Mukudzei Chingwere in Hwedza
LONG before they became liberation fighters and national leaders, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga and the late national hero Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri were learners at Mount St Mary’s Mission, where a dedicated teacher shaped their character, instilled discipline and nurtured a sense of service to their country.
Nearly six decades later, VP Chiwenga returned to the Hwedza mission to honour his former teacher, Mr Maximilian Musavaya, on his 90th birthday, celebrating a life devoted to education, community service and the preservation of human life during the liberation struggle.
The occasion was more than a birthday celebration.
It honoured the often-unheralded role of teachers in shaping the people who would lead Zimbabwe’s struggle for independence and serve the nation after 1980.
Mr Musavaya, affectionately known to generations of learners as “Teacher Gonah”, taught at the mission alongside his wife, Mrs Hildegarde Musavaya, during the liberation war.
Among his learners were the young Chiwenga, now Vice President; Air Chief Marshal Shiri; Brigadier-General (Retired) Richard Huchu; and Cde Ernest Mandizvidza.
In 1973, VP Chiwenga left the school with three friends — Cde Shiri, Brig-Gen (Retd) Huchu and Cde Mandizvidza — to join the liberation struggle.
For the Musavayas, the Vice President’s return yesterday brought back memories of the boy they knew as “Costa” — quiet and unassuming, with little indication of the national leadership role he would eventually assume.
For VP Chiwenga, the visit offered an opportunity to acknowledge the men and women whose guidance in the classroom helped shape the lives of those who went on to serve Zimbabwe in different capacities.
“I am deeply humbled to stand before you at Mt St Mary’s Mission, a place that holds a very special position in my own life,” said VP Chiwenga.
“I am here to honour a man who shaped my formative years in primary school, and the lives of countless others who passed through his classroom.”
The celebrations combined the launch of Mr Musavaya’s autobiography, the donation of more than 1 000 reading books and the school’s prize-giving ceremony, fitting tributes to a man whose life has been defined by teaching and a belief in the transformative power of education.
Mount St Mary’s Mission continued to provide education during a turbulent period when the liberation war increasingly threatened the safety of communities and institutions.
“He taught here at Mt St Mary’s during a time of great difficulty for our nation; the years of the liberation struggle,” said VP Chiwenga.
“When the war had intensified, this mission stood firm as a place of learning. I was privileged to be one of the students who studied under his mentorship and guidance, alongside others who went on to serve this nation in different capacities, among them the late Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri and Cynthia Gora.”
Mr Musavaya’s contribution went beyond the classroom. At a time when armed confrontation could easily have resulted in civilian casualties, he became a trusted adviser to liberation fighters camped near the mission.
VP Chiwenga recalled how the fighters once approached his former teacher for guidance on whether they should attack Rhodesian troops stationed at the school.
“During the war, liberation fighters camped near this mission once came to consult him on whether they should move against the Rhodesian troops stationed here,” he said.
“He counselled against confrontation, warning that it would lead to bloodshed.”
Mr Musavaya’s house, the last before Rusunzwe Mountain, stood close to the unfolding conflict. His counsel, VP Chiwenga said, demonstrated the importance of measured judgement when lives were at stake.
“His compelling voice was of caution at a moment when a wrong decision could have cost many lives,” he said.
