“Tose Tiri Vatendi vaMazuva Ekupedzisira”

Vatendi vaMazuva Ekupedzisira vokutanga muSouthern Rhodesia (iyo yakazova Zimbabwe muna 1980) vaiva vari vagari vakanga vabva kuEurope. Vashumiri veHushumiri hwekuSouth Africa vakashanda muRhodesia kwechinguva chipfupi muna 1930 uye vakazodzoka zvachose muna 1950. Hugh Hodgkiss akabhabhatidzwa muna Ndira 1950 uye akava mutungamiri weBazi rekuSalisbury muna 1959.

Mumakore ekuma1960, Vatendi vaMazuva Ekupedzisira kazhinji vaifamba nzendo refu kuti vaungane mudzimba nemumahoro akarendwa. MuBulawayo, nhengo dzeChita cheRubatsiro dzaitengesa makeke nezvigadzirwa zvemaoko mwedzi woga woga kwemakore akawanda kuti vatambire mari yaidikanwa kubhadhara imba yekusanganira yavo. Panguva imwecheteyo, vechidiki muSalisbury vaiita mitambo usiku munharaunda dzavo kuti vaunganidze mari yokuvaka imba yokusanganira ikoko.

Imba yokusanganira yekuBulawayo, Chikunguru 1963.

Kuti vavake nharaunda yechechi, Iris Nield nemurume wake, Reg, vaiita misangano yemanheru pamba miviri kumba kwavo muSalisbury. Misi yeMuvhuro yaiva yemhuri yavo yevanasikana vashanu. Pamisi yeChina vaivhura imba yavo kuvashumiri nevatsvagi vavo, vachitamba mitambo kwenguva yakareba.

Kubvira muna 1965 kusvika muna 1980, hondo yevagari vemunyika yakaipisisa yakapisa pakati pehurumende yavashoma yaitungamirirwa nevarungu nemapoka avarwi vairwira utongi hwevazhinji avo vaiva Vatema. Vanhu vaiva vasiri varwi vakava pakati pemhirizhonga yacho, sezvakaita vadzidzisi Ernest naPriscilla Sibanda, avo vakarasikirwa nemusha wavo uye nemombe dzavo muna Kubvumbi 1976. Ernest naPriscilla vakatiza nzvimbo yaiva nehondo iyi uye vakafamba makiromita mazana maviri ane mana nerimwechete (mamaira zana nemakumi mashanu) kuenda kuBulawayo.

MuBulawayo mukupera kwa1979, Ernest akasangana navashumiri vechidiki vaviri. Mushure mokuveranga Bhuku raMormoni, iye, Priscilla, nevana vavo vatatu vakabhabhatidzwa. “Ndakanzwa kusununguka zvikuru,” Ernest akarangarira. “Ndakanzwa kusunungurwa kubva kuhuipi hwose. Ndakawana kuti mandiri maiva norudo kumhuri yangu. Ndakawana kuti mandiri maiva norudo kuChechi.” Senhengo dzokutanga dzeChitema munyika, vana Sibanda vakashingirira nerutendeko zvisinei nerumwe rusarura rwaivapo. Pane imwe nguva dzimwe nhengo dzechirungu dzakapikisa Ernest chidzidzo chaaiva ava pedyo nokudzidza chisati chatanga, “Murume mutema, kutidzidzisa isu?” Ernest akapindura, “Hama, kana tose tiri Vatendi vaMazuva Ekupedzisira, uye ini ndapuwa basa naIshe rokudzidzisa, zvino ndinofanira kukudzidzisai.”

Muna Chivabvu 1980, bazi reVatema chete remuZimbabwe rokutanga rakaumbwa muHighfield, sabhabhu remuSalisbury (yakazova Harare pashure). Nhengo dzenguva yakareba Iris naReg Nield vakatambira daidzo dzokushanda semutungamiri weChita choRubatsiro uye semutungamiri webazi. Vana Nield vakarambwa nedzimwe nhengo dzebazi ravo revarungu. Vasingatyi, Reg naIris uye nevanasikana vavo vakapedza misi yeMugovera vachiita zviitwa zveMIA, Puraimari, uye zveChita cheRubatsiro. Peter Chaya, nhengo yebazi yechidiki, aipedza masikati emisi yeMigovera achitamba bhora, achidzidzira nziyo, uye achidzidzisa kirasi yezvinyorwa zveChirungu. Baba vake, Tanganyika Lazarus Chaya, vakashanda semutevedzeri wechipiri muhutungamiri hwebazi.

Bazi raisangana paHighfield Secondary School. Peter aisvika mangwanani ngwanani kuti atsvaire nokubvisa mabhodhoro edoro nezvigudu zvemidzanga yefodya musangano usati watanga. “Taienda, tonotsvaira chikoro chacho, uye tochiita kuti chitarisike sechaperi, uye tozogara pasi, taneta zvikuru,” akarangarira. Munguva yemisangano, Peter nevamwe vakomana vechidiki vaidudzira pakati peShona neChirungu.

Muna 1981, Peter akagamuchira daidzo yehushumiri yokunoshanda muZimbabwe uye akasimuka kuenda kuhushumiri hwake zuva raitevera. Muna 1983, pasara vhiki asati apedza hushumiri hwake, akatambira daidzo semutungamiri webazi muHighfield.