Ivy Ncube
THE Zimbabwean media fraternity has lost one of its boldest, warmest and most unforgettable voices with the passing of Ropafadzo Mapimhidze.
For those of us who worked alongside her, and for those of us who loved her like family, the void she has left cannot be filled. She was not just a colleague to me but Sis Ropa, Big Ropa, big sister, a mentor, a protector and a friend.
Wherever she worked — from the then Ministry of Information, Moto Magazine, Kwayedza, The Herald, Girl Child Network, to the NewsDay — she left her mark. Not just with her stories, but with her presence. When Big Ropa walked in, you knew you were not alone.
As her brother Mbiri Mapimhidze remembers, Ropa was big from the day she was born.
Ropafadzo was born at Chamboli Clinic in Kitwe, Zambia, on 20 December 1960, where she made history before she could even walk — she was the biggest baby ever born at the clinic, weighing well over 4kg at birth.
She was the third of seven children born to Lysias Mbiru Pillar and Slyvia Mapimhidze.
From the start, she was destined to stand out.
According to her brother Mbiri, at Frederick Knapp Primary School in Kitwe, Ropafadzo broke and held records for treading water and swimming. She took to water like a fish, her brother recalls, and no one could keep up with her.
That love of life, that strength, that fearlessness in the water, stayed with her for the rest of her life.
She did her secondary school education at Mindolo Secondary School before proceeding to study Journalism and Media at the African Literature Centre at the Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation in Kitwe.
Just after Independence, she proceeded to Zimbabwe to follow her calling.
Her career took her through the then Ministry of Information, Moto Magazine, Kwayedza, The Herald and others, where she became a respected voice, a colleague, a mentor and a big sister to many.
Unconventional, fearless, spontaneous is how her daughter Sarudzai described her mother.
And anyone who knew Big Ropa knows it is true. She did not follow the crowd. She lived life on her own terms. She would say what others were afraid to say, laugh where others were afraid to laugh, and show up where others would not dare to go.
She was unconventional in the best way — she made room for everyone.
She was fearless — in her work, in her faith, in defending the newsroom underdogs who, in most cases, were young women prone to the lurking dangers of harassment.
She was spontaneous — a phone call, a visit, a joke, a song, just because she felt like it.
My own story with Ropafadzo began in 1995, in The Herald canteen, on the famous fourth floor. I was a young cadet reporter, new and still finding my feet.
The canteen was more than a place to eat. It was where friendships were formed, where stories were shared, and where Ropa held court.
She was one of the first people to notice a newcomer. She would not let you sit alone. She welcomed you, she teased you, she asked about your family, and in that moment you became part of her family.
That is how she was. She mothered, she mentored, she protected.
She became a sanctuary. For many young reporters who passed through newsrooms, Sis Ropa was a safe place.
She was a devoted mother and grandmother.
She is survived by her two daughters, Itayi and Sarudzai, and she was blessed with three granddaughters, Tinashe, Tawana and Chiyevo.
To them, she was not just Big Ropa the journalist, the colleague, the friend. She was Mum. She was Gogo. She was home.
A church service held in her memory by the Anglican Church in Harare on Monday brought together family, friends, former colleagues, church members and the Tynwald community where she lived.
It was a time of tears, but also of laughter — because to remember Big Ropa is to remember joy.
She leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter and loyalty.
She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her — in Kitwe and in Zimbabwe, in the newsrooms, among her Anglican Church, and in the Tynwald community she served so faithfully.
According to her host in Chongwe near Lusaka in Zambia, where she died, Big Ropa breathed her last while praying and dressed in her Anglican Church regalia.
May her dear soul rest in eternal peace. We will love you always, Big Ropa.
Funeral and burial arrangements will be announced by the family soon. Mr Mapimhidze said her remains are expected in the country before the end of the week.
Ivy Ncube is a former Herald journalist who met Ropafadzo in 1995 and remained her close friend and sister till her death
