Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
It was all smiles for more than 100 vulnerable members of society including the elderly and people living with disability in Victoria Falls after a local businessman donated food hampers comprising mealie-meal and an assortment of groceries.
Mr Paul Shambare, popularly known as Elder Shambare in the resort town, donated the groceries as part of his 40th birthday celebrations.
Selected elderly people and people living with disabilities from all Victoria Falls’ 11 wards received mealie-meal, sugar, cooking oil, salt, soya mince, flour and tea leaves.
Each of the beneficiaries was served lunch during the birthday celebrations which were held at Chinotimba Stadium on Saturday.
Mr Shambare, who owns a fleet of haulage trucks under his transport company, Express Cargo, also handed over new wheelchairs to two boys living with disability, Siphamandla Ngwenya aged 19 months and Prosper Zuka aged 10 years.
The businessman also owns Express Clearing with branches at many of the country’s border posts and is a leading music and arts promoter through his stable Express Entertainment.
Mr Shambare said he was touched by the plight of the vulnerable which he said has been worsened by Covid-19 which has adversely affected humanitarian work.
“Forty years is an important milestone. This is not political, I chose to celebrate with you and all I want is to show love and thank the community that has helped me achieve what I have,” said Mr Shambare.
He said in the past he has organised musical bashes to celebrate his birthday but this year he decided to help the needy whose plight has been worsened by Covid-19.
“This year I decided to celebrate with the disadvantaged in our communities hence I engaged the Department of Social Welfare to help identify 100 beneficiaries who are receiving food hampers today.
I also bought wheelchairs for the two beneficiairies,” he said.
Mr Shambare has donated to Chinotimba Old People’s Home before and plans to extend the gesture to the nearby Monde community.
One of the beneficiaries, 80-year-old Mr Richard Sibanda of Chinotimba said: “I am sick and have been surviving on the benevolence of well-wishers. May God add more years to this boy and his family.”
Charlotte Ganda aged 15 years who was accompanied by her aunt Mrs Susan Mhlanga, could not hide her joy after her brother, Prosper received the wheelchair.
She said Prosper was born with cerebral palsy which left his body weak hence he cannot walk or sit on his own.
“We are four children and Prosper is the second born. His situation is difficult because he cannot communicate or sit on his own. He had no wheelchair and I and my mother would take turns to carry him to Chinotimba Primary school on our backs, so this is a relief to us,” she said.
Siphamandla’s mother Ms Nomalanga Ncube said her son was born with club foot and as such cannot stand on his own.
“This is my second child and I’m so grateful that he now has a wheelchair. I do not need to always carry him on my back as was the case before,” she said.
Ward 2 Councillor Netsai Shoko who represented the local authority at the celebrations, commended Mr Shambare’s gesture and appealed to other businessmen to emulate him. — @ncubeleon
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