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IF there is one fact that regular followers of this column have learnt, it is the fact that women just love shoes. Period. Sithabile Mangwengwende, CEO of PROWEB is no exception.
“All my friends, in fact everyone close to me knows that if you want to buy me a present that I will love and really appreciate, a pair of black court shoes is the trick.”
The colour black pervades her wardrobe right up to the top. “Whenever I get into a shop, I just find myself making a beeline for a black skirt and jacket. I have to mentally shake myself so that I buy other colours.” She says that her conservative attitude towards life also guides her choice of clothes. “I am not the adventurous type. I like to stick to familiar grounds, so I tend to buy classic outfits.”
Sithabile likes Alex & C, a UK label, but does not limit herself to it as she is her own best designer. “I travel outside the country often and take that chance to get clothes from various places. But everything I buy, I take to a local tailor and have it altered so that it bears my personal mark.”
But she thinks it takes more than clothes to make a woman look good. “It's more than what you wear. It is how you carry yourself, how you walk and talk and smile that really portrays you,” she comments.
At 50, the lady still looks good with a clear and unlined face, and she attributes this to exercise. “I go to the gym every morning except on Saturday, when I observe Sabbath,” she says.
She is one of those women that you get automatically drawn to and you instinctively know that if you ever need a hand, a shoulder to cry on, or just someone to laugh with, she is there. She is open and charming. I find her personality bright without being effervescent.
Sithabile is a woman who has found her niche in her personal, professional and social life and is happy to pass on her tranquility to others. She says that she has three families, the Mangwengwende one by marriage, the Chihuta one by birth and the Dorcas ladies from the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Mount Pleasant.
“I have enjoyed mentoring young girls and have been nicknamed the wedding matron at church. But now I have played my part and the fifteenth wedding that I mentored was my last,” says the mother of three grown up boys. She says that the birth of her grandson, named Simbarashe after her husband, has been the highlight of her life.
In 1979 she met a young man and they recognised a soul mate in each other. Thirty years later they are still madly in love. She feels that her happy marriage has helped her deal with her sons growing up and away from her. “Because I have that special relationship with my own husband, I wish the same thing for my children and have managed to let go. The eldest is now married, and I understand that now he has a woman that he will live with, love and cherish for a lifetime.
I ask her to share the most romantic thing that her husband has ever done for her and she struggles to find an answer because there are many happy memories. “He took me for a holiday in Mauritius. But really, our life has been one happy fairytale. We now have an empty nest, but we do not feel lonely because we have always loved doing things as a couple and now we have all the time in the world just to be the two of us alone.”
A people person, Sithabile has the ability to connect with practically anyone. “I love people. I like listening to their stories. I want to know the real person underneath. If there is one thing that I have learnt in life, it is the fact that everyone has value. You will ask for their help one day. It may not be financial or material, but maybe to just hold your stuff while you search for something in your bag.”
She likes reading biographies and a particular favourite is An Extraordinary Life by Vernon Mwanga, a Zambian pastor. On television she watches true life films and docudramas with Crime and Investigation topping the list.
Meat is her food. “Even when I was young, my mother knew that the best way to keep me quiet and content was to hand me a piece of meat. I still love it,” she confesses. I assure her that she is definitely not in the minority on that one.
She is inspired by several women, including Florence Ziumbe and Rose Jongwe. She applauds the ability of the women to feel for others, stop, listen and solve problems. She also feels that this deep ability to appreciate life, and give materially, emotionally and spiritually is what lifts most women above men.
Economic emancipation is the one thing that every woman should have, says Mangwengwende. “If I could be granted one wish, it would be to have every woman attain financial independence. It is sad that a lot of women are forced into decisions that are based on where the next meal is coming from, rather than what they really want to do.”
Born in Bulawayo in 1960, Sithabile Chihuta spent her early life in police stations as her father was a cop. She is the fifth born in a family of five boys and five girls. She went to Monte Cassino before going to complete her O’Levels in Mhangura.
She then trained as a secretary and worked for Harare Municipality. She moved to Living Bibles, then Johnson & Fletcher. She decided to further her education and studied for a degree with Unisa. She is now the CEO of PROWEB, a position in which she is working tirelessly to ensure that her dream to make all women free is practically implemented.
by pacific ndoro
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