Vusumuzi Dube, Online News Editor
VETERAN broadcaster, linguist and community developer, Dr Omphile Marupi was recently endorsed as the Zanu-PF candidate for Gwanda South constituency in Matabeleland South Province for the harmonised elections set to be held later this year.
With a career in the broadcasting industry spanning 22 years, Dr Marupi joins a long list of individuals who have swapped the pen or mic to join active politics and represent their communities in the National Assembly. Dr Marupi is not only a mere media person but an academic of note as he holds a Doctor of Philosophy in English and Comparative Literature from Fort Hare University of South Africa. His victory in the ruling party’s primary elections he won against the incumbent, Cde Abednigo Ncube, was a defining moment as it showed the trust his community had in him.
As an academic, besides the PhD, he also holds a Master of Science in Strategic Communication from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), a Master of Arts in African Languages and Culture, a post- graduate degree in Higher and Tertiary Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Language Studies and a Bachelor of Arts Special Honours in Communication and Media Studies.
If he wins the harmonised elections, it will see him have the honour to represent a constituency laden with the country’s liberation history. This is a constituency where Manama Secondary School is located, a school that laid the defining moment in the liberation struggle when in January 1977 over 400 pupils were taken to neighbouring Botswana, which was the huge mass recruitment in the history of the liberation struggle. Sunday News Online News Editor, Vusumuzi Dube (VD) sat down with Dr Marupi (OM) to get to know him better and also what he promises the constituency of Gwanda South once elected.
VD: Dr Marupi, could you please tell us a little about yourself, who is Dr Omphile Marupi?
OM: My name is Dr Omphile Marupi the Zanu-PF candidate for Gwanda South constituency. I was born on 18 September 1971, did my primary education at Buvuma and Bethel Primary Schools all in Gwanda District. I then went to Zezani Secondary in Beitbridge District where I completed my Ordinary level and Tennyson Hlabangana High School for A-level.
I am known as a broadcaster, I joined the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in 2000 and rose through the ranks to become Head of Montrose studios in Bulawayo. I have always been part of my community in many ways. When the Constitution of Zimbabwe included the 16 official languages with SeSotho, Venda, Kalanga, Xhosa, among others, as part of the official languages, I participated in the writing of books, in the introduction of SeSotho language at tertiary institutions, that is; universities, for starters as a student and later as a lecturer in the capacity building programme at the Great Zimbabwe University.
As a son of Gwanda District, I found myself being involved in so many projects, and at the end of the day, I found myself being identified as one of the people to represent my community.
ZBC
VD: Within the Gwanda South constituency what major projects have you embarked on in the past?
OM: I have worked hard to give equal opportunities to boys and girls from our community by assisting them in getting the official documents that is; birth certificates and national identity cards, helping them or leading them to find it easy to join various Government departments or civil service as teachers and other jobs that are offered.
Previously, it has been difficult for our boys and girls who are orphaned, and who have parents outside the country, to get these documents. We know our backgrounds as Africans that sometimes you find yourself staying away from your parents because they are at work and have challenges having official documents.
Because of my background as a broadcaster, I have found myself sharing with them that important information that each and every person, each and every child, has got the right to have those documents because some of these people go to the offices and they will be turned away and some of them don’t even bother to go because of fear of the unknown.
Harmonised Elections
I have also assisted in mobilising resources in my community to rehabilitate clinics and hospitals, we have Manama Hospital which was affected by the hail storm in 2021 and through the Government’s private-public partnership I worked with the business community, and Government departments to mobilise resources to refurbish the hospital and it was a success.
I have also assisted some school leavers to join the army by telling them when these organisations are recruiting because not all of them have cell phones or access to newspapers or radio. So I actually form groups and then have group leaders who will in turn liaise with the traditional leaders like chiefs, headmen and even the churches to share the message then at the end of the day have the information reaching out to those communities that are not accessible. I have also assisted people with disabilities to have access to wheelchairs, and medication as we are aware we have some of these treatments that are actually offered for free but people are not aware because of their geographic location.
VD: As someone coming from the media industry, how do you hope this experience has helped uplift your community?
OM: As a media person, I have taken it as my responsibility to share with them the information that is important because what is important is that we make them know what is happening around them. As I said earlier on, as a broadcaster I believe so much in sharing information and knowledge, reminding people that as one of those people who are pioneers in broadcasting in indigenous languages, I am very comfortable and flexible in sharing knowledge and information in all the languages found and spoken in Zimbabwe.
National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1)’
VD: If elected as the MP for Gwanda South constituency, what is your promise to the community?
OM: With the community having elected me I promise to be their messenger, move around, and be sent to do what is expected of me considering my age. I’m still young and with the new dispensation’s Vision 2030, I believe there is so much I can offer in terms of reading and understanding the blueprint and the Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1, as these are the things we need to implement. Our elders have drafted these documents and now they should sit back relax and see us perform as young Zimbabweans. We are all aware that it is our responsibility to take the baton and run so as to fulfill what they have done. As young people we don’t get to understand these things that happened in the past but when they are documented and explained it is made easier to implement them and run with them.
VD: One might raise the issue of generational gap, how do you then hope to address this within your community?
OM: With the generational gap, I think people agree with me that it’s easy for me to link with our elders and the younger generation as they are always age differences where the young people don’t get to interact or get with the elders and I think I am the right person to get the position so I am able to swing my arm and share what I’m supposed to share in terms of our legacy as a nation and as a country.
For me to be identified in Gwanda South is very important as I’m from a rainbow province and I’m multilingual.
Additionally, I have invested a lot in the area of culture and language because as a people we are who we are because of our language and culture as language carries culture, I believe there is a lot our community will be able to benefit from me and I’m sure we will make use of our new curriculum that emphasises more on language and culture.
VD: Thank you for your time Doc and good luck in the coming elections.
OM: My pleasure!
