By CHUSA SICHONE –
NDEED God truly answers prayers at his opportune time; at the time when Margaret Mwanza thought that all hope was lost, God answered her prayers.
Also important in this matter is the fact that the power of the media, as the fourth estate, cannot be overemphasised. The media possesses great power to influence people’s views.
Following the publication of Ms Mwanza’s heartbreaking story in the February 4, 2016 edition of the Times of Zambia, readers were moved to the extent that some stepped forward to provide support the same day.
Times of Zambia employees in Lusaka, who meet for the lunch hour fellowship, took the lead in responding to Ms Mwanza’s plight.
Led by Managing Director Bestone Ng’onga, the members of staff left the comfort of their offices on the afternoon of 4th February, 2016 to lend a helping hand to Ms Mwanza and her family.
Among the senior Times of Zambia members of staff that accompanied Mr Ng’onga to Ms Mwanza’s residence in Lusaka’s Kabanana Township were Sales and Marketing Manager Mark Nyasulu, Human Resource Manager Jean Mwanza and Advertising Manager Constance Mbewe.
They donated assorted foodstuffs and other groceries, bags of charcoal and an undisclosed amount of money.
The donation was necessitated by the money employees gave as offering during the lunch hour fellowship, which takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Ms Mwanza could not believe her eyes! This time around she did not shed tears of sorrow, but of joy.
Having answered her prayers, the teary Ms Mwanza did the honourable thing by kneeling and thanking God for coming to her aid through Times of Zambia lunch hour fellowship.
“I am very grateful for this gesture. May God richly bless you all for this wonderful donation,” she said.
Before leading the gathering into prayer, Mr Nyasulu told Ms Mwanza about the lunch hour fellowship and how it used the offering collected from members of staff to buy the items donated to her.
Mr Nyasulu urged Ms Mwanza and her family to read from the Bible in the book of Zachariah 10:1 as they draw inspiration from the word of God.
“You will see the inspiring words of God that God does not leave his children alone, once you call upon his name, he always will be there,” he said.
Zachariah 10:1 says, “Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
“He gives showers of the rain to all the people, and plants of the field to everyone.”
Mr Nyasulu, who has been instrumental in encouraging members of staff to attend the fellowship, was hopeful that the donation to the Mwanza family would open doors to more blessings.
After the lunch hour fellowship donation, Ms Mwanza proceeded to Makeni in Lusaka on the same day to meet another donor who, upon reading the story in question in the paper, requested to see her.
This donor, a business executive who preferred to remain anonymous, said his desire was to see Ms Mwanza sustain herself and her family.
To that effect, the ‘Good Samaritan’ proposed that Ms Mwanza starts up a business as giving her money would not be the solution.
“That is the way to get out of this cycle of asking for charity here and there. You know, K100 or K200 is not going to help. Think about it,” he said.
The ‘Good Samaritan’ gave Ms Mwanza capital in form of foodstuffs for business. He also gave her foodstuff for consumption besides and provided transport to deliver the goods at her home.
The donated items included 15X25 kilogramme (kg) bags of breakfast mealie-meal, 20 kg salt, five trays of eggs, a bag onion, 20 litres cooking oil, six kilograms of sugar and material for her to make a kiosk (Kantemba).
As if that was not enough, the ‘Good Samaritan’ offered one of Ms Mwanza’s sons at University of Zambia (UNZA) a job that he would be doing at his company when the university is on recess.
The business executive expressed willingness to offer both of Ms Mwanza’s children who are still at UNZA jobs at his company.
One of the sons has since started work since the university went into an indefinite closure. He reported for duty on February 8, 2016.
Ms Mwanza said she was highly grateful to God and the businessman for the support rendered.
The Rephidim Institute School class of 2000 has since offered to support Ms Mwanza’s Grade Eleven pupil who is at Lusaka Secondary School.
The pupil walks to and from Kabanana Township to school in Long Acres every weekday.
The Rephidim Institute School class of 2000 chairperson Musonda Mabula, who recently created a WhatsApp group dubbed Rephidim 2K, has convinced members of the social networking platform to contribute funds towards the purchase of a bicycle for the Grade Eleven pupil.
Mr Mabula, who is based in the United Kingdom (UK), said he and his group members were moved by Ms Mwanza’s story; especially that he was also raised by a single parent, his mother.
“We were touched just like you were when you wrote the story and we will buy him (Ms Mwanza’s son) a bicycle; that’s our pledge.
“I know how hard life can be having been raised by a single mother, it was never easy,” he said.
The former Rephidim students have set February 26, 2016, as the deadline for receiving contributions.
Ms Mwanza’s family and that of her dependents turned miserable when she lost her husband Levious Mwanza in 2007 after a long illness.
Mr Mwanza was among the 1,109 Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZSIC) workers retrenched on April 30, 1991.
Mr Mwanza died before receiving his terminal benefits. He is among the 98 former ZSIC employees who have died without receiving their dues despite the Industrial Relations Court and Supreme Court ruling in the retrenchees’ favour.
There is a likelihood that the number of deceased persons could be more than 98 as only 497 out of the 1,109 retrenchees have identified themselves as complainants and are members of the ZSIC 1991 Retrenchees Committee.
The former ZSIC employees have for the past 25 years been pushing for their terminal benefits. They are demanding to be paid K34 million with interest.
Although the family was having difficulties while Mr Mwanza was still alive, the situation has worsened such that there are days when Ms Mwanza, her three sons and two grandchildren currently under her care go for up to four days without food.
Altogether, Ms Mwanza has nine children in her custody. None of them is in employment. Ms Mwanza does not have the capacity to support the children as she is equally unemployed.
She used to sell second hand clothes (Salaula) in remote farms, but has stopped doing so on account of ill health.
Ms Mwanza suffers from high blood pressure and doctors have advised her to avoid overworking herself.
Ms Mwanza has lived in a rented property for which she has been unable to pay rent for the past two years due to her financial hardships. The house she lives in is pegged at K150 per day.
Her last born son who is in Grade Eleven leaves home in Kabanana
Township at 04:00 hours every weekday and walks to Lusaka Secondary School in Long Acres and walks back after knocking off.
The pupil has been trekking to and from school since last year and at times he walks on an empty stomach.
Ms Mwanza’s two grandchildren aged 13 and 11 have not reported to Luminary Community School this term because they do not have books and their grandmother has failed to raise K70 contribution to the school.
As a result of these and many other problems, there were times when Ms Mwanza attempted to end her life by consuming poison.
However, with support from well wishers, it is hoped that the plight of the Mwanzas would be addressed.
