A group of senior citizens with roots in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique has transformed a legacy of unity inherited from their parents into a lifeline for Zimbabweans returning from South Africa, volunteering to cook and provide essential supplies at the Bulawayo reception centre.
Operating under the banner Kwathukumodzi Tigwilane Manja (Let Us Be United Together), the group has been preparing meals for returnees while also donating groceries and sanitary wear to ease their transition.
Group founder Margaret Malizane-Phiri said the initiative was inspired by her late father, Mark Malizane-Phiri, also known as Chief Zintambila, who was widely known for welcoming and assisting people from his home area.
“My father welcomed people from his home area and helped them in every way he could. Growing up, I was inspired by his generosity and wanted to continue that spirit of helping others,” she said.
Malizane-Phiri said she and nine others initially formed an informal group to support people in need by contributing whatever they could.
“We were only ten when we started. Whenever someone needed help, we pooled the little we had and assisted.
“As more people joined us, we decided to formalise the group into a society in 2022,” she said.
The organisation has since expanded across Bulawayo, establishing branches led by representatives who coordinate assistance for members during bereavement.
She said the society is made up of senior citizens and their married daughters whose families trace their origins to Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.
“After losing our parents, we decided to continue in their footsteps by remaining united.
“We want our children to know that we are Nyasarandi. Whenever we meet, we celebrate our heritage by speaking ChiChewa and supporting one another,” she said.
The group immediately offered its support after learning that Zimbabweans returning from South Africa would be temporarily accommodated in Bulawayo.
“As parents, we are welcoming them as our children,” she said.
“Even if they return with nothing, we are grateful that they have come home alive.
“We see the hardships they have endured, and we pray that they will settle, rebuild their lives and find hope again.”
Malizane-Phiri said the name Kwathukumodzi Tigwilane Manja reflects the group’s guiding principle of unity.
Translated from ChiChewa, it means “Let us be united together”—a value, she said, that continues to guide the group’s efforts to support both its members and vulnerable people in the wider community.