Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma
REMEMBER Uncle Arthur’s bedtime stories series by Authur Maxwell?
Not all heroes wear armour.
In society, we have celebrated community heroes for different acts of courage and community spiritedness. Th ere is one Sunday school teacher who deserves a cap. If you live or have been to Emakhandeni suburb and have spotted a golden-coloured Toyota Land Cruiser full of children, you probably know the person.
His clients at his motor-spares shop in Emakhandeni suburb probably know him as a reserved person who works in silence, but if you ask children, they will describe a totally different persona. Imagine a grown man knocking off from work only to find a multitude of children waiting for him. Some carrying a ball, hoping for a game, some carrying homework books, hoping for the hand of genius to help.
It is not the norm for male figures to be best friends with children. Let alone to teach at Sunday school and spend Sundays reciting verses and telling character building stories and organising skits to go and perform for the parents in church. This is usually associated with Aunty Buhle or Aunt Winnie, not the fathers, brothers and the uncles generally.
On a typical day, you can just see the frames of children playing in the dusty streets of Emakhandeni suburb. You can’t see properly, the dust raised is just too thick. Th e children themselves are dusty from the face downwards and all you can see are the eyes, their hands and legs and clothes are covered with a layer of thick dust from a day’s play. Somewhere in this group of happy dirty children you spot a tall figure, an equally dirty, happy adult. He looks like an overgrown child.
When the ball is damaged, he helps fix it or if there is enough material; plastics rubber bands and other trade secrets, he will help make a new ball for playing umamtshayana or soccer. He is Mr Stephen Zivengwa (24). Some children call him Ankeli, others call him Umalum’ uStephanie. Some people think he is not normal. Other men say he must grow up but he is not fazed. People talk about him on some social media platforms, some share his videos playing with children.
So, when the Chronicle Features Desk finally tracked him down, he was doing what he loves the most, ducking a ball and filling empty juice bottles with soil simultaneously, only to empty them again successfully to proceed to the next round of the hopscotch game. Today is not a typical day though. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted a lot of people’s lives and normal day-to-day routines.
For the children of Emakhandeni suburb, there is no more play time at the sports ground until the Government gazetted lockdown is over. Th e lucky children on this particular day were Uncle Steph’s four nephews. They get to play hopscotch or umamtshayana with their uncle in front of his compound. He says they cannot play inside the yard due to the small size of yards in Emakhandeni, the little space that is there is taken by a car garage and a vegetable garden. The only place to keep them occupied is the driveway just outside his gate area.
Here is his story.
“I came to Bulawayo last year from Borrowdale, Harare. I’ve always been a person who plays with younger children, it’s as if I didn’t fit in well with adults. Children have beautiful souls. You for some time forget the problems of the adult world and just be a child. I couldn’t speak a single iSiNdebele word when I came, but because of sticking around with the children, I quickly learned and now you won’t even know that I’m Shona,” he says.
“I love to play. It started as a Sunday school thing. We would play aft er church. Some children from my church would come to play with my nephews. I would join in and played on the street with them. More children would come and we would end up having to move to the soccer field a few hundred metres away. On some days we play soccer and on others we play umamtshayana. People think it’s weird but it’s just a game like any other. Yes, more girls play umamtshayana but it doesn’t mean that men can’t take a keen interest in playing with girls. As a Sunday school teacher, you sometimes are more like a counsellor. Children come from different backgrounds and some homes are hostile. It’s good for them to have a safe space, a happy place where they feel that an adult can be an equal,” said Uncle Stephen.
Apart from ducking the ball in umamtshayana, he says he also teaches children, both boys and girls, about child abuse.
“We’re living in tough times and it’s difficult to trust anyone. So whenever possible I teach children that they must not allow anyone to touch them in certain ways and they must report to mum or dad if anyone does something strange. During Sunday school sessions, parents come in sometimes and I also tell them that they must have strong bonds with children, have regular conversations and develop an interest into the everyday activities of their child. Ask your child how was your day, where did you go, who did you play with, what games did you play, who else was there, and so forth. If there’s an abnormal pattern, it will soon emerge. Parents must also encourage children to always play in groups and not leave the crowd if they’re not at home,” he said.
Some communities of Emakhandeni said they initially did not understand Stephen, although they loved that he kept the children busy.
“His car is always full of children. You could swear he is of the same age. It’s funny how he can switch roles and be an adult now and be a child in the next moment. If they roll in the sand, he will roll in the sand. We were sceptical at first, but now we see that he is just a man who is still a child at heart,” said Mrs Lillian Chipunza, a neighbour.
Another neighbour Mr Leonard Mpofu said he loved that children played in the street and never in secluded places, which guaranteed their safety. He added that parents were now taking advantage and asking Uncle Stephen to help with the children’s homework.
“Because of the nature of the world now, it’s difficult to trust anyone with your child, both men and women have done unthinkable things. But Uncle Steph has given us renewed hope in humanity. Unfortunately, the children can’t have him all to themselves, we trouble him with their homework sometimes on the phone, he always helps,” said Mr Mpofu.
Uncle Stephen adds, “When schools are open, I go to pre-schools during my spare time to play with children and their teachers. It’s the smiles and the laughter of a child that make me do that. It’s not that I give them anything material, but the fact that I bring smiles to children gives me joy.”
As he is still being interviewed, the children come and drag him to the ring as it is his turn to duck the ball. Asked about his love life and future plans, Uncle Stephen did not give away much but said his home will always be full of children as little ones will be a permanent feature in his life.
“The woman I will marry will love God and most importantly love children as much as I do,” said Uncle Stephen.
Online Reporter