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Rutendo Mapfumo Features Correspondent
The year was in 2002. And all hell broke loose for Winnie Mhlanga (42) as her husband of 20 years, Welcome Ncube, was attacked by an unknown disease. He lay on his back fastened by some blankets to a narrow bed with cushions all over him so that he would not fall over.
The sheets were tight across his chest while his hands were manacled to the sides of the bed. He had long given up trying to free himself from this unknown disease.
He was awake but his eyes were closed. If he opened his eyes he would see a cloudy vision blocking his view. Ncube could only see things that were close to him but his mouth had lost taste.
He was just a human body doing nothing waiting to be spoonfed by his wife. Misery had dealt a wicked blow on the Ncube family.
Scattered trolleys of rusty iron and rumbles of semi-finished window and door frames had become the order of the day.
Incomplete rusty scotchcarts and burst tyres had become home to rats and lizards. Electric wires and gas tubes had already been turned into toys by children from the neighbourhood turning the hardware into a fine but dangerous playground.
But things were set to change when Mhlanga decided to take on life and its challenges head on. This was a turning point for Mhlanga who was then just 31 years old.
She was an unemployed mother and housewife.
“I never thought of becoming a welder in my life. I was just a housewife who would seat at home with all the required household needs including money.”
She added: “However, my husband’s illness was indeed a wake-up call.”
Winnie is one of the few women in the society who have chosen to sail in uncharted waters.
She has grown to be a welder and panelbeater of repute in her society where she has proven that women can also do what is in the society believed to be a man’s job.
Wrapped with dark coloured greasy sari and a heavy metal helmet covering her head and face she challenges most men in the welding and mechanic always aiming for the best in the industry.
Metalwork has become part of her life. While other women are busy cutting and sewing garments, Winnie is busy lifting heavy metals, cutting and sewing the metals.
Yes metals!
“I initiated myself into this business after my husband got sick, I had to use the techniques I saw whenever he attended to the clients.
“After he recovered from his illness, my husband was no longer as strong as he used to be. He had to teach me every detail on mechanic engineering as well as welding in order to fill the gap he had left.
“I am now an expert panel beater. I also do a lot of gas arc welding as well as welding in general. I can change any form of metal to anything usable,” she said.
Mhlanga added that although she faced many challenges when she started the business.
“Some people never appreciated my welding because I am a woman. They think a woman is a weaker in whatever they do but I am here to prove the point wrong,” she said.
She, however, admitted that although she was demotivated by most of her male counterparts, women from the community were supportive and encouraged her to soldier on.
“Women can do what they want and can also achieve their goals as long as you know what you want,” she said.
Her husband describes a woman as a man without a womb.
“Nothing can stop a woman from providing for their family just like man. Men and women are the same. The only difference is a man cannot carry a child for nine months,” he said.
“When I got sick I thought it was going to be the end of my welding business, but my wife’s courage gave me the strength to live on again.”
Ncube has been sick for more than 10 years and he has been in and out of hospital but he believes that he still has a life to live. He has partially lost sight due to his sickness and needs assistance on a daily basis.
Ncube admitted that his wife has retained most of his customers who were impressed with his work.
“I must admit, she has overtaken me in most of the work. I also know the reason why. She is so careful, accurate and always tries to do her work to perfection. Most women do that. They dedicate themselves to something and are honest,” he said.
Mhlanga was born and bred in the mining town of Hwange and was only 18 when she was forced into her trade.
She would always try her hand at metalwork when she was still in school making window and door frames in her spare time.
“Being a woman does not mean you are just supposed to be on the receiving end but you can also be in the giving side. God gave us hands to use. So as a woman let us use those hands no matter how hard the job may be,” she said.
They are various professions which the society views as unsuitable for women. But with Government’s policy of women empowerment, a number of women are seen venturing into such professions and tend to perform better than their male counterparts.
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