“This is one area that has been troubling us for years, as it was difficult passing through during the rainy season”.
This area is Mukurazhizha area, 2km from the tarred road. The development began where the shops are are, at the 44-mile marker along the Harare-Mutoko road.
Purple: shops at 44miles along the Harare-Mutoko highway – Yellow: early part of the route of the road development
Here are a couple if short videos of the work being done…
Here is what the finished product looks like. Two areas have now been completed, with 3 remaining.
It is great news for local residents and businesses to have these improvements to the infrastructure, making transport easier, especially during the seasonal rains. Still s fair bit to do, but progress is definitely being made.
Over recent weeks I have been developing several new pages here on this website. Several more are being planned, including Merchandise, Charitable Status, Other schools in the Ward, and Developments in the local area.
Maybe our readers can tell us if there is anything else they would like to see here on the Friends of Pakati website? Please do tell us at friendsofpakati@gmail.com
The Home page itself has all the archives for the blog, with the latest additions at the top. Below are the links to the other pages.
Post-independence in Zimbabwe saw an expansion of the Education sector, and in particular, a rapid growth of Secondary schools across the country. Pakati was part of this expansion, and like so many other schools in rural areas, provided education to GCSE O level for the first time to those local communities.
Mr Chifaka and the Author, 2019
Thanks go to Mr Mugove Chifaka (current Head of Pakati Secondary school), Bothwell Riside, Debbie Chadbon and Lorraine Mapuranga (all regular Friends of Pakati contributors), plus Mr Mutyavaviri, Nickson Dzimauta, Patience Chinhoyi, Portia Nemaruru and others, for the additional information and photos.
Pakati Secondary school, 1990
Pakati Secondary school began life in 1984. At first, it was actually housed in the Primary school buildings, while construction began in 1985 of the first 3 classroom blocks, plus two teachers houses.
Teachers houses in 1991
Murewa RDC (Rural District Council) brought in men who camped by the school and started erecting concrete poles. They made three shed-like buildings which were later filled by cement made blocks of bricks. The roof trusses were made of steel, and the roofs were put up way before the walls were built. They were built very quickly, and during 1985 Pakati had the first secondary school up and running.
Red: 3 original classroom blocks -Green: 2 original teachers houses – Blue: original borehole – Black: 4th classroom block – Purple: 4th teachers house – Yellow: House were both Debbie and the Author stayed
One development I can confirm myself is the completion of a new borehole in early 1991, funded by the British High Commission through their Small Scale Development fund.
Primary school on the left, Secondary on the right. Old borehole marked in blue, new borehole in 1991 marked in red
A fourth block was begun in 1988, but due to a number of issues, was not completed until 1992. VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas), who brought Debbie Chadbon and the Author to Pakati as teachers, helped by donating funds towards new windows and painting/decorating the building.
The picture at the top of this page was taken after it was officially opened for use, and is the block where Debbie got some of her students to help put the World map on one external wall.
Debbie in 1992
Bothwell tells me he remembers it well: “I used to go and watch this being painted. What’s so vivid in my memory is that we used to be amazed at how a person could paint using her left hand.” The map was repainted in 2017. I am told that the whole school was redecorated in 2018.
4th block in 2019
The Heads of Pakati Secondary school have been as follows (awaiting confirmation of who was Head first) :
Mr Samakomva can be seen in the suit & tie. Picture taken in 1990
Mr Mushaninga – 2007. Mr Chifaka – 2007 to 2010. Mr Chingoriwo 2010 to 2017. Mr Chifaka – 2017 to the present day
According to Debbie, “The 4th teachers house was built in 1993, it was completed around the time I left.” Since then, four more teachers houses have been completed.
In 2009, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) installed the Solar power supply at Pakati Secindary school, as shown to me by Mr Chifaka on my most recent visit.
He further tells me that “ZESA electricity was installed in 2015, but there was no transformer till 2018.” Installation is confirmed as 2015 by local resident Nickson Dzimauta who worked on the project at the time.
Administration block
In more recent years, there have been several new other buildings added – an Administration Block. Fashion and Fabrics Block as well as a Science & Technology Block.
Fashion & Fabrics BlockInside F & F Block in 2019
An external area was also set aside for Building/Construction practical lessons.
In 2018
Most recently, a new Tuck Shop has been built. The school buildings have also all been redecorated in recent years.
Tuck shop
A fence was put around the school, as can be seen in the picture below, and I am told by former teacher there Mr Mutyavaviri that it was erected in 2016.
View of the school from the teachers houses, 2018
The classrooms and facilities inside for students appear to have changed little over the years. This is part of the reason for Friends of Pakati to exist.
In 1992In 2019
So please, if you can, help us to improve the educational experience of the students at these two schools, and by extension, improve the lives of the surrounding community. Donate either time, effort goods and/or money, using the following details:
This will become a page dedicated to posts about the Primary school, including staff, students, sports, classes, developments, and donations. Firstly, however, we start with a History lesson…
The Primary school is just a few 100 metres from the Secondary, though it is quite a lot older. Much more information about the school’s history has been provided by my friend the Headmaster of Pakati primary school, Mr Ambrose Mahachi, pictured below with the Author.
“A brief history of Pakati Primary school.
Like most schools in Murewa district Pakati Primary was founded by the Roman Catholic church, and the school was originally named St Blazios. Oral history locally gives the establishment date of the school as 1 January 1940. By then the classrooms consisted of pole and dagga structures. The school changed name to Pakati after Zimbabwean independence in 1980, when most rural church schools were handed over to local councils according to the given legislation. St Brazios, like other schools was supposed to be renamed, taking the name of the village it had been constructed in which was Chinhoyi village (Author: I recall several people actually refer to it as Chinhoyi school when I was teaching at the Secondary school).
Mr Mahachi
That was not the case however with Pakati Primary, as circumstances to its naming points to the effect that it was a central place where annual school sporting activities could be hosted for surrounding schools. St Blazios was central to other schools between Chidiya and Chikupo, which it competed with during annual sporting activities. So for several years they convened their sporting activities at St Blazios. The second narration on the origins of the school name came from a local parent (similar tothe story I was told also – see https://friendsofpakati.com/2019/01/16/pakati-stories-1/ ) says the school was named Pakati as it was sited between three villages – Chinhoyi, Chihumbiri and Mbundire. Residents could not agree on the name of the village to give to the school hence it was given the name pakati which means “the middle” or “central place (or as I was first told, it meant ‘in-between’)”.
Prize giving ceremony at the school
The known first head of the school according to the source is Mr Njenje a local person, then the longest serving head was Mr Chihaka, who was in charge of the school according to the source from 1965 to 1985. Mr Chihaka is still remembered for the saying ” pachikoro pano pakafira kachembere kasingadi development” – translates as ‘an old lady who didn’t want development died at this school’.
School picture frame with some old pictures
After Mr Chihaka came Mr Rugoyi (Head at the Primary when I was at the Secondary between 1989 an 1991), then Mr Gumbeze, then Mr Macherenje, Mr Mushangwe, Mr Makoni, Mr Muzhingi and currently, Mr Mahachi. A lot of achievements and infrastructural developments have been realised during Mr Mahachi’s tenure from 2015 to date, among them are – fencing of the immediate perimeter around classrooms; chasing, tubing and electrification of all staff houses, administration offices and one classroom; construction of an 8 roomed house for staff with the assistance of some partners in paying for labour, whilst parents moulded bricks and provided local resources like sand water and labour; renovation of a semi detached teachers house.
Tree planting day and Mrs Mandingaisa with the school choir
We have also witnessed the construction of a two roomed ECD (Early Childhood Development) block entirely by local parents, using levies and with them providing labour and local resources like river and pit sand. Purchase of a photocopier and improvement of sitting and writing places for learners and sporting equipment. Some projects like gardening, field crops and chicken rearing where initiated though they are not viable through out the year, due partly to the economic situation prevailing in the country hindering the sustainability of the projects. These achievements have seen the school being awarded a certificate of merit of the most improved infrastructure in the province – rural day category in 2016.
Despite the achievements the school still faces accommodation and classroom challenges as the school currently has 775 learners and 18 teachers. The teachers currently have 2 rooms each despite them having families. Then we have 14 classrooms out of the required 28. The school authorised establishment requires us to have 28 teachers but we currently have a shortfall of 10, which we hope the government will help us fill. Given the covid pandemic there may be need for more teachers which means more classrooms and accommodation needed also. We currently fetch water from a borehole 500metres away but during the rain season we have two deep wells we may use though they dry up during the dry spells.”
One of the deep wells close to the school
Many thanks to Mr Mahachi for the information and some of the older pictures. It is great to find out more about how Pakati Primary school has developed since it first started in 1940.
Thanks to a very generous donation from a fellow-Iron ( https://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk ) fan, David C Scott, we now have sufficient money to have some merchandise produced for sale.
David, who is based in Germany at present, has donated £200 which means we have now ordered – via another Iron fan based in Scotland – some lapel badges. It will be a few weeks before they are available for sale, but we are at the design stage. Below is part of a message I sent out this morning:
“Good morning all…just thought i would see what you think of this…an idea to sell FoP merchandise. There are a few things which come to mind – t.shirts, mugs, etc – but here is one to begin with – lapel badges. Attached is an example, plus a (very!) rough version of what an FoP one might look like…the idea is to have the Zim flag colours in the background, Zim map on top in red, with the logo Friends of Pakati in white inside the map.”
very rough version! Central line will be black, not purple
Once I started down this road, I sent out feelers to see what demand there might be….quite a few said yes, including some who would buy several. One response was from a printing company suggesting other possibilities – mugs, t-shirts, key fobs/rings, mouse mats, coasters – so we are considering these too. Hoping we can have several items for sale in the near future, watch this space👍
I was struck by something a friend said to me recently, when we were talking about Friends of Pakati. When I told him I had lived & worked in 2 African countries, and visited 4 more, that he was full of admiration – said he simply could not see himself doing that. It was not said as a disparaging remark, but an acknowledgement that it can be hard to take time away form a life, a career, especially to try something so far from a persons comfort zone, as I did when I signed up with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas https://www.vsointernational.org/ ) to be a Maths teacher at Pakati Secondary school in Zimbabwe, back in January 1989.
As briefly mentioned in part 3 of Pakati memories (see link above), I also worked in Botswana, one of Zimbabwe’s neighbours. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have any photographs from that time, but I taught Maths & Development Studies to O Level classes, at Mater Spei College in Francistown. The contrast to Pakati was remarkable…a well funded school, frequently in the top 3 schools in the country for exam results, with all the resources to match any International School – Botswana had even put its entire school network in the internet during 1997! The school was in the middle of Botswana’s second largest city (Francistown) and had all the facilities needed for everyday life as you would expect.
Mater Spei College (circled) in Francistown, Botswana
Mater Spei was a very large school when compared to Pakati – the stats were as follows: Teachers/students – Pakati – 11 to 330 and Mater Spei – 100/2000. The staff were truly global, with half being Batswana, the rest were from Ghana (the Head), South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, India, USA, Cuba, Ireland, UK, China – staff meetings were like the UN!
With its proximity to Zimbabwe, we regularly crossed the border to visit family & friends. We also particularly enjoyed the tourist attractions on the Western side – Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, and Matopos Hills just outside Bulawayo. The Great Zimbabwe ruins were a little further, but definitely it is a fascinating place to visit.
Part of the great Zimbabwe historical site, near Masvingo.
Since returning to the UK in 1997, I have been fortunate enough to visit two other African countries – Malawi (2007) and Uganda (2010, 2012, & 2014 with a round trip to Zimbabwe included) – in both cases, visiting relatives. Again, I have very few pictures from Malawi, but a fair few from Uganda. Here are a few of them…
In the Queen Elizabeth National Park, western UgandaKampalaKampalaFort PortalIn Murchison Falls National ParkIn Murchison Falls National Park
How has my time in Africa affected me? I think it has brought me to realise how fortunate I am to have been born into a relatively wealthy society, with good facilities in health, education, employment, opportunities to travel…but also more importantly, patience, respect for those who are different to me, but to always remember that people are essentially the same, with hopes and dreams…
The Author with staff at Pakati Secindary school, 2018
I learned how to be more relaxed, more flexible, better able to cope in different settings & cultures. I believe that what is important is how we treat each other as fellow humans, on an individual/local community level, and to have an open mind to how things are done. That, really, is what the community at Pakati have done for me, why still I feel strongly attached, and why I feel compelled to improve the schools if I can, for that community who welcomed me back in 1989.
A day in the life currently at Mapanga Primary school – thanks to the Head, Mrs Maenzanise, for the pictures and information..
As they arrive from home all learners are checked -temperature -they are also hand sanitized All checked by a teacher on duty that very day.
They also keep one metre distance from each other. We have marked with black paint. Same inside their classrooms, they keep socially distanced. Every learner is expected to put on their mask.
They are using those booklets (provided in June by Friends of Pakati and VaTonatsa Foundation – see https://friendsofpakati.com/2020/06/21/delivery-of-the-primary-booklets/ ) during revision time, as it is cumbersome to write questions on the chalkboard. The books are very handy. We have asked them to bring them to school every day for revision purposes
At 1.00pm, all learners eat lunch which is prepared by two of the parents from the school. First, they wash/sanitise their hands.
Our menu is sadza (staple dish, made from maize) with
-Driesd fish (matemba) -chunks from soya beans -beans All the above is mixed with green vegetables
This day they ate the dry fish (matemba) with vegetables
They feed in a nice rockery shaded area.
That’s today’s program. From learning, to feeding, and then home
I am hoping to add more about other schools in the Ward too, as well as details of how the other schools have been using their donated booklets.
Ongoing plans for Friends of Pakati…
• Moving towards charitable status – discussions underway with potential trustees, and advice being taken on the process of application
• Preparing the next blog posts from various contributors, including the donors of IT equipment from last year
• Another personal blog post under preparation too, about the Author’s time(s) in Africa
• Website is still developing, as I plan to add more pages to make it easier to find out about things like Developments in the local area, the individual Pakati schools, schools in the area, Joint venture(s), etc.
“Hi Chris I hope you and your family are well. I managed to raise £50 selling the pumpkins we grew on our allotment to friends and neighbours. I have kept the jam and chutney to hopefully sell at the next sale trail planned for March 2021 – fingers crossed it goes ahead. Best wishes Debbie”
Both Pakati Primary and Secondary schools have recently had consultations with their local community. A combination of senior staff, SDC members and parents of students who attend the schools met (in a covid-safe way) to discuss school budgets.
I have received the minutes of the Primary school meeting courtesy of the Head, Mr Mahachi (pictured above during lockdown earlier this year). Below are the key points from their meeting:
• 65 parents from the 12 villages of the catchment area attended. All present followed Covid 19 protocols throughout the meeting.
• Main discussions revolved around the school accounts as presented by Mr Mahachi, including budget allocations for the previous year, and fees to be levied. These would be charged pro rata, due to delays and staggered returns to school because of covid 19 restrictions and Ministry guidelines. Fees were agreed by the parents present.
• Parents raised other issues about non-payment of fees, which were addressed by Mr Mahachi. Further items were covered around all aspects of covid 19, and general concerns about children’s safety, particularly in light of a recent death of a young boy, Tapiwa Makore, in tragic circumstances a few kilometres from the Pakati catchment area.
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Councillor Israel Maliki has been helping with the distribution of essential supplies to those most in need in the area. As part of the drive for food security, the Councillor was recently filmed at Pakati Primary school, discussing with local farmers about seeds which may give an improved yield in local conditions. More on this in the paragraph below the video.
The Word of Life Church used to use a Pakati Primary school classroom for church services, before a temporary ban was put by the government due to covid. They followed protocol and where allowed to distribute maize seed and basalt fertilizer to their congregants, who had attended a training workshop in Harare earlier. So the church pastor in the presence of the Agritex officer and the Councillor distributed the inputs on the day, as filmed in the grounds of Pakati Primary
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Pakati Primary school students in Grade 7 who recently returned to school to study for their exams. Next year they will be in Form 1 at the Secondary school
I have a few other posts under preparation right now, but I am always looking for new material – new stories, photos, videos, and new ideas about fundraising or features for the blog. Please do contact us if you can help! friendsofpakati@gmail.com
She very briefly mentioned about what she was doing after returning from Souh Africa to Zimbabwe – “I moved back to Zimbabwe last year in December and am staying in Mutare where I and my husband are pastoring. We also started a preschool in February to the underprivilledged children at a farm in Old Mutare.”
Well, it seems she is doing so much more than running a pre-school….but let’s start with that.
“Schools have been closed, but now I am busy preparing for the children Christmas presentation and their graduation, as we are re-opening the preschool that I operate on 9 November.”
Preparations are being made to reopen the pre-school
Here is what else she told me on whats app about what she is doing…
“Hello Chris. The global pandemic has shaken the whole planet earth and our Zimbabwe has not been spared either and that means even me and my family in Mutare were not spared either. But I want to say that this season has brought a busy schedule for me both as a mother, grandma and a pastor and a student.
The woman in a green mask has an amputated leg. I gave her food parcel and clothes. She is from Watsomba, Inyanga. We are still sourcing an artificial leg for her.
I have noticed the greater need of reaching out and helping the vulnerable people in Mutare and Harare. During this pandemic I have managed to register my Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) with the Social Welfare Department, and I am happy to say I am helping people with different disabilities, people with albinism, orphaned children and adults from the less privileged families.
Shylet Watsomba…5 years old. Cerebral PalsyTiyane aged 7….Cerebral Palsy.
The Covid 19 season has created a platform for me and my husband to source for wheelchairs for children with Cerebral Palsy and Severe Brain Retardation.
This is Delvine Muzvidzwa. Aged 15. I am still sourcing for a wheelchair for him and 15 more children and 2 adults.
I have managed to get zimmer walking frames and walking sticks for adults in need. I also gave out food parcels to the less privileged families. I am still going on trying to source sunscreen lotions for the people with albinism.
Here is Mr Baker and an Assistant Sister in charge of Dangamvura Local Clinic, Mutare and me….we were donating that wheelchair to the clinic.Betty Kaja has a stroke on her left side so we gave her a walking stick
Being the Chairperson of Vanopaishe Foundation, I have a burden to help do some projects for the vulnerable people, especially starting with those in Mutare. I have 50 people with disabilities and 250 people with albinism on my database.
That is Yolanda…aged 5 she has Cerebral Palsy. She stays with her paternal grandmother on my left, as her mom deserted her long back.That is the Yolanda I was holding in the previous photo
I am also busy doing my Dissertation for my Bachelor’s degree in Theology. My graduation is fast approaching in December this year, and it means a lot on my hands besides pastoring and being a wife and mom!
We are also going on with our Poultry farming project. It is so busy but I am excited that I am coping so well!”
Well I have to say I am so impressed with Aggie and her Husband Joe’s work ethic, and living up to their beliefs. Well done indeed!
First, let me update you on the funding situation… https://friendsofpakati.com/fundraising/ is where you will find all the relevant details, but just wanted to mention about one payment, and two donations…
Firstly, as briefly mentioned in the previous blog post, Pakati Primary school has had some chairs donated – full story still to come as more are on the way – but I had a request from Mr Mahachi, Head of the school, for financial help with the cost of transporting them form Harare to the school.
To help the school cope with 2 separate deliveries, it was agreed to send US$100.00 via a trusted intermediary, and it is safely now in the hands of Mr Mahachi. It cost us £80.83 of the money we have, to send the US$ to Pakati Primary. There was then £234.13 remaiming before the 2 new donations are added in. I also forwarded a letter – Intention to Donate – to Mr Mahachi. Following two further donations from work colleagues recently, our new total now stands at £294.13
Now for advance notice of things to come…
Firstly, already mentioned here is the story behind the donated chairs…I am waiting for the full details from the donor so I can tell the tale of a long-distance gift.
Secondly, I had a long conversation with someone who, some of you may remember, was instrumental in getting us the computers we took to Pakati last year….
…and we discussed many things, including the promise to donate of more equipment next year, and a possibility of more by the time we are ready to ship them out.
We talked about potential additonal help from the Stephemson Group Ltd, ideas for fundraising, merchandising, publicity/promotion, possible involvement of some schools in the UK, becoming a trustee as we move towards charitable status, and what he thought about the project & website/blog overall.
Thirdly, there is at least one surprise to come out of it, which will be in the forthcoming blog I am preparing fo release in the next two weeks. This has since lead to an interesting suggestion, during a whats app group chat, but that will be revealed at a later date….
Lastly, there are stories and profiles still being worked, which will continue to be posted – personal profiles, school information, developments, updates, and anything else of interest to Friends of Pakati as it comes up.
