Teacher marries herd-boy. . . he’s now richer than me. . . we don’t care what they say

By Takawira Photovet Dapi

A village love story has caused a stir in Mashonaland Central’s Mupfure Village after a local teacher married a herd boy in the area. The teacher, Kinedah Zhangazha, says finances are a secondary issue in life and all she was after was genuine love.

Her marriage to the herd man, Percy Manyika, is still the talk of the village years after their union but both are astoundingly happy in their marriage.

“Yes, it is true, I am qualified teacher here at Mupfure Primary School who fell in love and got married to this former village

herd man,” said a straight-faced Zhangazha.

She said the fact that he had little means to take care of her did not bother her.

“Money is a secondary issue in life. The first thing that you have to look for is having a natural lover, a decent marriage, a decent family hence a decent life, zvemari izvo zvinotozogona kutozouya patova paye kumashure as a blessing from the creator of that marriage,” she said.

Her husband, Manyika, who went into the marriage with a child from another partner, is just as proud of their marriage and considers his wife a blessing from God.

“Proposing love and finally getting Kinedah Zhangazha as my partner was all due to God’s plan,” said Manyika who then turned to address his wife in the moment.

“Kinedha Zhangazha, I am satisfied with your God given love, mostly the love you are giving to my child I brought in our marriage. I have never come home to hear that she was being abused any day or night. My daughter is happy, so am I. I have planned to thank you with a beast, ndichakupa mombe tsiru yechiredzwa yekurera mwana wangu uyu,” said Manyika.

Manyika’s fortunes changed for the better soon after their marriage and he now earns way more than his wife, thanks to her decision to invest in him.

“That allegedly non-professional partner might possess a big money making ability that you do not have.

“Imagine he said he wanted a bicycle and capital for his chicken and road runner project. I financed the project. He uses his bicycle kunosvura rwodzi, delivering his birds, and he is making more cash than me, why, because God blessed our marriage after discovering that we naturally love each other for real,” said Zhangazha.

The investment has not only made her husband rich but also reduced the burden on her pocket to almost nothing.

“I now get more cash for our family that I told her that your pay is for your personal spending. I take care of her from hair to nails. I paid all the lobola cattle and I’m only left with one beast for the mother and one for the father, which I can give them both now because I have the money in my pocket right now,” said Zhangazha’s proud husband.

“I have properties that I built in Bindura, Mount Darwin and around but I cannot divulge to you before I consult my wife,” added Manyika.

His hard-work tendencies have made him look less like a school teacher but he is not bothered.

“Daily, my wife tries to make me smarter but as a busy chicken farmer, it’s at times a challenge to maintain looks. Plus ndinonwa ka inini. My dream is to surprise my wife by stopping smoking and beer drinking. At present I smoke away from her, even at night or early morning, I wake up and go outside to smoke,” said Manyika who also rises early to provide warm bathing water for his family every day.

Zhangazha said her workmates were very supportive of her marriage and some even admire her union.

“I do not have any problems with my workmates as some of them appreciate what we do and some wish my marriage was theirs. Those married to professionals often say our marriage is far better than theirs. Almost all of them say we are far much happier than many couples.

“Imagine my husband gets more than $3000 per month, far much more than my net. He does not cheat me, he just takes his beer with his village mates. Haasati ambondiudza mashoko anondirwadzisa, or kundirova since we married,” she said.

Manyika had the same sentiments about the villagers he drinks with,

“To the village mates, I do not have anything to say to them nekuti vakatoneta nekutaura vakutozvichivawo” he said.
Zhangazha said she regards her husband’s daughter as her own. The couple also has another child together.

“I am a very busy woman, with two children, a grade seven girl and an ECD girl. They are my children. Ndinevana two like I said, ok, with my husband, we have one child, who is in ECD-B, but our first born is in grade seven.

“In fact they are both my biological children because they are both my husband’s biological children, me and my husband we are one flesh, you see. So we have two children as husband and wife, that is all we feel and know.”

The couple said they have their fair share of challenges as marriage-mates,

“Yes challenges can be there but not those serious ones, people from our both families used to pass some (negative) comments but we stuck together for more after every comment. We just keep quiet and become more focused on our marriage,” said Zhangazha.

She said the merits far outweigh the disadvantages.

“The advantages are that I have peace of mind, and as a family, we are ok, patitori pari bhoo as a family.

“We do not have many problems; we quickly solve our problems alone.

“Like at times my husband goes out for beer drinking and comes back late and we argue but when I hear him raising his voice as a drunken man, I quickly drop mine and keep quiet and talk about it later when he gets sober,” said the Mupfure School teacher.

She dreams of an elegant announcement of their marriage to the world.

“We are looking forward to a white wedding and to invite H-Metro, Herald, Sunday Mail, Star FM, ZBC, and all media houses for a historic white wedding in Mashonaland Central,” she concluded.H-Metro