The Sunday Mail
Viral . . . yes, viral.
Makanaka Wakatama’s ‘‘I am a victim of early marriage’’ story has become viral.
Mainini’s attention has over the week been drawn to the Makanaka Wakanaka saga.
Garikai Mazara’s opinion published in The Sunday Mail last week in response to Makanaka’s earlier story published in The Herald the previous week in which she portrayed herself as having been a victim of child marriage drew a hot debate.
For the uninitiated, Makanaka was this privileged child television star attending one of the country’s elite schools who dated an older man, fell pregnant and got married at 15.
Garikai tore into Makanaka accusing her of trying to fool the public by claiming to be a victim when she was a ‘‘willing victim’’ who turned down all sound advice from her own father, the media and human rights activists who tried to assist her.
While Makanaka cast herself as a victim, the ensuing debate has divided the public.
Those fighting in her corner claim that she was under-age and, therefore, cannot be responsible for her action while the other group questions how a privileged child like her could now pretend to have been a victim.
The group, in which Mainini also belongs to, is questioning how she is failing or refusing to take responsibility for her wayward behaviour and instead play the victim card.
Ms Betty Makoni, of the Girl Child Network, also joined in the fray defending Garikai who had come under attack from a writer who accused him of being ignorant and, therefore, owed Makanaka an apology, and said: “The woman who wrote this opinion lacks the practical reality of a Mberengwa girl and a privileged girl. She misunderstood Mazara. She lacks background to this case. She did not research. I read Mazara’s points of view. He was just expressing anger at seemingly the failure of a young girl at Dominican Convent to focus on books.
“Makanaka was by then an extraordinary girl who had access to services like ours (Girl Child Network). When we physically went to offer to help she shouted at me and my rescuers that ‘Kushata kwenyu! Mune jealous! Hamudi kuona munhu ane murume wake. Zvegirl child kuita sei? Rubbish! Iwe Betty, uri kuda kundishandisa kupihwa mari nemadonors. Ibvai pano! (You ugly chaps. You are just jealous. You are miffed that I have a husband. What Girl Child (Network) are you talking about? You want to use me to get donor funds.) Get away!
Betty says Makanaka later went to The Herald and shouted at the reporter who was pursuing the story.
“Kutaura idi I did marescue mission kumamisha evasikana. Kana zuva rimwe wandakanzwa mwana achitukirira kudai. Makanaka anotuka. (To tell the truth, I conducted rescue missions in rural areas and I never heard a single girl shouting at the rescue team. Makanaka is foul-mouthed.)
That said, said Ms Makoni, young girls should be encouraged to do books first.
“It’s about empowerment not being a victim. Makanaka used to speak about abuse on television. She had everyone on her side. Girls who heard us speak including her know about the one-metre diameter space — no girl allows a man near her for that distance.”
And this sums up how I feel about the Makanaka matter.
Makanaka’s issue reminds me of an episode that occurred at my former workplace.
There was this sweet little girl who came in for intern-ship. Almost everybody in the office was swept of their feet by this lovely charming girl.
The sweet little girl did not escape the attention of one of the known sexual predators in our industry — a wealthy businessman who was also known for his generosity to young girls.
Our sweet little girl was caught up in his snare.
But what angered all was that when a senior woman in our department tried to warn the girl about her liaison with the businessman, she repeated, word for word, all that the senior woman had said about the man, to the man. And boy, the reaction of the man!
He came screaming to our workplace shouting all obscenities to the senior woman.
The sad part of it, just as the senior woman had warned her about, the man made her pregnant, rejected her and, as they say, the rest is history.
Now, I am told she is a pale shadow of herself.
The innocent, beauty and charm has gone. Gone, with the business man.
I just pray she learnt her lesson. Let’s continue the discussion on [email protected]
A reader sent in her thoughts and referred to last week’s discussion in which I talked about the adultery that seems to have taken over Zimbabwean society as a national adult hobby that has also rubbed on even to our young ones?
The reason why we have this Makanaka debate, said the reader, is because even our young girls have also jumped into the bandwagon of casual sex with older married men.
The question or concern then becomes: where are we going as a nation?
I just wish young girls would just take heed and concentrate on education.
