14 Aug 2013

Some people strongly believe on miracles and often think that a Good Samaritan will emerge from nowhere, or manna will fall from the great heavens to meet their day-to-day survival needs.

On the contrary, there are those in whose minds the Biblical teaching that one has to work in order to survive seems to be deeply engrained. The words of Apostle Paul in admonition to the Christians of his day on the need for one to work to meet their own needs spell it out clearly that: ‘He who does not work, neither shall he eat’.

Nevertheless, while some people do the exact opposite of this, Mr Willie Tshwenyego of Mbalambi in the North East District is clearly in full agreement with the words of Paul. Mr Tshwenyego may not be a Bible enthusiast, but he takes no pride in wallowing in self-pity and blaming others for the kind of life he is leading.

He strongly believes that no one owes him his own survival, hence his decision to find the means to put food on his table without being a burden to anyone. Thus, on realising that his lack of good education to help him land a good job would disadvantage him, 51-year -old Mr Tswenyego took deliberate steps to ‘educate’ himself on a trade that some would shun – thatching.

A few years ago, when efforts to find a job proved unfruitful, he developed a keen interest in learning the art of thatching, a trade some people would rather shun in preference to government’s food baskets.

Whenever he saw someone atop a hut, he would turn to borrow a leaf or two, and one day, after just a few weeks he embarked on a mission to test his new-found skill and that was the turning point in his life.

Although something in the depths of his soul had always told him that he could excel in thatching, his first job was not something to write home about and while he does not relish the memories of that first assignment, his spirits were never dampened by the shoddy job.

He worked tirelessly to improve his workmanship and after that first dismal performance, there was an improvement with every hut he worked on, such that today he does not have to move from door to door advertising his services.

Customers simply advertise him by word of mouth and his thatching skill is not only known and admired in Mbalambi, but in several nearby villages such as Sekakangwe, Gungwe, Zwenshambwe and Gambule, says the busy grass thatcher at work in Kalakamati, a village that lies about 20 kilometres from his own.

With the P450 that he charges for thatching a hut, Mr Tswenyego may not necessarily grow rich but yet again he does not ever dream of seeing his name etched between the pages of government’s books containing names of destitute persons.

He is happy that unlike other means of earning an income, thatching does not have many challenges such as financial investment and the customers are always reliable in terms of paying for his services, he says.

Though he is generally happy with his life, there is one thing that makes his heart bleed; the laziness among today’s youths makes him wonder what the future of this nation will be like. One of his recent customers, 83-year-old Ms Mmadiphuthela Malibo of Kalakamati speaks fondly of Mr Tswenyego’s work.

She says the reason that Kalakamati residents have for a long time been engaging Mr Tswenyego to thatch their huts for them is evidence that he is good at what he does. Willie o dira tiro e ntle fela thata. Nnake bone a ruleletse bangwe mme ka rata diatla tsa gagwe. Motse o otletse ka matlo aa ruletsweng ke Willie mme mo go supa gore batho ba rata ka fa a rulelang ka teng,” Ms Malibo explaining what a household name Tswenyego has become in their village.

Like Mr Tshwenyego, Ms Malibo is unhappy with the reluctance of the youth to do something meaningful with their lives. “Bana ga ba rate ditiro tsa diatla di tshwana le go rulela. Sa bone ke go sia le Sekgoa fela mme e se gore le sone ba a se kgona,”she says of the youth who undermine some kinds of jobs such as thatching.

She is saddened by the youth’s inclination to live a life devoid of meaningful cultural activities from which one can earn a living. Ends