Small Feet Extensive Strides

By Jeremiah Ngwenya

This is the story of a person who was born in a family that had meagre resources and was highly disenfranchised by the prevailing political status quo, but at age eighteen he was looking after his fathers family of ten children. Later in life, he sent his own five children to modern-day schools, and three of them graduated at world-renowned universities in South Africa. The Book gives enlightening ways of how this is possible and details of how he achieved to beat all of lifes odds to become the envy of his community.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jan 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482854169

Jeremiah Ngwenya

Jeremiah Ngwenya is an African man who was born in 1960 in the then Southern Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe, during a harsh political period when the country was under colonial rule. At that time, African education was not given much attention by the then colonial rulers. Schools were few, and classes were overcrowded. Teaching material was scarce, and the teacher was the only person with a textbook. Living conditions were appalling, with poor housing and abominable sanitation. Despite these harsh conditions, Jeremiah managed to concentrate on his schoolwork and managed to soldier on. He has a passion for sustainable development and invulnerable utilisation of natural resources. He studied at ZOU, Chinhoyi Campus, University of Zimbabwe and obtained a BSc Degree in Geography and Environmental Engineering. He is a Professional Civil Engineer, and this affords him to pursue his passion to contribute to sustainable development.

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Also by Jeremiah Ngwenya

Human Animal Conflict in Kariba Urban, Zimbabwe     2009

Copyright © 2016 Jeremiah Ngwenya. All rights reserved.

ISBN

978-1-4828-5415-2 (sc)

978-1-4828-5416-9 (e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4828-5415-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4828-5416-9 (e)

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Contents

PREAMBLE

Acknowledgment

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER TWO SMALL FEET HIT GROUND

CHAPTER THREE PRIMARY SCHOOL LIFE

CHAPTER FOUR SIGNIFICANT SOCIO- POLITICAL EVENTS DURING MY SCHOOL LIFE ERA

CHAPTER FIVE SIGNIFICANT SOCIO- ECONOMIC EVENTS DURING MY SCHOOL LIFE ERA

CHAPTER SIX IMPACT OF ERA 1960 – 1980 ON MY LIFE

CHAPTER SEVEN MY EARLY ADULT LIFE: 1981 – 1991

CHAPTER EIGHT EXTENSIVE STRIDES TO BIGGER SPACE IN AFRICA

CHAPTER NINE EXTENSIVE STRIDES TO BIGGER SPACE OUT OF AFRICA

CHAPTER TEN HEIRARCHY / PYRAMIDS OF NGWENYA & NZIMA FAMILIES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

PREAMBLE

This Book details events I experienced over a period of 54 years and learnt that Heroes sacrifice while ‘ Celebrities ’ enjoy.

Over the period, there were several major political, social and economic paradigm shifts in my Country of birth, Zimbabwe, then called Rhodesia.

I trust the Book will inspire many people to tolerate other people’s beliefs, culture and way of life. It is this principle of peace and harmony through which I enjoyed my stay within different foreign Communities where I’ve lived in my fifty four years to date.

The Book also shows that amicable solutions abound in any situation, albeit dependent on the mind-set of the affected and effected parties.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I acknowledge with great appreciation the ideals and commitment of my family, friends, workmates and colleagues who saw it befitting to selflessly slot time in their busy schedules to assist me on this Journal.

Special mention and thanks to my Geologist Daughter, Amanda who was the only person that gave me feed- back on her review of the draft copy.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This exciting Journal of my life, Jeremiah Ngwenya, at 54 years, documents the fascinations and intrigues I experienced over the years in my travels in Southern Africa .

Due to these travels, I became alienated from most of my childhood friends and relatives, etc. because of limited and poor communication facilities that prevailed at the time vice distance.

My travels started before I got married and continued after and also when I had started family building,

I literally covered the length and width of Zimbabwe and beyond its boarders, some of the places where I stayed are:-

1. Matabeleland North ( Wankie now called Hwange; Binga, Tsholotsho, Nkayi, Inyathi, Victoria Falls, Nyamandlovu, Lupane, etc.)

2. Matabeleland South (Gwanda, Beit Bridge, West Nicholson, Filabusi, Matopos, Kezi, Antelope, Plumtree, etc. )

3. Mashonaland East Province (Inyanga, Troutbeck, Rusape, Marandellas (now called Marondera), Mutare, Chipinge, etc. )

4. Salisbury, now called Harare (Capital City of Zimbabwe),

5. Mashonaland West (Kariba, Chinhoyi, Karoi, Magunje, Chirundu, Mola, etc)

6. Kenya (Mombasa, Nairobi, Northern Kenya)

7. South Africa ( Richards Bay, Durban, Johannesburg, )

8. Zambia ( Lusaka, Western Province, Northern and Eastern Zambia )

9. Saudi Arabia (Eastern and Western Provinces )

Fig 1.1 shows most major Towns in Zimbabwe and neighboring Countries that boarder my lovely Zimbabwe.

Fig 1.1

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Drawn by Jeremiah Ngwenya [ 2nd January, 2016]

My Progenies were not spared, they also became ‘ alienated’ from their culture, extended family relatives, lost out to some extent on unspoken in- depth cultural values that are passed by word of mouth from generation to generation by grand-mothers, aunties, elder children in the Community, etc.

This Book also gives my biological Family history and that of my Wife [based on reliable and confirmed records as far back as possible].

This Recollection Book is an invaluable source of what I experienced and a glimpse of knowledge of the different Cultural practice of different communities of Zimbabwe and beyond. I trust this dossier will inspire my Family and many others who read it, to tolerate other people’s beliefs and acknowledge their cultures.

This trait is paramount, it is ‘get-way’ to peaceful existence and I believe I enjoyed my life and stay at all the different places because of this principle.

My family history and that of my wife, inter-alia give us knowledge about life expectancy of our forefathers who lived in different areas at different times in and outside Zimbabwe.

THE ROAD TRAVELLED - INVALUABLE TIMELESS KNOWLEDGE

My measureless travels took so much of my time and this limited family size building time! considering I was from a family of 10 i.e. 6 girls and 4 boys and yet my own family at this late stage in life