Chronicle Editor
Sociology with Tatenda Chihota
Today I want to talk about the matrix and proliferation of Kungwavha – ngwavha in the context of sociology to explain the status of the economy in line with unemployment and youth agency.
Kungwavha -ngwavha is a combination of the words ‘cleverness’ (ngwara) and ‘thievery, trickery, crockery’ (Humbavha) in an economic situation. Unemployment as reflected, is a condition whereby people are out of paid work but available seeking for a job to earn a living. Poverty is a condition whereby individuals are deprived from basic necessities such as food, shelter and money.
Due to this economic situation, youths have been pressured to use all ‘masikiri’/ ‘chikiri’ (tricks) to smartly and cleverly deceive society and economy to earn a living thereby making the illegality legal.
A job well done to President Mnangagwa for recently denouncing Kungwavha – ngwavha in the context of youths. However, efforts to denounce it have not been given a chance in the minds and hearts of social entities, media and other influential politicians or groups. In sociology, I regard Kungwavha – ngwavha as a social problem that needs the attention of the media and government to denounce it.
The term “Kungwavha- Kungwavha” a portmanteau closely related to ‘Kuhardira’ from English word ‘getting hardened’ which means hardened perseverance. Youths also use the word going ‘muchi raa’ which comes from the English words ‘round ,circle’ which means roaming around the streets. They say I am going ‘muchiraa kunokiya kiya’. ‘Kukiyakiya’ as reflected by Melusi Nkomo is all about a zigzag search for opportunity to smartly deceive and trick people in the face of reality.
The economic situation has promoted the Kungwavha- ngwavha culture which is predominated by profit making element leading to moral decay. In a dollar youth are given by parents to buy be it vegetables or tomatoes, they have to ‘smartly’ take a cent from it indicating ‘kungwara’ (their cleverness).
This hustling is not morally upright rather it is scary and morally inappropriate as it is leading to moral degradation in society. Most of them say ‘hustlers do not sleep’ meaning they should sweetly go in the circles looking for the opportunity for trickery and thievery.
I interviewed Mbizo high school students in Kwekwe and one of the students stated that; “I cannot go broke, if i need a dollar, I deceive my parents smartly by replacing a functional bulb with a malfunctioning one. Then I report to my parents that a bulb has developed a fault. When given a dollar to buy a new one for replacement, I will just remove the malfunctioning and replace it with the one I removed”
Youths can also engage in ‘kutsara’ stealing in the stance involvement possessing, selling, producing, and trafficking drugs.
While the image of all street children being addicted to drugs is inaccurate, some street-connected children do engage in substance use to cope with the realities of living on the streets, trauma, illness, hunger, stigmatisation and discrimination. Long term use at the age when children are still physically and mentally developing can cause long term problems in adulthood.
A disturbing story published by H- metro reported that on 21 July 2022, a teenager who was a form six at Loreto high school was jailed three years after he pleaded guilty to robbing a lady who is a Judial Service Commissioner.
This issue of ngwavha-ngwavha has no gender dividing line, rather it touches both boys and girls. Girls usually do what is referred to as ‘thigh vending’. I recently talked about ‘sociology of iphone’ where I said girls give what ever they have to get a living or an iPhone. In India for example, we can observe people purchasing iPhones by even offering to sell their kidneys symbolising how an iPhone is more of a status symbol than the brand itself.
λ Tatenda chihota is a Zimbabwean sociology author. He can be contacted for views and comments on +263718786253
Online Reporter