COMMENT: EDelivers… Second Republic’s amazing commitment to San community

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter

NEVER before has the San community of Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province felt so much included in the country’s development programmes than when the Second Republic took over with President Mnangagwa walking the talk on his resentment of marginalisation through various programmes.

The Government instituted a national registration programme targeting the San community and a number of villagers managed to collect birth certificates and national identity documents which they previously didn’t care to have, making planning on the part of Central Government difficult.

Last Wednesday, inaugural chief of the San community, Chief Goledema who was part of the delegates at the annual Chief’s Conference received an Isuzu double-cab vehicle from President Mnangagwa. He told this publication in an interview that President Mnangagwa has gone beyond his call of duty to ensure that the previously “primitive” community plays development catch-up.

He said the Second Republic has shown an amazing commitment to bring development to the community previously forgotten, adding that they were willing and ready to be part of the team aboard the country’s development train as it strains towards economic Vision 2030, whose import is the achievement of an upper-middle-income economy.

“We are happy as a community that we are being recognised as important stakeholders in the development of the country. It was different previously. But President Mnangagwa is a man of action. He realised that traditional leadership structures were the first port of call in terms of development and I was installed chief.

“The plans I have for this community are many, and I am sure with the support we have been getting from the Second Republic we are going to develop our area and ourselves. We are now closer to other communities in terms of development. We want to take up agriculture on a serious note as we are way behind in this area, it is not that we do not want to take a role but we had no equipment, machinery and other inputs for us to start growing our own crops to feed ourselves.

We are happy the Government has continued to support us in this regard,” said Chief Goledema.
Another area where the Chief also made a passionate plea to be assisted on was the education front.

“We do have an organisation in the San Community called Tsoro-o-tso San Development Trust that is doing its best to ensure the children of this community are uplifted in various ways including accessing education. Initially, when the late Vice-President Cde John Landa Nkomo was still alive he built John Landa Secondary School and about six learners from the San Community started schooling there.

After they completed their Ordinary Level, a second intake was enrolled but on the third intake many did not complete their Ordinary Levels,” he said.

He said only three or four learners made it and more still needed to be done to ensure they get an education.
Chief Goledema said the learners felt they were being discriminated against because of their San identity and they dropped out in numbers. He said there were other challenges emanating from the community that were a hindrance to attaining an education.

“In the community, there is a challenge that parents are too protective of their children and when the child does not feel like going to school the parents are fine with it even when it’s a bit cold or raining, they miss school. So, we encourage that the community takes education seriously and allow learners to attend daily and be like other learners from other communities,” he added.

Chief Goledema applauded President Mnangagwa’s commitment to improving the lives of the San by having a special intake of recruits to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services and Zimbabwe National Army.

“There are children from the community who have benefited from the President’s call and just recently there was another batch of 15 that was recruited and will start training at ZPCS soon. Previously 20 were selected and we are grateful for this. There are also six of our children who were taken by ZimParks who are at Hwange National Park. This shows that we are working well with the Government and it is committed to improving our lives,” added Chief Goledema.

The Chief said they were no longer leading a nomadic life as they used to be decades ago, signalling the need for more permanent development to take place.

“A long time ago this community was very mobile as they were hunters and gatherers but today, they have changed, some have a few livestock and have erected shelters such that they are no longer as mobile as they used to be before hence the need for development as they are fixated in one area now,” he said.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe recognises Khoisan as an official language and hopes by the San Chief are that the language does not die.
“We have managed to document the language together with Tsoro-o-tso San Development Trust. Now we are working with the schools that want to learn the language and we give them literature and they learn. We need to ensure the language is developed further.

We had eleven native speakers of the language but now we have about eight left. Their ages are all above 75. I am glad that at Mtshina Secondary School it is now being taught. Some students are now at the Midlands State University and they are passing the language to others and now I am confident this language will not die,” he added.

Mtshina Primary School in Tsholotsho was the first primary school in the San community and it was commissioned in December 2019 by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education who commended its partners as it greatly reduced the walking distance for the learners who were walking 20 kilometres to access education.

The chief also gave an insight into intermarriages among the San, the Kalanga, and the Ndebele people in that area.
“There is no problem really with intermarriages.

The challenge that has made it look difficult is the issue of discrimination that was taking place when one married into the San community because they were a marginalised lot.

A man from our community married a girl from the Ndebele community and sired about five children with her. But at the end of the day the woman left and we hear she later married into a Ndebele clan just three months ago. So sometimes this makes the intermarriages rifts,” he added.
Chief Goledema will be officially installed on 30 March, 2023 at his homestead in Tsholotsho. @NyembeziMu