AFTER what seemed an eternity for villagers who gathered at
his rural homestead in Zvimba since his demise on September 6, Robert Mugabe’s
body was on Monday brought back to where his life’s journey began 95 years ago.
Of course, throughout those years, former president Mugabe
— except for the time he spent fighting for Zimbabwe’s liberation, mainly from
1960 to 1980 — never lost touch with the Savanna grasslands where he was born
and raised.
Each time he got the chance, he would return to his
village, either to have some quiet time away from the rigours of high office, or
to attend mass at the nearby Kutama Catholic Mission, where he was a
parishioner.
Remarkably for a man who played a central role in the
nation’s politics for such a long time, Mugabe’s real family roots have
remained something of a mystery or murky.
The story of his formative years, at least as it is known
publicly, is patchy and unreliable, barely enough to fill a single page.
It begins in his mother’s hut which, having been preserved,
still stands to this day in rural Zvimba, some 95km north-west of Harare where
the family led a dreadfully poor life.
It ended at Kutama Mission High School, a stone’s throw
away from the trendy rural homestead he has left behind but, beyond that,
Mugabe hardly said anything else about his family, choosing to focus on the
liberation struggle instead.
The only significant time he ever spoke about his father
was when he narrated how he abandoned the family in the 1930s to settle in
Bulawayo. This was at the funeral of his younger sister, Bridget, in 2014.
Mugabe told mourners at the time that his father abandoned
the family following the death of his elder brother Michael — the second within
a short time — believing he would never have peace if he stayed at the
“hounded” land of his forebears.
The father, Mugabe said then, married a MaTshuma and began
a new life in Bulawayo, never returning home until only when he was on his
death bed.
The lack of information about Mugabe’s roots has given rise
to many diverse theories as people sought answers which he was never prepared
to give.
One such theory is that his father was a Malawian immigrant
who came to Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia, in search of employment like many job
seekers in that epoch.
The other theory was that he was using his mother Bona’s
family name, given that she had her roots in Masvingo province where the name
Mugabe is prominent.
But then again, his mother was from the Gumbo clan,
although she had also been liked with Sudan.
And until his death in Singapore seven days ago, very few
people knew who really Mugabe — known during his days as a teacher in
Matabeleland as “Teacher Ngwenya” — was.
This week, the Zimbabwe Independent visited Zvimba to trace
his roots. It emerged from conversations with the inner circle of his family
and clan that Mugabe actually led a full-blooded young life — which he probably
wanted forever concealed.
The fascinating story of Mugabe’s lineage was separately
substantiated by six men closest to him in his family, interviewed by the
Independent.
This is the first time anyone from the family has ever
spoken publicly about the origins of a man who emerged from extreme poverty and
rural obscurity to become a leading politician on the Zimbabwean, regional and
global stage.
Conversations with Mugabe’s relatives revealed a
fascinating story that has never been told before — particularly the childhood
years characterised by dejection and disappointment.
From the interviews, it emerged that what connected Mugabe
to the land he so loved was not just its panoramic beauty, but deep-seated
family roots and a strong sense of belonging.
The Independent tracked down Mugabe’s half-brother,
Augustine Chirenda, an 86-year-old man with several gaps in his teeth who walks
with great difficulty yet exhibiting a sense of Mugabe-esque wit which might
persuade a stranger that the easy charm runs in the blood.
“We have heard people claiming that he was of Malawian
origin. That is shocking. He was my brother and he was a true Gushungo,”
declared the younger brother, Chirenda, forcing a smile which revealed the
extent of his tooth loss.
According to Chirenda, Mugabe is a direct descendent of the
founder of the Zvimba chieftaincy.
His great, great grandfather settled in the then virgin
lands in the mid-19th Century after fleeing ethnic strife in the Chishawasha
area.
Oral tradition has it that Mugabe’s ancestor and his family
intended to travel further, but they ended up settling in the area by default
after the patriarch developed swollen feet and declared he was unable to
proceed further.
“He was thus nicknamed Zvimba, owing to the swollen feet
problem which brought the migration to a premature end,” Chirenda, who turned
out to be a brilliant storyteller like his departed brother, explained.
Zvimba then established his chieftainship in the area,
which he subdivided among his three sons according to seniority, namely
Chambara, Beperere and Chidziva.
Mugabe, Chirenda said, was a descendent of the Chidziva
lineage. It is said Chidziva begot Karigambombe, who begot Matibiri, who begot
Chatunga, Mugabe’s father.
But still, the mystery remains: where did the name Mugabe
come from?
Many have believed that the late nationalist, who bestrode
the Zimbabwean political landscape like a colossus, used his mother’s surname.
However, such claims were strongly disputed by Chirenda and his clansmen.
“That is a wrong narrative. The name Mugabe was his
father’s nickname which was later preferred by the missionaries when he started
school at Kutama Mission,” Chirenda said.
Another fascinating piece of the jigsaw in Mugabe’s life
was provided by another close family member, Fredrick Mabiri, now serving as
the resident Catholic priest at Kutama Mission.
According to Mabiri, Mugabe developed a close relationship
with his mother after his father abandoned the family.
Having waited for his return for many years in vain,
Mugabe’s mother deserted the area occupied by her husband’s family, the
Matibiris, taking along with her the remaining children, Robert, Sabina,
Bridget and Donato.
Bona relocated to her family land near Kutama Mission in
the 1940s and they lost touch with the rest of the clan.
Her father, after whom the Kutama mission was named, was of
the Gumbo totem and a latter-day migrant from Gutu in Masvingo province.
“After Kutama’s daughter (Bona) married Mugabe’s father
(Chatunga), he was given a piece of the territory to govern as a sub-chief
reporting to the bigger Zvimba kingdom,” Mabiri explained.
In the aftermath of his death, Zimbabweans were
shell-shocked when they heard that Mugabe was a traditional chief or of
royalty.
But according to the family narrative, Mugabe was offered
the Chidziva chieftaincy when it became his family’s turn to inherit the throne
in 2012 as per tradition.
However, he turned down the offer, saying he would not be
able to preside over affairs of the clan on a regular basis since he had a
country to run, effectively passing the baton to his half-brother, the current
Chief Chidziva, whose first name was simply given as Dununu, who was next in
line.
“So it is very true that he was supposed to be a chief in
this area. He only did not take it up when his family was due because of
national commitments, otherwise he was regarded as a chief here,” Chirenda
said.
Curiously, despite Mugabe exhibiting exceptional academic
brilliance in the latter years of his life, there were no records of how he
fared at Kutama Mission High School when the Independent tried to locate them.
“I have been teaching here for many years, I have never
seen any records of his academic performances. The only record which is there
is that he was a pupil at the school and nothing beyond that,” said one of the
senior teachers at the school who declined to be identified.
But while debate rages on elsewhere on the true identity of
the late strongman, there were no clear answers at the Mugabe homestead where
villagers have been literally camped since the news of his death came through.
While details of Mugabe’s lineage may shed light on his
origins, debate on his genealogy is likely to continue raging. Zimbabwe
Independent
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