Hometown Heroes

Who are you?

Bekezela Maunze (my eldest sister); Nanziwe Khumalo (my sister-in law); Laetitia Sibanda-Malunga (my mother); Mandlenkosi Malunga (my middle sister); Tholakele Mahlangu-Khumalo; (my mother-in law) and Victor Maunze (my brother-in law).

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart because I have a successful career because you collaborated to make this possible. I owe my success to you. My first daughter Gugu has become a responsible person. You are my heroes because you took care of my daughter Gugu when I fell pregnant at first year university. I was in a foreign university, and it would have been difficult for me to go back to school while living with a child. I would not have managed to finish school. You took care of my daughter for ten good years. You nurtured her to be a responsible lady that she is today, a university of Toronto life sciences graduate with a professional job as a Procurement Specialist.

How it all started!

I met my now husband, then boyfriend at university in 1994. We started dating and one thing led to another, and I fell pregnant. I was scared to tell my family because of how they would react. I was only twenty-one and just in my first year of university. Luckily, my boyfriend (now husband) loved me and stayed with me. My family found out when I went for the holidays in December 1995, and I was in my last trimester. I thought they were going to reject me or make me go with the baby back to university. My sister Bekezela and her husband Victor declared they would take care of the baby before she was even born. They even booked a gynecologist for me and paid for his services. When the gynecologist informed us the baby was breech and that I would need to have a C-section, my sisters Mandla and Bekezela were by my side. When I started feeling labour pains both sisters were there to give me priceless support and rush me to the hospital, while my brother-in-law Victor called the gynecologist to meet us at the hospital. When the baby was delivered by c-section after midnight, my sister Mandla was the first one to hold my baby while Bekezela drove to pick up my mom.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law Nanziwe were in hospital first thing in the morning. My then boyfriend, now husband, had communicated to them about the baby as he had to stay at university to complete his project. I gave birth to Gugu on the 30th of December 1995 and three weeks later after delivery -after my c-section had healed I went back to university leaving her when she was hardly a month old. Since university was in Lesotho (another country), I could only come home to Zimbabwe during varsity holidays. I had to wean my daughter off breast feeding at 3 weeks. Formula as a substitute for breast milk was expensive, but all the heroes collaborated to ensure she was well fed.

You deserve to be called heroes because raising a kid is not an easy feat, let alone with the kid’s parents absent. You bore all the emotional strain, financial and physical strain associated with raising a child without any complaints.

You would lose sleep at times when she was sick, but not once did you complain to me about this. You spared me all details of any sicknesses or illnesses because you did not want me to worry and lose concentration on my studies. My daughter wore the best quality clothes and ate great quality food because you my heroes took care of her!

I call you my heroes because you made it possible for me to complete my degree at the university of Lesotho. If you had not provided the priceless support when I fell pregnant with my daughter at first year university, I would have not been able to go back to school and I would have been uneducated and not able to provide for my kid or find a decent job. I would not have managed to provide the quality upbringing you gave to Gugu. I have a great profession as a Technical Writer because you the heroic team, ensured my daughter was well taken care of while I finished school.

Even after I had graduated at the university of Lesotho and came back home to Zimbabwe, you continued to take care of her. Grandma Mahlangu and Mandla, I remember you attending all the parents’ teacher interviews. You took time off to attend all these and did not at one point pressure me to attend them. Beke and Victor, you always took you with her to all the adventurous places that included one of the greatest tourist resorts “Great Zimbabwe” All of you continued to financial, physical, and emotional take care of her till she left Zimbabwe for Canada in February 2006.

I am eternally indebted to you my super-duper heroes for providing the priceless support when I needed it most. My daughter Gugu learned a lot from you. She is a responsible young woman because you equipped her with the greatest values; kindness and selflessness!! We have achieved what we have because of you our heroes who collaboratively took care of Gugu. You sacrificed your own needs to accommodate and love my daughter like your own. You nurtured and loved her unconditionally!

A big bravo for your heroic deeds! I say thank you from the bottom of my heart!! You all made it possible for me to have boundless opportunities!