Chronicle Editor
Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
REMEMBERING the hand that fed you and groomed you to become a better person in life is always admirable and former Cyrene High School pupils have taken it upon themselves to give back to the institution.
About 150 former Cyrene Boys High School pupils reunited and formed an association which has mandated itself to help bring back the long-lost glory of the school.
The Anglican mission school named after the Biblical Simon of Cyrene is located in Matobo District, Matabeleland South.
The chairperson of Cyrene Old Boys Association (COBA), Mr Kingdom Vellah said COBA was formed about five years ago after the passing on of a former student, which reunited his peers.
“Its origins were rather tragic. An old boy passed away and a few old boys who were friends with the gentleman decided to come together and pool a few resources for the welfare of the deceased.
This is what then catalysed the birth of COBA as those friends called us to join them and we decided from then that we shall help the school with whatever little we can,” he said.
Mr Vellah said the oldest members of the association were in the stream that was Form One in 1979.
He said as the old boys they recognise the role that the school played in their lives.
Therefore, they have assigned themselves to help in nurturing the current learners.
“Cyrene groomed us. We grew to be men, we grew to be leaders, we grew to be responsible citizens.
On that basis we have made an intentional decision to also help learners who are still at school to even surpass the achievements of their predecessors.
We believe in the learners and their potential, so we have given ourselves a role to assist the school in providing a better learning environment for their development,” he said.
Three years ago, the old boys fixed a roof that was blown off in a storm at the boys’ hostels.
They have built new toilets, and they have completed phase one of a solar project.
“A few years ago, there was a freak storm that damaged one of the hostels, the roofing was blown off, so COBA came through and repaired that for the school. We have renovated some blocks.
We have just completed phase one of the solar project.
It was meant to address power for the classroom blocks so that learners can have uninterrupted study time especially in the evening in the event of a power outage.
We handed over the system on Sunday.
We have started canvassing for phase two which shall address the admin block and the lab, then the final leg will be the hostels,” said Mr Vellah.
The association also realises that there is a realignment within the job market, not just in Zimbabwe but globally.
Therefore, they have started career guidance and mentorship on possible career paths for students especially Form Fours and Sixes.
Mr Vellah called upon all the old Cyrene boys to join COBA to make a difference.
“Cyrene High School has produced a significant pool of talent including the late Dumiso Dabengwa, the current Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) vice chancellor, Sikhulile Moyo who is credited with sequencing the omicron variant of Covid-19, among others.
COBA membership is just under 150 active members, and we are appealing to more old boys to come on board so that we can assist the school and ourselves in the process,” he said.
One of the executive members of the association, Mr Gcinumuzi Viki said their main objective is to install a series of 5KVA solar systems that will cover the whole school.
Cyrene SDC chairperson, Mr Nhlopho Nare commended the old boys.
“We are so grateful for this kind gesture by the old boys. From the SDC desk we have already been challenged and we are also planning to complement and move with the group.
We want to bring Cyrene back on the map.
We want the learners to produce results. As COBA puts solar, we have ensured that we purchase the required textbooks for all the forms.
The emphasis is to return the glory of Cyrene as the best school in the province. We were relying more on the generator for backup, but running a generator is very expensive.
The solar has come in very handy,” he said.
The school headmaster Mr Charles Bhebhe hailed COBA for intervening where the school could not afford.
“We appreciate what COBA has done.
When our roofs were blown off, they financed the roofing material as well as labour.
They have built toilets, consisting of twelve chambers. Now we have a solar project.
They shall always be a part of us.
COBA is chipping in to assist in areas where the school cannot manage to raise funds.
The school is quite strained as it is an old institution and it needs a lot of financing,” he said.
Mr Bhebhe said what the old boys are doing is evidence that Cryrene grooms boys to men and men to gentlemen.
The head boy of Cyrene high, Prince Nyathi said the solar system will help them as they prepare for exams without electricity interruptions which was a huge challenge before.
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