The Sunday Mail
Tendai Rupapa
Senior Reporter
IN a first-of-its-kind interface, thousands of students from the country’s universities, colleges and vocational training centres on Friday invited First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa to a combined Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba session and traditional food showcase, demonstrating how youths have fully embraced her educative and life-changing programmes.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, other elderly women and students break into laughter as Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Chaplain Christine Phiri removes her wig to illustrate how fake some relationships are nowadays
It was a fun-filled occasion where the First Lady held an interactive session with the students, tackling issues affecting their lives and health like drug abuse, teen pregnancies, courtship and gender-based violence.
The theme for the programme was “Matalks naMoms – Building a better people for a better Zimbabwe”.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa looks at some of the traditional dishes prepared by students from universities, colleges and vocational training centres from all the country’s provinces during a combined Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
The event attracted students from 46 universities, polytechnics and vocational training centres in the country’s 10 provinces, reinforcing Amai Mnangagwa’s all-encompassing mission to leave no place and no one behind.
The students performed dramas, poems and skits against drug abuse, domestic violence and child marriages.
Students from one of the tertiary institutions perform a drama on domestic violence and its consequences during a combined Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
They also performed acts highlighting the importance of the First Lady’s Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba programme, for which winners were honoured with prizes.
Traditional dishes on display included sweet potato cake, pumpkin curry, sweet potato cookies, okra nuggets, pumpkin muffins and Mutarazi delight (fish).
Some of the traditional dishes prepared by students from various tertiary institutions, which were on display at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
Other students weighed in with madora cesar salad, sadza pizza, stuffed fritters, peanut butter-flavoured sadza served with duck, crushed berry cake and sadza bun.
Some of the traditional dishes which were prepared by students from universities, colleges and vocational training centres from all the country’s provinces during a combined nhanga/gota/ixhiba session where they invited First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa at seke teachers’ College yesterday.
Juices displayed included maheu called mangisi made from sorghum, matamba juice, banana juice, wild berry and masawu-blended juice and pumpkin juice.
Some of the traditional dishes prepared by students from various tertiary institutions, which were on display at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
Girls were led in the Nhanga by the First Lady, experts in various fields, chiefs’ wives, lecturers and elderly women, while boys in the Gota were taught by chiefs, lecturers and elderly men.
The First Lady hammered on the need for children to have high moral values.
“As a mother, I have come to speak and share knowledge with my children. I have come so that we meet and discuss. Some have reached marrying age while others are already married, so I have come with elderly women and aunts who will teach you about marriage. It is my wish that you complete your studies and perhaps through my Angel of Hope Foundation, I will award some of you with scholarships; therefore, when you go outside the country to learn, you must go with the norms and values expected of a Zimbabwean. We want people who grow up with good morals. I am pleased you have come in your numbers to learn. Your body as a girl-child is important and must be protected,” she said.
Chief Seke’s wife, Mrs Naume Chimanikire, said they were on a mission to mould good daughters for the nation.
“We have come led by our mother, the First Lady, to build the morals of you our daughters. We want to teach you for a girl to graduate into a decent woman, what is expected of her; these are some of the things you must know and understand. What is supposed to be done for the daughter to be married in accordance to our culture. We thank Amai for affording us a chance to speak and share knowledge with you,” she said.
This dovetailed with the words shared by another representative from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, who said they were deeply concerned about the behaviour of children nowadays.
“There is a lot that is going wrong among our sons and daughters. As a ministry, we are promoting the philosophy of Hunhu/Ubuntu. Our curriculum in the ministry speaks about morality, which is what our mother is teaching through her Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba programme. We thank her heartily as a ministry for rolling out this programme,” she said.
The First Lady spoke about the need for hygiene and good dressing.
“Are we valuing hygiene on our bodies, in the home and community? Are you dressing and walking properly? To those who are married, what did your husbands admire? Is it decency, good dressing or how you bathe? Is your way of dressing not giving you a bad name in the community? To be called smart, what will you be wearing?” she asked.
In response, one of the students said a good girl should be presentable from head to toe.
“There are some hairstyles and hair colours that demean people such that you are placed in the wrong basket because of the hairstyle. In terms of dressing, a girl must ask herself whether the person they meet on the street will appreciate their dressing. These days as girls we are dressing badly and walking in the nude because of Western cultures,” she said.
Another student said some people aped dressing and hairstyles of Western celebrities, which were not even decent for a job interview.
The First Lady taught the girls about personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene and courtship.
She said she was going to visit tertiary learning institutions that have sewing machines and introduce reusable sanitary pads projects through her Angel of Hope Foundation.
Amai Mnangagwa said she will provide the material and all other accessories for the success of the project.
After sewing, the reusable pads will be distributed to vulnerable girls around the country.
Dean of students from Harare Institute of Technology Mrs Sarafina Mudavanhu said they were concerned about skimpy outfits, especially miniskirts which students, especially girls in colleges, were wearing.
“The challenge we have with girls, Amai, is on the dressing. They put on miniskirts and sit with their legs astride while there will be male lecturers. We are thankful you have come to teach your daughters because they are getting lost. Their dressing is not in keeping with our culture and I hope they have learnt a lot today from your teachings,” she said.
The mother of the nation called for responsibility when using social media.
This was after the students concurred that they attributed their mischief partly to social media.
“Let social media help you find constructive things, not bad manners from outside. Be proud of being an African, a Zimbabwean. Let us not import foreign cultures,” she said.
Chaplain Christine Phiri from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service spoke about courtship and invited Mrs Valeria ‘Tete’ Pinjisi to share information on how she found a life partner.
“In the olden days, our husbands neither looked at designer clothes nor being curvaceous. They looked at morals and decent dressing. Do you know the boys of nowadays are now reading you girls while you are dating? They see that this one is good for sexual intercourse only while this one is appropriate to marry. What has contributed to the surge in domestic violence is the place where you met one another. Some are proposed in bars in the hope of changing them and when this fails, violence becomes the order of the day,” said Tete Pinjisi.
Chaplain Phiri said: “Tete Mai Pinjisi said in her days, a boy loved a girl after seeing her manners and work ethic, not nowadays when people propose on social media without knowing each other’s character. Girls must preserve themselves and not go to groups on Facebook or other social media handles written ‘those looking for husbands join’ and you join. ‘Those who want a wife join’, you rush to join. Amai, today’s marriage is all about joining without any guidance from uncles or aunts. People are using fake profile photos on social media and you fall for that trick. That is where you see girls sending their nude pictures to someone they have never met individually. On courtship, please note that guys lie a lot but do not open your eyes after falling pregnant. Don’t rush to sleep with men. Be a special meal and please your parents after being honoured with bride price and mombe yechimanda. Do not be like ‘mabhero’ ari pamusika anongobatwa-batwa naevery Jack and Jill. If you make a mistake in life, it’s not a passport to continue doing bad, there is still time to change and be someone in life. Leave sleepovers because they won’t lead to marriage.”
Chaplain Phiri and Tete Pinjisi also took time to impart knowledge to both boys and girls on various aspects.
“We in the church, my children, believe that marriage comes from God; an honourable wife comes from God. The First Lady is saying children are getting lost and are now interested in leading fake lives. Boys no longer focus on morals and are just looking at make-up. I want you to know that a boy is like a tourist, who does not care about a place he would have visited. Preserve your dignity to make a guy feel challenged to come back and marry you,” she said.
In the Gota, boys were taught on various topics and chores expected of men around homes.
Male students from different tertiary institutions follow proceedings during a combined Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
The boys got lectures on the need to shun drugs and domestic violence, which was rearing an ugly head among communities, and the need to visit hospitals when confronted with health challenges, among other issues.
Addressing the gathering after the separate Nhanga/Gota, the First Lady implored them not to take courtship as child’s play.
“Courtship is a period in which a couple develops a romantic relationship before getting married. It is not something new and we should not be shy to talk about it. The youths of today are going into marriages without fully knowing each other. They should at least take a reasonable time to know one another. Courtship also helps the two people in building and enhancing that excitement around them. It is a way of preparing yourself for the upcoming union. Online dating should be approached with caution because it has its own disappointments,” she said.
“Premarital sexual activities are not encouraged as in our culture in Zimbabwe we promote Ubuntu/Hunhu and prepare youths before you get married, hence there is need to involve elders such as vana Tete, vana Sekuru, vana Ambuya, vema church or guardians. These days, marriages and Ubuntu are no longer being valued as our cultural values and ethics. Divorce and cohabitation is now the order of the day and has caused all manner of problems, including high cases of GBV, high numbers of divorce cases and general suffering of children born in that setup,” she said.
The First Lady said marrying at an early age was a major reason for divorce, along with lack of communication and adultery.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa addresses students from universities, colleges and vocational training centres during a combined Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
“Youths have fallen prey to numerous vices which are affecting their health and their future, hence cemeteries are now very rich with the deaths of young people. This is why we encourage courtship, which primarily is determined by age and preparing the foundation for life.”
The First Lady encouraged learners to focus on their education before committing to marriage, which had many challenges.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa hands over a certificate to Letwin Chibaya, who was voted the best actress in dramas performed by students from universities, colleges and vocational training centres from all the country’s provinces during a combined Nhanga/Gota/Ixhiba session at Seke Teachers’ College on Friday
She encouraged students to give themselves longer periods of courtship so that they learn their partners before entering the institution of marriage.
“I say this because it’s not a case of meeting and getting married there and then. There is a lot that we need to learn about your partner and his or her relatives because when you are rejected, you are rejected by those people you would not have visited. You should have a solid education foundation so that when things do not work the other side, you have somewhere to stand,” she said to applause.
It is during courtship, she added, that people should ask one another questions, including the number of children they intend to have.
The questions, she said, should be repeated time and again to ascertain if the answers remain the same.
“Marriage is not child’s play or a trial-and-error thing where one says they will enter and come out as fast as they can. We do not want marriages that do not last because there will be children and challenges. You have to know about his parents, siblings, extended family, the types of food he likes and his hobbies.”
She then asked the students what they may deem as the appropriate duration for courtship.
The responses from students ranged from one year to four years.
In response, the First Lady said: “The duration of courtship varies between age and commitment of both. I would encourage the ages between 18-30 to take between three and four years then from 30-40 years, I think two years is OK,” she said to applause.
The First Lady triggered laughter when she asked the students where they meet during courtship period.
“Where do you meet for courtship? Is it at hotels or restaurants. Where are you meeting?”
One of the male students said they met at “bases”, which were largely houses belonging to the parents of friends and acquaintances.
A female student said: “True, people are meeting at picnics and restaurants during courtship. For me, I was fortunate enough to get an aunt who said it was good to meet my boyfriend at her house while she is present,” she said.
The First Lady said girls must not date many men at the same time as this leads to problems.
“Take time to learn one another and leave these bubble lives. Maintain dignity and be known for being difficult. I urge girls to be careful as they stand to miss school if they fall pregnant. So lock what has to be locked,” she said to wild laughter and clapping from the students.
“Love neither speaks nor beats anyone but you end up as a victim after putting yourself in a tight spot because of squandering boys’ money. Stop squandering their money and let them learn as well and focus on their education,” she said.
A healthy youth, the First Lady said, possesses competencies such as a strong sense of self-control, decision-making abilities, moral convictions and pro-social connectivity.
“In conclusion, all what has been discussed in our two groups – Gota/Nhanga – should be a lesson that you need to heed and practice and live in, and also impart the knowledge you have acquired today to your peers who did not make it to this programme,” she said.
She said students must not be leaders in bad things and change for the better.
The First Lady talked about her toll-free 575 national gender-based violence call centre and urged the nation to use it.
She expressed her expectation to have more gatherings with the students to hear about their successes in promoting good morals at their colleges and universities.
In a speech read on his behalf by his deputy Raymore Machingura, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira thanked the First Lady for her commitment to assist youths to become responsible citizens.
“Amai, the work you are championing resonates well with our heritage-based education 5.0 design the brainchild of his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. Heritage-based education philosophy and framework is an element of culture which is meant to liberate a people from an inappropriate education design. Heritage-based education 5.0 is a far-reaching philosophy that requires a rethinking of the development, use and application of our heritage. Your work, Amai, follows our African culture and tradition of collective effort in raising the African child,” he said.
Prof Murwira quoted an African Proverb: “It takes the entire African village to raise an African child” and said he was humbled by the First Lady’s magnanimity.
“We are humbled, Amai, by your love which has seen you travel all corners of our country to educate your children. We reckon mentoring of youths should be done during the early stages of their lives to prepare them for the life ahead,” he said to applause.
