First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday took her educative Nharirire yeMusha programme to the Midlands province where discussants defined a model woman as an adequate helper for her husband who binds her family through desisting from gossip, stealing and expending time on futile issues.
The province listed the qualities of a model woman and man
they want as part of the First Lady’s ongoing efforts to build a
morally-upright nation. The women folk emphasised that a woman must be a hard
worker, organiser, advisor and nurse in her home.
Mrs Petronella Dube, said a model woman must be as firm as
a root which does not give in easily in the face of adversities.
“We must be strong roots that can withstand strong winds,”
she said. “God saw that men alone cannot do it and looked for a helper who is a
woman. As Midlands province, we are saying no to women who gossip, steal, have
no time with the children and spend time on WhatsApp.”
The participants said a model woman should not let her
children tread on the immoral path.
Women raise their hands to contribute their views at an
interactive session with First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa during the Nharirire
Yemusha programme in Gokwe yesterday.
On the other hand, an ideal father was expected to have
good communication skills with his family, be a good listener and a bread
winner who is observant and alert.
“He must be observant and alert so that the moment a child
starts misbehaving and taking drugs and alcohol, the father notices and takes
immediate action,” said the men represented by Mr Lazarus Patsanza. “We also do
not want men who stay with women without marrying them as this is against our
culture.”
They said men must satisfy their wives sexually and not
deny them conjugal rights, shun domestic violence, have time for the family and
not be involved in extra marital affairs which usually lead to breaking up of
marriages. So lively were discussions that followed after the two parties had
met separately to come up with attributes for a model man and a model woman.
Men concurred that women had moulded an ideal woman, while
women added some pointers they thought men had omitted.
Men contribute their views during Nharirire Yemusha
programme organised by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa in Gokwe yesterday.
A certain lady drew laughter from the crowd when she said
men should be transparent and let their wives go through their phones and not
use pin codes.
Another woman, Mrs Tsitsi Choga said men should surrender
their salaries to their wives who are managers of their homes. She said women
could manage funds better than men.
In starting yesterday’s educative programme before the
groups were divided for discussions, the First Lady said her programme sought
to ensure men and women were aware of what was expected of them at family,
community and national level.
“I have come so that we discuss as a family the way we are
conducting ourselves as parents,” she said. “I have brought this Nharirire
Yemusha programme which was born out of the Gota/Nhanga/Ixiba programme we held
with children countrywide.
“I am moving with this programme across the country’s 10
provinces with the aim of making men and women aware of what is expected of
them. What kind of a father who is only known for putting on a hat and does not
protect his family senharirire yemusha?
“Our children are not living in harmony under your watch.
We can no longer correct them as parents. The parents are crying on the other
end because of the behaviour of children of today. In the olden days men would
spend many months wooing a girl, but its no longer the case as children are
courting each other on Facebook while aunties also pass their comments on
social media.
“I have come so that the Midlands Province gives us a model
woman and man it wants. We want to say the truth so that we mould a dignified
man and a dignified woman. Our aim is after completing all provinces,
representatives of all provinces will meet in Harare to mould a man and woman
Zimbabwe wants.
“This means Zimbabwe will have a good image and we will be
able to correct and counsel our children. We want to fix our homes that are
collapsing because of different reasons.”
The female participants said an ideal woman assists her
husband and organises the family.
As a manager, they said a woman must help her husband
protect wealth and administer the family.
“We want a woman who uses her hands and starts projects
like gardening,” one of the women said. “We do not want a woman who denies her
husband conjugal rights, doing so might lead them to stray. You can’t say I
have worked all day and cannot give my husband conjugal rights.
“Men also love someone with the heart of a nurse. A nurse
welcomes everyone, including those who are smelling not to say you have come
from the bar and cannot sleep in the bedroom with me because you are smelling
alcohol.”
Mrs Rosemary Mapfumo said women must always practice good
hygiene.
“Women must be smart, bathing and wearing clean clothes,”
she said. “Some women wake up and spend the whole day dirty as though they were
rolling on an anthill or in a kraal filled with dung. A married woman must
dress decently. Failure to observe hygiene chases men from the home.”
A woman gets her first Covid-19 vaccination jab before
attending Nharirire Yemusha programme organised by First Lady Auxillia
Mnangagwa in Gokwe yesterday.
Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Larry
Mavima described the First Lady as visionary for her efforts to revive culture
and tradition in Zimbabwe.
“I mostly want to thank our mother heartily for this
programme which seeks to revive our culture and tradition in Zimbabwe,” he
said. “The foundation of building a nation starts at family level. A good
family is seen through respect and observance of cultural norms and values.
Working together both men and women and everyone playing a part which is
expected of them.
“In Zimbabwe, we have our culture, which if we follow
directly, families will live happily as domestic violence is not seen and
children grow up with respect and reducing the suppression of children’s
rights. This helps eliminate the use of alcohol and drugs among children.
Divorce cases also decline.
“This is the reason why our mother has come to build homes
so that our nation is also built. It is impossible to harvest mangos from a
thorny bush. Likewise, we cannot have a good child from parents who lead
crooked lives.
“Amai, now that you have come so that we share ideas on how
to build respectable homes, this means you have also treasured the future of
our children and the future of our country Zimbabwe. Let us admit to be
corrected as this will help generations that will come after us.”
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister
Professor Paul Mavima, who is also Gokwe South legislator, attended yesterday’s
programme. The programme was held in strict observance of Covid-19 protocols.
People who were willing took the chance to be vaccinated
against Covid-19 at the venue. Herald
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