Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
ON July 3, 2021, the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU) website carried an article headlined “Sifundo Chief Moyo is PAPU Secretary General Elect.”
An extract from the article read: “Mr Sifundo Chief Moyo, a Zimbabwean national, is the new Secretary General of the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU). He was elected by acclamation during the 10th Ordinary Session of the Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference held from 24th to 25th June 2021. Prior to his election, Mr Moyo was Postmaster General of Zimbabwe Posts Ltd, otherwise known as Zimpost.”
It was a momentous occasion indeed for every Zimbabwean as one of their own had been ushered into a critical continental position. What was unknown then was that the former Helemu Primary, Njube and Mzilikazi High Schools lad was from Emakhandeni suburb.
This is our focal suburb this week as we check and reveal its famous sons and daughters from every sphere of life. It is said that the suburb’s name is an isiNdebele translation of Fort Rixon, which was the area where the regiment, Amakhanda was located. Emakhandeni is the locative term.
We have to date been to Mpopoma, Luveve, Entumbane and the journey will continue until all the city’s suburbs have been visited. In our visit to Luveve two weeks ago, we left out the country’s Reserve Bank Governor and another former Njube High School lad John Mangudya.
Back to Emakhandeni, the suburb has seen politicians, business executives, musicians, artistes, and sportspersons as well as media personalities calling the place home in one way or the other. It is also the only western suburb in Bulawayo with two previously termed elite sport codes playing facilities in cricket and tennis.
The Emakhandeni Tennis Club has produced great tennis stars from the hood such as Noel Wadawu, Fadzai Madzimbamuto and the late Dumiso Khumalo.
Emakhandeni is the only suburb in Bulawayo with journalist siblings, ex-Classic 263 radio presenter Dumisani Sibanda and his younger brother, the award-winning Nkosilathi who is at our IsiNdebele sister publication, Umthunywa. Investigative B-Metro sniper and Saturday Chronicle correspondent Raymond Jaravaza, a non-apologetic Manchester United and Dynamos fan, is a Makopo boy, as the suburb is also colloquially called.
Bulawayo’s Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube is from Emakhandeni which was also home to the late Emakhandeni-Entumbane constituency legislator Cornelious Dube. Dube died on August 15, 2009 and is interred at the Lady Stanley Cemetery.
Makopo is home to the vivacious Classic 263 radio’s The Avenue presenter Memory Nkwe as well as another radio personality, head of digital marketing at Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), Godfrey ”Chief” Koti.
Renowned novelist, playwright and poet Christopher Mlalazi, now based in Germany, is another Emakhandeni poster boy. Musicians Zenzo, ”Mr Breeze” Siziba, Nkwali, Loveness Weza as well as Clayton Ndlovu all hail from Emakhandeni.
Former Amazulu, Caps United and Warriors coach Charles Mhlauri is another iconic figure from the suburb alongside retired Highlanders players Abraham Mbaiwa, Hloniphani Ndebele and Lawson Nkomo.
Caroline Ncube, who bossed schools’ sprint competitions nationally, hails from Emakhandeni, as does former Zimbabwe Volleyball Association (ZVA) secretary general Mbekezeli Mthunzi.
Those driving BMWs may have had their sleek wheels expertly attended to by a guy known as Mduduzi ”Mdu” Sigola. Trained in Germany, Sigola comes from Emakhandeni.
In life, there are those peoples who just seem to be self-marketing, not by doing anything bad or good but somehow, they are just everyone’s want to be with but if you are to ask what and how exactly such persons became popular, the answer may not come. One such chap in Emakhandeni is Bigboy Nyirenda whose ‘popularity’ has seen him being a team leader to two aspiring Highlanders chairpersons’ successful campaigns for office.
Popular leisure centres in the suburb are Emakhandeni Cricket Club, koMaunga and koWoza-Woza, not forgetting koMantuza.
Next week, we visit Njube suburb, named after one of the royal sons of King Lobengula. Njube was the first to be born after Lobengula had become King. He alongside Nguboyenja was taken to Lovedale institute in the Eastern Cape by Rhodes in order that there be no rallying point in Matabeleland that could lead to the resuscitation of the Ndebele state.
Let’s engage on:
WhatsApp: 00263719878094
Twitter: @skhumoyo2000
Online Reporter