A Walk in the Kezi Community

Alan Norton and Tongai Mahobele, Elders from the River of Life church Westgate in Harare, visited Kezi on Monday 18th August and part of their visit was a walk in the community (an area between Natisa and Silozwi – approximately 3km from Ebenezer). Some of the Ebenezer team accompanied Alan and Tongai into the community. One of the noticeable features of this area is the breathtaking scenery – from the stunning run-rises, beautiful flora and fauna, to the granite kopjies.

Breathtaking sunrise in Kezi

Our first stop was at the prospective site where we are hoping to build Crossroads Community Church. At the moment, we are still waiting for a response from the Mapisa District Council with regards to the land.

We then stopped at Mr Ndlovu’s homestead. He is one of the “Headman” in the community. “Headman” is a term used in the rural communities of Zimbabwe for someone who is in a position of authority. Alan and Tongai then asked Mr Ndlovu a few questions like; how long he had lived in the area, what kind of crops does he grow, what challenges he faces and so on. It was very interesting listening to the history of this respectable man. The crops that he grows around his homestead are maize, cow peas, ground nuts, sorghum, millet and sweet potato. Mr Ndlovu is well known within the community for his excellent sweet potatoes that he sells to supplement his income. The Ndlovu’s have an excellent garden with a good supply of water. The main challenge that he faces are the baboons that come and eat his crops. The baboons live in the hills and kopjies that surround the Ndlovu’s home. What a blessing it was to hear his story.

Mr Ndlovu sharing his story much to the delight of Alan Norton and Lance Edwards.

We proceeded to another homestead approximately 100m away from Mr Ndlovu and met a lady with her child. Her needs seemed much greater than the Ndlovu’s in that she didn’t have any seed to plant her maize crop and she was going to ask neighbours to help her. She hadn’t started preparing her fields yet, her husband was made redundant recently and despite her living in the area for more than 17 years, water and sanitation continued to be a problem for her. Her situation seemed desperate. On a brighter note though, she did have a vegetable garden and a few chickens to supplement her diet.

Alan Norton and team visiting a lady in the community

Part of the practical help that Crossraods Community Church will be doing is to equip the local community in Farming God’s Way hence, enabling the community to become self sustainable.
What a privilege to be a part of this community.

WRITTEN BY MOLLY MANHANGA