While true of many, this description is the total opposite of what former Zipra cadre Fortune Ndlovu (58) stands for.
Ndlovu spent years fighting in the Nehanda Sector, which comprised Mashonaland East areas like Chiweshe, Mazoe and Rushinga under the auspices of the Zimbabwe People’s Army before he returned to Zambia and Botswana after ZIPA’s collapse in 1976.
The Kezi-born Ndlovu told The Zimbabwean that working for one’s own survival was nurtured in him at a tender age, being second in a family of nine, where his father was a sole trader and his mother a subsistence farmer. “I grew up in a rural setup where every bite of food had to be toiled for and that has not deserted me even at this age because it was ingrained in me over the years,” said the Johannesburg-based businessman. “While my father ran his errands of buying and selling grain, I was heavily involved in the subsistence farming that helped him keep the family afloat. I learnt that hard work really paid because we never went hungry, even in the worst of years.”
He also took an example from his father’s trade. “He used to send me to collect money from his customers and from that, I got to learn a few business tricks that I have implemented in my own business and they have not failed me.”Coming from such a big family, Ndlovu could not proceed beyond primary school, after his family failed to fund the rest of his education. This forced him to join a young farmers’ club in Donkwe-donkwe, also in Kezi district, where he learnt how to grow vegetables and citrus trees, digging storm drains under a government programme that provided such education.
“I later left for Bulawayo in a vain search for employment, but in 1975, I decided to join the liberation struggle, after I was gripped by the urge to free myself and my fellow countrymen,” he explained.
Recruited by his uncle, he joined Zipra, the military wing of Zapu and trained in Zambia. After independence, Ndlovu was integrated into the Zimbabwe National Army, where he went to voluntary demobilisation after three years and migrated to South Africa, having failed to find employment.
“It was not that difficult for me to settle in South Africa, where my sister was already married. My first job was in a fruit shop, where I earned R45 a week. I worked there for nearly a year, before getting work in a restaurant. My first salary was R700 a month. After 20 years the urge to start something of my own and follow in my father’s footsteps got stronger and having saved enough money, I started my own shop.”
He now runs a popular general dealer and restaurant in Berea. “ I had teething challenges like lack of adequate finance to buy equipment because I only had R1,700 in my pocket at the time. Marketing the business enough to get customers was also a bit difficult, but with willpower, direction and perseverance I pulled through. For now, I can say I am doing quite well for a black man,” he quipped.
“I have clients from all age groups, but most of those who frequent this place are the elderly, who were brought up with these traditional dishes, and fast-food workers, who will be missing their home meals.”
His dream for his homeland is to see a country where people work for what they later on get, where leaders take a tough stand against corruption and people unite for the good of the country and not a few individuals.
“I also wish to see a Zimbabwe that allows free political will and respects freedom of association and assembly. I wish people could be allowed to freely choose which political party they want to join without fear of a backlash from opposing groups because those are the ideals we fought for – to fully liberate our people.
“The time will come for us to return home and we will not take our workplaces there, so it is wise that the youth get ready to invest in their country and create employment for the future generation. That should happen now for those who are gainfully employed in the Diaspora.
“Being unemployed should also not be the cause to lose hope or get into crime because that does not bring any meaningful life, but takes someone years backwards and affects their entire life,” said Ndlovu.
Post published in: Africa News