WATCH: Successful Lupane businessman attributes achievements to supportive wives and family unity

BEHIND every successful man there is a respectful and submissive woman.

The success story of renowned Lupane businessman, Mr Brilliant Ncube from the Mathambo area in Matabeleland North, cannot be complete without mention of his two wives Mrs Sibonguthando Ncube and Mrs Belinda Nobukhosi Ncube.

A news crew visited the Mazheke homestead, as the particular Ncube clan is known, less than 15km from the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway recently, where it was treated to a rare taste of hospitality for a rural set-up.

WATCH here : https://youtu.be/NexaYtCPYsU

Mrs Sibonguthando Ncube is the elder wife and better known in the family as Mrs Ncube while Mrs Belinda Nobukhosi Ncube is the younger wife currently in South Africa and is referred to as Mrs Mazheke, as Mr Ncube is a polygamist.

Mrs Ncube believes being a submissive wife who respects her husband as the head of the family is the key to a happy everlasting marriage and successful family.

After the news crew is ushered into a visitors’ living room, Mrs Ncube walks in and kneels before her husband to inform him to escort visitors to the eating room as food is served, exemplifying a typical cultured and perfect woman if such a phrase exists in a marriage.

To Mrs Ncube, a happy, successful, long-lasting marriage hinges on respect for the husband.

During the whole interaction, she keeps referring to her husband as “inhloko yomuzi” (head of the family).

Some gender activists might misconstrue the behaviour of Mrs Ncube as indicative of male domination over women and lack of empowerment for married women, but she exudes happiness which is even complemented by over two dozen domestic workers employed at the homestead which the community refers to as a Palace because of its extraordinary appearance and beauty.

As Zimbabwe celebrated Women’s Month in March, Mrs Ncube’s story is that of a successful woman who believes all her triumphs in marriage are a result of support from and to her husband and family as a whole.

International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 and this year the theme is: “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”

Mrs Ncube said her husband has imparted unity between the two co-wives who share the same kitchen and all other facilities at the homestead except for the bedrooms.

The U-shaped homestead has the co-wives’ bedroom houses facing each other from the opposite sides of the driveway which is at the centre of the homestead.

From the outside, the kitchen is a simple traditional rondavel but when one enters inside, it’s the ambience, furnished with a fitted arched cupboard, microwave, and gas stove, fridge, sink and well furnished with kitchen staff that is found in urban affluent setups or hotels, is eye-catching.

At the centre is a table where Mr and Mrs Ncube host their guests and give them a 5-star welcome and a meal.

“This is the Ncube homestead and we are two co-wives. Our husband felt that his wives should be in a decent kitchen and this is the family kitchen where we cook together. I designed the cupboards and showed our husband who then made them as he is an expert designer, you just show him what you want and it will be done.

“We also use fire and the stove is for when we have visitors. Our family value is everyone uses the same kitchen, we don’t fight and quarrel because our husband has set the rules.

“Our value is that whenever visitors come we first serve them food before they even indicate their mission for visiting. What I can urge other women out there is that a home is the husband, we should follow the head of the family so that our homes become comfortable. Without the head of the family, a woman would amount to nothing and also a woman who doesn’t support and respect her husband builds no sweet home,” she said.

She said a woman should be able to welcome visitors taking from the rules set by her husband.

Mrs Ncube challenged fellow women to swallow pride and consult or inform their husbands and seek their consent before embarking on any project.

“There are some things women do without their husbands’ consent but I have learnt that if we respect our husbands, our homesteads will be sweet home and comfortable.

“Our future as women, as wives are brighter if we respect and honour our husbands who are heads of the family, even if we get empowered and we do money-spinning projects like stokvel, we should build a home and that starts with respect for the husband.

“Without his happiness, there is no home.

To avoid domestic violence we need to respect our husbands. We should learn self-help skills from them and with their help.

“As co-wives here, we don’t come home after 6 pm. Even if I am far away from home, I would rather leave whatever I am doing and enter through the gate before 6 pm not because he is strict or abusive but because he set rules which we all should follow,” said Mrs Ncube.

Domestic and gender-based violence has been on the increase in the country leading to high incidents of divorces with a lack of respect for each other by spouses, disregard for each other’s priorities, infidelity and lack of empowerment as some of the causes.

Mrs Ncube said as long as the head of the family sets rules, no one, even an enemy can destroy that marriage.

Mrs Ncube and her co-wife run the family saloon and chicken business while Mr Ncube runs the main funeral services business and livestock rearing project.

The two wives have given the Ncube family six children together.