MASVINGO – Mbuya Hendrina Maravanyika(nee Mushambi) was born on 17th August 1917 in the Chikwanda area of Gutu District.
Her father,Zacheo Mangezi Mushambi was an evangelist of the then Dutch Reformed Church now Reformed Church in Zimbabwe Her father is reputed to have started Hunduza and Chimedza Primary schools initially as out posts of the DRC supervised from Gutu Mission.
Her date of birth can therefore not be disputed.
Mbuya Maravanyika attended local primary schools before she went to Gutu Mission for her upper primary.She had seven siblings-three boys and five girls. Her father took a second wife and was blessed with another eight children-two boys and six girls. making a total of sixteen children altogether. She did not complete her upper primary education but preferred to go and teach in order to assist her father raise the big family.
In I940 she was posted to Simbanegavi School in Gutu by the Gutu Mission missionaries In 1942 she was transferred to nearby Mupata School as headman Mupata requested. for a female teacher to teach his women folk domestic science subjects such as needlework.
She met a young man one Edward Murwisi Maravanyika, a teacher at nearby Ranga School and they got married in 1944. They were blessed with five children-three boys and two girls.She has seven grandchildren and five greatgrand children Mrs Maravanyika worked as a community operative especially with Family Planning organisations. She also worked with womens clubs advising young women on christian ways of raising their families.
Until fairly recently she had been a keen farmer,a holder of A Master Farmers Certifcate. She is a strong church goer and has worked in different capacities in Ruwadzano Rwemadzimai the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe. – Masvingo Mirror
