The Sunday Mail
Wendy Nyakurerwa-Matinde
On 13 June, Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Albinism Awareness Day. As part of efforts to fight discrimination against people with albinism, The Sunday Mail Society tracked down Murudo Kamhara-Mutape and her husband, Allen Mutape. Murudo was the second-runner up in The Sunday Mail Bride of the Year 2017 competition and she caught the attention of many of our readers due to her stunning beauty. The couple has an amazing love story to tell, one that could have left Romeo and Juliet green with envy.
Not many couples have triple-celebrations within a space of three days.
Yet for Allen Mutape (31) and his wife Murudo Kamhara-Mutape, this will be an annual treat, till death do them part.
On Friday (June 29), they celebrated Murudo’s 25th birthday.
Today, (July 1), they celebrate Allen’s 31st birthday.
It is also on this special day that they tied the knot a year ago at a plush wedding venue in Harare.
When the two reminisce about their wedding day, it is evident that the couple is madly in love. They clearly share love so rare and pure.
The Mutape Alliance, as they have nicknamed themselves, are the only ones qualified to narrate their amazing love story.
“I have known this wonderful woman since 2012. I met her at the University of Zimbabwe during my mission to recruit freshmen to my church.
“She was among a group of students but everything just paused when I set my eyes on her. I knew I would marry her, there was something about the way she carried herself. I made sure that I got her number, of course under the guise of my mission but that was the launch of our love story,” began Allen as he settled down for the interview.
Unfortunately for the lover boy, while cupid’s arrow had pierced through his heart at that first sight, Murudo just brushed him off.
“I didn’t get that idea at all. His team was there to invite us to church and I just thought there was no other motive. Even as the phone calls started coming in, I just assumed it was a brother following up on his brethren.
This misunderstanding gave birth to a few heartbreaks very early in this relationship.
“I invited her to church, she promised but she didn’t come,” said Allen. “But babe how could you do that to me?”
Murudo responded: “Sha I had no idea it meant so much to you.
“Besides, we became even when you didn’t turn up for my 2014 birthday,” she said.
This writer had faded away from the couple’s eyes, the two were already lost in their own world.
“For your birthday, I was tied up. That is why I made up for it a week later by bringing your gift to your house,” said Allen.
“It was a baby blue diary with a puppy picture, I remember that first gift very well,” beamed Murudo.
During that visit, Allen met Murudo’s parents for the first time.
“We had a beautiful evening with her mom, she accepted me from that first encounter. Then her dad joined us later on, the family was very hospitable,” said Allen, who had been introduced as a friend from church.
After this encounter, Allen confessed that the love bug really took root in his heart.
“Love symptoms set in. I was thinking about her a lot. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat. I would talk about her all the time and my friends were now getting tired of these stories. They were encouraging me to declare my love but I was just too scared of rejection.”
With his mind made up to declare his love, Avondale was picked as the perfect scene. Yet he got tongue tied.
“I visited my family in Bulawayo and sat everyone down. I told them I was in love with Murudo. I told them I was going to propose love to her as soon as I got back to Harare and that I was going to marry her.
Allen’s family was overwhelmed with joy and encouraged him to follow his heart.
And so with that encouragement, Allen found a voice to express the love that was burning deep inside his heart.
“On January 4, 2015, Murudo accepted my love proposal. No word can truly capture the happiness I felt on that date. I knew I had arrived and within three months of dating, we had already started planning for marriage. She is everything I have ever wanted and more. When I’m with her, I am in a nice comfortable place,” he said.
“Allen has got this energetic aura that has just kept me hooked ever since I fell in love with him.
But it hasn’t been all smooth-sailing, like any other couple, the road gets bumpy sometimes.
“The most difficult time in our relationship was when Murudo fell sick and was admitted in hospital.
“It made me realise how much I cherish her. Then there were those awkward moments when l would meet her father at the door and then l would have to mumble ‘Maswera sei baba?’
And like any other couple, they also fight.
“We are different people, so disagreements are inevitable.
“I love doing things for her. I don’t want Murudo to be struggling but she is an independent woman who wants to do things for herself most of the time. That usually triggers most of our misunderstandings.”
Despite the occasional lows, the duo believes that a couple that reads together stays together. At the moment, they are reading Ian Wishar’s ‘Loving Marriage’.
In addition to that, Allan has also written a love story book and presented it to Murudo on her 2016 birthday. In the book, he pours his heart out through chapters titled First Encounter, The birthday invitation, Can we have lunch, I love her and Why I love her.
So when can we expect some little ones in the young family?
The Mutupis look at each other and giggle before simultaneously saying, “Maybe two years from now.”
Mrs Kamhara-Mutape was named Murudo by her father.
“I’m told that while my mother was initially a bit scared at the prospect of having a child with albinism, my father fell in love with me the moment he saw me for the first time and named me Murudo to express his love and joy.”
She encouraged people with albinism to always cover themselves up and avoid being exposed to the sun for prolonged periods of time.
“There are several organisations that look out for the rights and welfare of the albino community. I encourage people to join such organisations.
“The Government of Zimbabwe also needs to publicise the Disability Resource Centre. This organisation is assisting people with disabilities to acquire tertiary education yet most of the intended beneficiaries are not even aware of its existence.”
Murudo is in her final year studying Medicine at the University of Zimbabwe.
Let the love blossom! Murudo! Mutape!
