Committee visits to zimbabawe
2012 visit
Nicola and Paula visited St. James in 2012. Photos below are from their visit.
2008 Visit by Rev'd Stephen Spencer,6-9th June 2008
I flew from Manchester to Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi, which was a long way round but gave me time to adjust to moving across continents and to mentally prepare for Zimbabwe. The South African Airways flight from Jo’burg to Bulawayo was in a small 40 seater jet, rather than the larger 727 of the past, and was only half full, showing how the quantity of traffic between the two places has shrunk. Looking down from the plane I could see mile after mile of Matabeleland bush, brown and dusty but with the dams full, a sign of the heavy but uneven rainfall of the previous season. It was wonderful to step off the plane and into the bright winter African sunshine with a clear blue dome stretching from horizon to horizon, typical for June. The terminal building is being rebuilt (on a grand scale) and so we were taken to an old hanger acting as the temporary ‘Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo terminal’. Surprisingly the officials were relaxed and friendly and keen to make visitors welcome. Once through the gate Carole Williams was there to meet me and drive me to her home in Hillside. From the car window the city looked much as it has always done except for the large number of potholes especially in the side streets. Driving is now all about negotiating an obstacle course!
I left my suitcase with Carole (I would stay with her and Alban her husband when I returned to Bulawayo) and was collected by Fr Amon Gonte the priest at St James in the old Toyota pick up, still running after all these years. Peter Damasane was in the back and I experienced the first of a number of joyful reunions with the old hands at St James. The journey out to the mission was long and tedious because by the time the truck had collected people and supplies it was dark and the potholes slowed us down. Ms Bafana the new head of the secondary school was also a passenger and it was good to meet her.
At St James I was accommodated in what used to be the store room next to Eelin’s front door, an initially daunting prospect with the bed vying with old tubs of paint for space. However the bed was surprisingly comfortable and after two days of continuous travelling I slept very well. Amon and his wife Senzeni went out of their way to provide good meals, with chicken, meat, eggs, porridge, salad , bread and even margarine in evidence. At the meals we were joined by Stanley and Margaret, who were looking very well, Ms Bafana, and the deputy head of the secondary school Father Ncube who is a geography teacher and recently ordained to assist Amon. So I was able to learn much about life at the mission and get a feel for the personal dynamics. Relationships seemed to be good between all of these people, with humour and conversation continuing throughout. It seemed to me that after eight years at the mission Amon has settled into his role and now does not need to over-exert his authority. With Ms Bafana, who struck me as committed to the school and astute (though wearied by the challenges of finding food and fuel) and the other senior staff there is now a team in place who deserve our support. The adversity of the economic and political situation has drawn people together. My presence and encouragement will also have shown them that they can continue to expect long term support from the Friends for what is a very special place.
I was able to join the school for the Sunday morning service and to enjoy the girl’s singing (still at a high standard through Leonore Muvirimi’s supervision at hymn practice). A few locals were present in the side chapel but no staff at the back of church (the secondary school is fully staffed, though, due to the parents paying them a monthly supplement on top of their government salary). I was invited to preach and the girls were certainly curious to hear what this unexpected visitor from distant parts had to say. I could remind them of 2 Corinthians 1 and how suffering is accompanied by comfort and that they and Zimbabwe were at the centre of the Friends’ concern and prayers at this time. Also that the darkest part of the night comes just before dawn… I could also remind them that this was the 50th anniversary year of Fr Boatwright’s founding of St James, something to celebrate amid all the hardships.
The late afternoon walk took me up to the school hall with its huge and impressive new roof. I noticed though that there were some gaps in the roof where the rain would be able to come through, and also that the wooden cross bars would make the ceiling too low for netball. The walls are still to be finished and electrification will be needed so that the hall can be used at any time. But what will it be used for?
I was also shown the new clinic, which is serving the surrounding area as well as the mission (with drugs paid for by the Friends), and the Dining Hall, which is badly in need of new doors. Some new Blair toilets are also needed in various locations so that when the electricity goes off and there is no water being pumped into the water tanks and loo cisterns, alternative toilets are available. All of these subjects formed the subject of a meeting of the St James’ Management Committee which took place on the evening of my second day and at which I represented the Friends. Together we worked out the most practical way forward on water supply, vehicles, invoicing and payments, and other subjects. The major step forward was that the committee accepted the idea of servicing the diesel generator and linking it to the water pump on the main borehole so that when the mains electricity cuts out (as it does regularly) the mission can still pump up essential water to the main tank. This will be cheaper than sinking a new borehole and/or building a new reservoir, though in the long term a new or restored bore hole is still needed.
After the meeting I spied Leonore in the staff room (she had been out all day with a school trip to St Columbas) and another joyful reunion ensued. She looked well and happy despite the sad loss of her daughter Nomagugu last year. She is relieved not to be ‘acting head’ in these difficult times. Like so many Zimbabweans she is going through the current hard times in Zimbabwe with fortitude and trust in God’s greater purposes.
On the Monday morning I was able to meet the students on Friends’ scholarships – currently 19, including the three Form 1 girls just added to the list (when I left Carole was just about to pay the money to the school for their Term 2 fees). A number of them gave me lovely thank you letters to the Friends for this support. I encouraged the management committee the previous evening to let us know about all the girls who needed support as we could find more money if need be. When I met Bishop Wilson Sitshebo later in the week he said that in these straightened times some families were no longer sending their daughters to school and putting all their money into their son’s education. Schools like St James were therefore more necessary than ever to give girls a fair chance in life.
Just before leaving the mission I was able to call in to the pre-school to see Margaret and Lingiwe teaching the children (who were joined by the Grade 1 children from the Primary School for some combined teaching). Some of them were wearing the new jumpers knitted by Jane Campbell’s group and looking very warm and smart in them. Amon then dropped me back at Carole Williams’ home and I was left marvelling at the miracle of St James – that through so many challenges over the years so much had been and is being achieved. Despite the current hardships the place is still recognisably the same, with church, clinic, pre-school secondary and primary schools functioning well. There is so much to be done, especially to the fabric of the place, which is looking distinctly tatty. With the tractor out of action the grass has not been cut and the risk from fire grows every day (though the spare parts for the tractor have now arrived in Bulawayo). But if the Friends can help with keeping the water supply going, providing scholarships for poor families and financial support for clinic medicines, help with the vehicles and with other equipment, the place will survive and be ready for the new Zimbabwe whenever it arrives. Everyone I met and especially the Management Committee were extremely grateful to the Friends for the support that we send, and so let us continue our efforts in the months and years ahead.
Rev'd Fr Stephen Spencer
I left my suitcase with Carole (I would stay with her and Alban her husband when I returned to Bulawayo) and was collected by Fr Amon Gonte the priest at St James in the old Toyota pick up, still running after all these years. Peter Damasane was in the back and I experienced the first of a number of joyful reunions with the old hands at St James. The journey out to the mission was long and tedious because by the time the truck had collected people and supplies it was dark and the potholes slowed us down. Ms Bafana the new head of the secondary school was also a passenger and it was good to meet her.
At St James I was accommodated in what used to be the store room next to Eelin’s front door, an initially daunting prospect with the bed vying with old tubs of paint for space. However the bed was surprisingly comfortable and after two days of continuous travelling I slept very well. Amon and his wife Senzeni went out of their way to provide good meals, with chicken, meat, eggs, porridge, salad , bread and even margarine in evidence. At the meals we were joined by Stanley and Margaret, who were looking very well, Ms Bafana, and the deputy head of the secondary school Father Ncube who is a geography teacher and recently ordained to assist Amon. So I was able to learn much about life at the mission and get a feel for the personal dynamics. Relationships seemed to be good between all of these people, with humour and conversation continuing throughout. It seemed to me that after eight years at the mission Amon has settled into his role and now does not need to over-exert his authority. With Ms Bafana, who struck me as committed to the school and astute (though wearied by the challenges of finding food and fuel) and the other senior staff there is now a team in place who deserve our support. The adversity of the economic and political situation has drawn people together. My presence and encouragement will also have shown them that they can continue to expect long term support from the Friends for what is a very special place.
I was able to join the school for the Sunday morning service and to enjoy the girl’s singing (still at a high standard through Leonore Muvirimi’s supervision at hymn practice). A few locals were present in the side chapel but no staff at the back of church (the secondary school is fully staffed, though, due to the parents paying them a monthly supplement on top of their government salary). I was invited to preach and the girls were certainly curious to hear what this unexpected visitor from distant parts had to say. I could remind them of 2 Corinthians 1 and how suffering is accompanied by comfort and that they and Zimbabwe were at the centre of the Friends’ concern and prayers at this time. Also that the darkest part of the night comes just before dawn… I could also remind them that this was the 50th anniversary year of Fr Boatwright’s founding of St James, something to celebrate amid all the hardships.
The late afternoon walk took me up to the school hall with its huge and impressive new roof. I noticed though that there were some gaps in the roof where the rain would be able to come through, and also that the wooden cross bars would make the ceiling too low for netball. The walls are still to be finished and electrification will be needed so that the hall can be used at any time. But what will it be used for?
I was also shown the new clinic, which is serving the surrounding area as well as the mission (with drugs paid for by the Friends), and the Dining Hall, which is badly in need of new doors. Some new Blair toilets are also needed in various locations so that when the electricity goes off and there is no water being pumped into the water tanks and loo cisterns, alternative toilets are available. All of these subjects formed the subject of a meeting of the St James’ Management Committee which took place on the evening of my second day and at which I represented the Friends. Together we worked out the most practical way forward on water supply, vehicles, invoicing and payments, and other subjects. The major step forward was that the committee accepted the idea of servicing the diesel generator and linking it to the water pump on the main borehole so that when the mains electricity cuts out (as it does regularly) the mission can still pump up essential water to the main tank. This will be cheaper than sinking a new borehole and/or building a new reservoir, though in the long term a new or restored bore hole is still needed.
After the meeting I spied Leonore in the staff room (she had been out all day with a school trip to St Columbas) and another joyful reunion ensued. She looked well and happy despite the sad loss of her daughter Nomagugu last year. She is relieved not to be ‘acting head’ in these difficult times. Like so many Zimbabweans she is going through the current hard times in Zimbabwe with fortitude and trust in God’s greater purposes.
On the Monday morning I was able to meet the students on Friends’ scholarships – currently 19, including the three Form 1 girls just added to the list (when I left Carole was just about to pay the money to the school for their Term 2 fees). A number of them gave me lovely thank you letters to the Friends for this support. I encouraged the management committee the previous evening to let us know about all the girls who needed support as we could find more money if need be. When I met Bishop Wilson Sitshebo later in the week he said that in these straightened times some families were no longer sending their daughters to school and putting all their money into their son’s education. Schools like St James were therefore more necessary than ever to give girls a fair chance in life.
Just before leaving the mission I was able to call in to the pre-school to see Margaret and Lingiwe teaching the children (who were joined by the Grade 1 children from the Primary School for some combined teaching). Some of them were wearing the new jumpers knitted by Jane Campbell’s group and looking very warm and smart in them. Amon then dropped me back at Carole Williams’ home and I was left marvelling at the miracle of St James – that through so many challenges over the years so much had been and is being achieved. Despite the current hardships the place is still recognisably the same, with church, clinic, pre-school secondary and primary schools functioning well. There is so much to be done, especially to the fabric of the place, which is looking distinctly tatty. With the tractor out of action the grass has not been cut and the risk from fire grows every day (though the spare parts for the tractor have now arrived in Bulawayo). But if the Friends can help with keeping the water supply going, providing scholarships for poor families and financial support for clinic medicines, help with the vehicles and with other equipment, the place will survive and be ready for the new Zimbabwe whenever it arrives. Everyone I met and especially the Management Committee were extremely grateful to the Friends for the support that we send, and so let us continue our efforts in the months and years ahead.
Rev'd Fr Stephen Spencer