[Civsoc-mw] ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE

[Martha Kwataine]

Mulipobkodi che Kachsle



Martha Kwataine Mrs

" My job is to teach the Word of God. To pay my expenses, i provide
leadership and management services to Baobab Health Trust "

On 5 Dec 2017 13:11, "cuthbertkachale" <cuthbertkachale at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: cuthbertkachale <cuthbertkachale at gmail.com>
> Date: 05/12/2017 12:25 (GMT+02:00)
> To:
> Cc: Cuthbert Kachale <cuthbertkachale at gmail.com>
> Subject: Fwd: Your texts 5 Dec 2017
>
>
> Cuthbert Kachale wrote:
>
> Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the son of Suzgo Gabriel Matibiri, the
> Livingstonia trained carpenter who together with a brother trekked on foot
> from Mzimba to Salisbury in around 1918/19.
>
> Suzgo found a job as a carpenter at a Catholic Kutana Mission, some 60 Km
> West of Harare. He and his brother settled there.
>
> Suzgo asked for a portion of land whee he could build a home and plough.
> The Catholics granted him that and facilitated title deeds for about 2
> acres of land (my estimate-l have passed by there several times).  Suzgo
> had argued that he was a Nyasa and had no place in Southern Rhodesia which
> he could call home. That is why the missionaries made that generosity.
>
> Being educated and sociable,  he mingled well with the society around him.
> A bus stop,  and much later a post office, a police station,  all became
> named Matibiri.
>
> When Nyasas go into the diaspora,  some change their surnames to adapt to
> their new found homes,  away from home.  The name Mugabe became ideal to
> Suzgo. His brother maintained the Matibiri surname.
>
> Robert  has cousins who are Matibiri. One is mentioned in the CIO dossier
> on Grace Mugabe.
>
> In around 1919, Suzgo married a Shona woman called Bona. The wedding was
> ceremonized by the Catholic Church.
>
> Suzgo's first child was Raphael born in 1919. He didn't last.  He died at
> the age of 6 months only.  The second born was Michael born in 1922. Then
> Robert Gabriel Mugabe who was born in 1924. His younger than brother,
> Donato was born in 1926. Then followed Sabina and Bridget.
>
> Robert says that in Michael he had an elder brother and a friend to play
> with.
>
> Life was happy and normal until 1934 when Michael was poisoned by
> neighbours and died at the age of 12. By then Robert was only 10.
>
> Suzgo became bitter,  saying that there was something wrong with that
> place. He decided to adventure to Bulawayo for  a brother and got himself
> another job.
>
> He had left his home at Kutama in the hands of Bona and the 10 year old
> Robert.
>
> While in Bulawayo Suzgo married a Ndebele woman called MaTshuma. Together
> they had three children,  Albert, Donald and Regina.
>
> Robert used to visit his other family in Bulawayo and recalls that he was
> well received and eelk treated every time time he went to Bulawayo.
>
> With the help of the Jesuit
> missionaries,  Robert went to Kutama College,  a secondary school within
> Kutama Mission.
>
> It was while at Kutama when ny late friend,  General Melvin Khanga joined
> that school.
>
> Melvin,  told me in 1981 that Robert was the most disciplined student of
> his time at Kutama.
>
> Later on,  when Suzgo became old and frail, Robert went to take the
> Bulawayo family to Kutama. Went back to Bulawayo to take livestock
> including cattle,  goats which he brought to their Kutama hone by train.
>
> Robert's leadership acumen was noticed at an early age of 10.
>
> After shool career he put alk his siblings to school. However there were
> the usual family wrangles and squabbles between the two sections of the
> family.  They were unfortunately the laughing stalk and talk of the area.
>
> Suzgo had occasional verbal battles with the Catholic missionaries for
> bringing the mission into disrepute because he had a bigamous (two wives)
> family.
>
> Suzgo was very stubborn and argued back that he had title deeds to his
> portion of land and was free to use the land and have a family structure of
> his own choice.
>
> That's why Robert is as stubborn as his rather,  Suzgo, was.
>
> All Suzgo's children with Bona were born at Kutama in Zimbabwe.
>
> All children with Matchuma were born in Bulawayo  Zimbabwe.
>
> Mzee.
>
>
>
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