Standing ovation for Bulawayo genius

Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]

IT was a dream come true, a moment of brilliance and standing ovation for a Bulawayo youth with disability who defied physical limitations and recently graduated with a BSC (Honours) in Local Governance and Management Degree with 20 distinctions and three awards of excellence.

When Mr Tsepang Thembani Nare was assisted to the podium to get capped by President Mnangagwa at the Midlands State University (MSU) graduation ceremony last week, his classmates knew that he deserved the standing ovation that he was given by the large crowd.

Mr Nare, who uses the help of a motorised wheelchair to move around, joined over 6 840 graduates who were capped by the President, with women comprising 54 percent of the cohort.

In a first for MSU, its 26th graduation ceremony was held at the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Law School in Kwekwe. The university marked its Silver Jubilee, a milestone that was marked by its first-ever graduation outside the main Gweru campus.

For Mr Nare, finally holding his degree in his hands and receiving three awards was the culmination of three years of hard work, sweat and dedication to achieve a remarkable milestone in his academic life.

He is a former King George VI Centre learner who was praised by officials at the educational institution for hearing and physically challenged learners, where he spent 14 years, from 1998 to 2012.

Yesterday, Chronicle sat down with Mr Nare in a wide-ranging interview where he shared some of the challenges he faced during his studies, his dreams for the future and how he continues to advocate for the uplifting of the lives of people with disability.

“The first award I received was for the Overall Best Male Student in the Disability Category after I got 20 distinctions, something that I didn’t believe was possible even after all the hard work that I put into my studies,” he said.

“The second and third awards were the Zimdef (Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund) and a floating Baker’s Inn trophy, respectively.

“I chose to study a degree in Local Governance and Management after realising that there is a gap between disability issues and local governance matters at a national level.

“I believe that as a person living with a disability, I stand in a better position to advocate for the uplifting of the lives of people living with all forms of disability in the country,” said Mr Nare.

Turning to the challenges that he faced during his studies, the 31-year-old said he looks at them with a sense of accomplishment as he did not allow the challenges to define the time he would spend in Gweru away from those closest to him.

“It was a roller coaster journey from the day I first sat in a lecture room at the Midlands State University, to the first friends that I made on campus,” he said.

“I was a block student, meaning I was part of students who took compressed and intensive classes for fewer days at a time during each semester, and I didn’t have the right gadgets after my laptop and cellphone were stolen on campus.

“For the better part of the studies, I had to make do with only a phone, but I made it work,” he said.

Mr Nare also had to hire an assistant to help him navigate his way around campus, an additional cost that his family had to shoulder.

“For other students with disability, such as the visually impaired, they do not necessarily need to have an assistant 24 hours a day, but it was different for me.

“Since I was a block student for the first year of my studies, it meant that I had to get a room for my assistant off campus because it was not possible to accommodate him on campus, where the Disability Resource Centre facilitated that I get a specialised room,” he said.

So popular was Mr Nare with friends and classmates that they nicknamed him “Tsepo the Legend”.

“I would assist other students with their assignments and during group study sessions that they called Tsepo the Legend. I would not trade my time at MSU for anything because I made friends that will forever be part of my life,” he added.

He wishes to get a scholarship and enroll for a Master’s Degree in the same field.

“My mother and two younger siblings, aged 17 and seven, have been my pillars of strength,” said the graduate.

For a year, Mr Nare tried his hand at broadcasting, where he was part of a weekly live show at a local radio station that tackled issues that affect people living with disabilities.

“Being on radio was an eye opener and we managed to do 42 weekly shows in one year where we talked about a wide range of issues that affect persons with disability,” he said.

Mrs Sibonginkosi Dube, the deputy headmistress of King George VI Centre, said the school was very proud of Mr Nare’s achievements.

“The success stories of former students such as Tsepang are a shining light to all our young learners here, to know that they can also achieve greatness.

“It’s unfortunate that most parents who bring their children here forget about them and do not bother paying school fees for the smooth running of the centre,” said Mrs Dube.

The school’s enrolment figures stand at 419 learners.

“We also survive through the benevolence of well-wishers, who give us donations from time to time to keep our operations running smoothly.

We have a dedicated team of teachers and support staff, who work hard to give the learners the best in their academic journeys,” said Mrs Dube.