
“Since 2012, there has been pressure from the media, every now and then, you get people sending you questions for responses even when you are in the middle of classes or another important engagement. I could also do with a bit of privacy,” she said.
Admittedly, Maud believes the public glare almost derailed her focus. She has since roped in the services of a “Press and Public Relations” manager who handles her media engagements and schedule.
The manager, assisting her on a voluntary basis, sets up her interviews. Besides plans to enrol for the Masters’ programme, Maud has set herself at going all the way to attain professorship. She has also set sights at giving back to the community that moulded her.
“My aim is to one day open the Maud Chifamba Foundation which will be remodelling and upgrading local schools making them fit for 21st Century education,” she said.
She also vowed to build a high school in Chegutu’s Hunter Area. According to her account, no one should be in university at the age of 14. “While everyone applauds me for what I have done at my age, I do not wish for it to happen to anyone`s child. There is just too much pressure.
“I am willing to work hard to ensure that I play my part in reducing the number of orphaned students who drop out of school,” she said. Given a choice, Maud says, she would have preferred to go through the stages of life in due time.
“I still have a few years ahead of my age mates and I want to cover as much ground as I still can.
“The people offering their support keep me motivated, having someone willing to invest in your dream is humbling.” Arguably, one of the most celebrated youths of Zimbabwe, Maud intends to use her influence to bring about positive change to the society.
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Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter