What’s up under lockdown?

Tafadzwa Zimoyo Senior Lifestyle Writer
The country turns 40 today and it is happy birthday to Zimbabweans.

It is indeed a milestone which deserves high profile celebrations, as we take stock of our achievements in various sectors as a peace-loving nation.

A lot has happened in the past four decades as both living and departed heroes and heroines propelled Zimbabwe to such great heights.

Under the new dispensation ushered in by President Mnangagwa, today’s events were guaranteed to be characterised by pomp and fanfare, but mother nature thought otherwise.

There are no festivities and merry-making this year owing to the Covid-19 induced lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.

The President had to step in and order the lockdown to save lives as the pandemic has affected around two million people worldwide this year alone, killing tens of thousands.

Such milestones as Independence Day, however, cannot pass unnoticed.

With many glued to their television sets and social media platforms, celebrities are certainly expected to add life to the commemoration.

The Saturday Herald Lifestyle has been monitoring various celebrities, businesspeople, socialites and artistes who have been on lockdown.

Yes, it is off the stage and off the office and many of them working from home.

During this period, innovative and creative celebrities made a killing at a time when some were in despair.

Some discovered new talents they were sitting on over the years, while others utilised the period to bond with their families, as well as rekindling lost love.

A lot has been happening and the lockdown has unpacked something families were not aware of.

Many people would want to know what is next after lockdown and what is the first thing to do?

Award winning and renowned sculptor Dominic Benhura said he is staying at home.

He used the opportunity to do more work at home.

“I have not stopped working,” said Benhura.

“I will continue working as usual after the lockdown since I do not commute to work. I am only focusing on my art career.”

The talented sculptor said he misses his friends.

“I miss church services and my colleagues who are staying at home,” he said.

“I now appreciate that I wake up well and go about my daily life routines. I have realised that sculpting is my everything till my last breath, so I am busy with my chisel always.”

Benhura said the Covid-19 pandemic affected his schedule which was supposed to take him to the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Youths, Arts, Sport and Recreation Deputy Minister Tino Machakaire said for him it was about farming and he was taking the opportunity to enjoy harvesting.

“As a public servant, I am ever busy with constituency work and organising issues to do with youth, sports and culture,” he said. “I am the Wedza South legislator and I have spent a lot of time sharing information with the Wedza community on coronavirus via online platforms.

“Currently, I am in my rural home of Wedza, Machakaire Village, where we have spent most of our time indoors as family. I am a tobacco farmer and as a family, we also run the Tinmac Foundation which bankrolls the annual Wedza South Sports Festival, which is scheduled to start in June. We have started preparing.”

Deputy Minister Machakaire said lockdown was time to be bonding with family and he jokingly posted a picture of himself on social media feeding his daughter some porridge.

Zimbabwe cricket captain Sean Williams said he learnt a lot during the lockdown.

“I have had the opportunity to be at home with my wife and new born child, which has been great,” he said.

“We are at our town house in Bulawayo, staying home at all times and our two month old girl keeps us on our toes. All the housework and things in the garden keep us busy.”

Williams said he was following workouts from their trainer on the national team’s WhatsApp group.

“All players are following and we have a few challenges obviously being space to run, so we are mainly working on strength in our homes,” he said.

“The coach is at home in India where he is also under lockdown.

For gospel diva Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave, she is busy at home with  her family and is even finding it hard to eat properly.

She said the family had learnt to be a team.

“It is been great so far with the whole family at home,” she said.

“It’s been amazing. We have been indoors since the start of the lockdown. With no house help around, we have learnt to be a team.

“I have had time to teach my kids house chores and the best part is I get to observe my husband working from home and playing with our kids at every opportunity he gets. I have actually developed a personal appreciation and understanding of how demanding his work can be.

“Generally, I struggle to eat and my eating habits have worsened because life has become too busy for me.”

Fungisai, said she was homeschooling her children.

She said as soon as the lockdown was over, she would visit her parents and pursue her greenhouse dream.

Another gospel singer Matthias Mhere said he was missing the stage and church.

Mhere said it had been painful for the past days, but it gave him an opportunity to pray more and connect with his family and fans on social media.

“The past days have been stressful, hectic and painful as we have been failing to do our normal routines and rehearsals,” he said.

“I miss being on stage. I have been engaging with my fans on social media, taking time to respond to them.

“As you know, we will be busy sometimes. I am also writing songs and can’t wait to start recording them.”

Like Deputy Minister Machakaire, Mhere is also busy harvesting maize at his Beatrice farm

“I am at the farm now harvesting maize and I can’t wait to start selling our produce after the lockdown,” he said.

“I also grew groundnuts and I am happy I have a good produce.

“Apart from music, I survive on farming and I have a printing company, but unfortunately because of lockdown, we have been closed.

“After the lockdown, I am going straight to the studio as I have already written the songs. I can’t wait to record because we have already been delayed.”

Veteran fashion designer Joyce Chimanye said she had been praying for the nation and first thing to do after lockdown was to visit children in Hatcliffe.

“I stay in Ballantyne Park and have been doing my morning runs and evening walks around my yard with my 81-year-old father,” she said.

“I have been doing my daily Bible study, watering my pot plants, cleaning and doing some work on fashion drawings and pattern making.

“Apart from my profession, I assist vulnerable children in a home near where I stay and I have had to drop in supplies like food, firewood and surgical face masks.”

George Munengwa, who specialises with air conditioning, said the lockdown had been the longest time he had ever spent with his family.

“It has been a wonderful experience as it has brought us together and united us,” he said.

“I am always busy working. As a family, we found many new things to do together such as exercising together to keep us active.

“We also spent considerable time in the sun outside where we play cards and outdoor games.”