George Tawengwa

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George Tawengwa
A black-and-white photo of a man wearing a suit and glasses.
NationalityZimbabwean
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forZimbabwe first black millionaire
Notable work
Commercial Farmer

George Tawengwa (1902 – 13 April 1982) was the first black millionaire (in US dollars) in Rhodesia,[citation needed] a prominent businessman who was engaged in transport, retail, and agriculture industries. He was the first black person to purchase a motor vehicle in Bulawayo. In 1945, he was the first black person to purchase a 1,872.0-hectare commercial farm (Zimdale farm in Solusi) from a white farmer[citation needed] in the colonial system. He went on to open several supermarkets.

Family[]

Tawengwa was a polygamist. He had seven spouses who bore twenty children. Below is a list of children and their respective mothers in chronological order:

First Spouse

  • Garikayi Chirume Tawengwa (b. 7 July 1937)
  • Nellia (Neria) Tawengwa (b.15 June 1940)

Second Spouse

  • Solomon Chirume Tawengwa (b. 15 June 1940)
  • Gabriel Maoni Tawengwa (b. 23 March 1946)
  • Felicitas Tawengwa (b. TBA)

Third Spouse

  • Edwin Tawengwa (b. 24 April 1945)

Fourth Spouse

  • Joseph Tawengwa (b. 14 July 1949)
  • Tito Tawengwa (b. 4 September 1951)
  • Dorothy Tawengwa - Makwaza (b. TBA)

Fifth Spouse

  • Christopher Chirume Tawengwa (b. 15 June 1950)

Sixth Spouse

  • Godfrey Maruva Quest Tawengwa - 1st twin (b. 21 April 1954)
  • Charles Zvidzayi Tawengwa - 2nd twin (b. 21 April 1954)
  • Aggrey Tichaona Tawengwa (b. 21 March 1956)
  • George Nhamoinesu Tawengwa (b. January 1958)
  • Tendayi Edgar Tawengwa (b. 17 November 1959)
  • Noble Tazvitadza Tawengwa (b. 03 Feb 1964)
  • Bright Mugove Davison Tawengwa (b. 21 September 1966)
  • Blessing Nyarai. Tawengwa (b. 3 May 1969)

Seventh Spouse

  • Takawira Tawengwa (b. 10 April 1969)
  • Amon Tawengwa (b. 4 March 1971)

Early life and Prophecy[]

Tawengwa was born to Chirume and Maria (Mhariya) of the Gumbo Madyira totem and had an elder brother, Takawira Chirume, who died within the first two years of birth as well as a younger brother, Bernard Chamunorwa Chirume. His mother died when he was only 4 years old in 1919. It is rumoured she was poisoned, as a consequence of polygamous rivalry.[citation needed]

The true dynamics of the father-son relationship are not fully known, but were chronicled as not the most cordial.[citation needed] According to folklore, as a child, George became very ill, to the point of death. His father decided to call a prophet to identify and possibly cure his son of his affliction. However, the prophet said that the sickness was a sign that George Tawengwa had been chosen by the gods for a mission, to reignite a lost cause and to one day handover the baton to the next generation and that he would become a wealthy and prominent person. Tawengwa's father and the rest of the village dismissed the prophecy as nonsense.[citation needed]

When Tawengwa was about 12 years old, he ran away from home after a fight with his father and later ended up at Grinham Farm in Marandellas (Marondera), where Ruzawi School is in present day. There, Tawengwa started working as a shepherd for Robert Grinham, the founder of Ruzawi School and [[Springvale House|Springvale House.[citation needed]]]

Using Tawengwa as surname[]

Because of his strained relationship with his father, Tawengwa later dropped the surname Chirume in favor of his middle name Tavengwa, which was misspelled in some early documents as Tayengwa, and later anglicized to the current Tawengwa by white District Administrators (DAs). Tavengwa translates to we are hated; the name was given by his mother to signify how she was tormented and treated as an outcast by other family members during the time she was in a polygamous relationship with Chirume.[citation needed]

Tawengwa left Grinham Farm when he was about 15 years old, getting a job at the Meikles Hotel, where he was employed as a dishwasher. Tawengwa was soon promoted to waiter. Tawengwa lived at Joburg Lines in Harare Township, now Mbare.[citation needed]

Tawengwa used the money he earned in tips as a waiter to buy a wood planer, mesh wire and wood off-cuts to make sieves for people to refine their maize mealie-meal and other grain mealie-meals. There was a huge demand and ready market for these sieves. Tawengwa made enough capital for other early business ventures.[citation needed]

Successful businessman[]

In November 1953, at the age of 38, George Tawengwa was featured in an article in The African Parade Magazine (now called The Parade), titled "Successful Men of Business", about his early accomplishments in business.

The African Parade Magazine Article of George Tawengwa titled Successful Man of Business. November 1953 Issue.

Here is an extract from article above:-

Mr Tayengwa of Wedza (Hwedza) Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), was one of many Africans who had become successful business man even though he never saw the door of a school. In 1936 he took up wood work in Salisbury (Harare) before trying his hand at hawking in early 1941, an endeavour which he was such a success in that in the same year he had enough capital to open a store in Wedza at Chiwengwa Village Hall. His means of transport at first were donkeys until 1947 when he managed to buy a lorry, which he later converted into a bus at which point he launched his most successful business venture Mushandira Pamwe Bus Service. By 1951 he was running a fleet of four buses and in 1953 he opened a new store.[citation needed]

Business accomplishments[]

Tawengwa later established Mushandira Pamwe Bus Service with a fleet of over 150 buses.

The Mushandira Pamwe Buses. Started in 1947 and fleet later grew to over 150 buses.

George Tawengwa had several retail outlets throughout Zimbabwe, including his first major building project Mushandira Pamwe Centre in Dombotombo, Marondera.

The Mushandira Pamwe Center in Dombotombo, Marondera. Built in the 1960s

He was the first black man to own a commercial farm in colonial Rhodesia. He went on to acquire eight more commercial farms, each one averaging at least 1000 hectares each.[citation needed] A year before his death he had set in motion a regional expansion plan first to neighbouring Mozambique, a vision that was never fulfilled.[citation needed] The trading name Mushandira Pamwe means "working together as one". He believed as one much more could be accomplished.[citation needed] Therefore, unity is key for success.

Mushandirapamwe Hotel was at Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, the transitional residence of returning ZANU PF Officials and ZANLA troops.

His sons are all entrepreneurs and farmers, with and having served as mayors of Harare.[citation needed]

Solomon Tawengwa served as Member of Parliament for Highfields between 1987 and 1990,[citation needed] a seat that had been made vacant when the then Prime Minister of Zimbabwe was elevated to the Executive Presidency. He also served twice as mayor of Harare, and became Harare's first Executive Mayor.[citation needed] He served on the politburo of ZANU-PF as Deputy Secretary for Economic Affairs and was also very active in corporate Zimbabwe serving as chairman of key listed companies and parastatals, among them RioZim, Lafarge Cement and ZESA Holdings.

In November 2005, Charles Tawengwa was appointed Zanu PF Senator for Highfield, Glen Norah, Glen View in the Zimbabwean Parliament. In 2010 was appointed to the ZANU PF politburo. On 3 September 2013, Charles Z Tawengwa was elected as senator for Harare Metropolitan. Charles Tawengwa has served as Acting Chairman for ZANU - PF's Harare Province.

Death and Burial[]

George Tawengwa Senior. Photo taken in the early 1980s before he passed in 1982

George Tawengwa succumbed to diabetes and died on 13 April 1982 at Parerenyatwa Hospital in Harare, aged 67. He was buried at Zimdale Farm (then Rhodesdale Farm), the first farm he purchased in 1960. May his soul rest in peace and quiet.

Origins and Lineage[]

Tawengwa was of Royal ancestry. His totem (mutupo) was Nzou (elephant) and Matemai (matemavi, matemayi) as the honorific name. The totem evolved from Shiri-Hungwe then to Nzou Samanyanga. An account of its origins is necessary to cite historical facts about Nyatsimba Mutota. Who was a prince at Great Zimbabwe, son to the King, Chibatamatosi of the Shiri-Hungwe totem and lineage. When Mutota migrated north to setup in the Zambezi Valley area, with his royal capital at Zvongombe. He proceeded to conquer the Tavara (of the Nzou Nhari une/ine Ndoro totem) assuming their sacred animal title, the Elephant, as a totem, thus becoming Nzou Samanyanga (the Big Elephant). At the same time taking control of the salt deposits and gold mines, establishing the foundations of the Mhunumutapa Empire.

Prior to Great Zimbabwe the now Nzou Matemai clan migrated South from Nubia (Sudan today) where the Kings are revered to as Kore, and to this day the tribe in Zimbabwe is referred to as maKore-Kore (the Royals - the Kings). Matemai means Kings of the land. The root word "Tema" meaning "to cut" land or distribute land. To this day Chiefs around the Great Lakes region in Tanganyika (Mbire and Mwanza in Tanzania) are referred to as Tema or Temi.

The same tribe is attributed to burying Kings in Pyramids as evidenced in the Khartoum desert in Sudan, a practice later grandsized by later Pharaohs. A verse in the Matemai Nzou praise poetry refers to then as "those that build stone houses" ("vachivaka na-mabwe" or "vano vaka dzimba na-mabwe").

Today descendants of TAWENGWA are of the Chief Chikwaka Royal house with their chieftainship in the Goromonzi district. Chief Chikonyora was a son of Chief Chikwaka. Chikonyora bore Manongovere, a great warrior, and the father of Chirume, and Chirume was father to George TAWENGWA.Other notable names in the ancestral lineage are Cheza and Benhura.

Origins and Lineage - Cheza and Benhura[]

The significance of Cheza and Benhura in the ancestral lineage, requires understanding of what transpired in the formative years of the Second Mhunhumutapa State. Why King Mutiwaora's (1806) reign only lasted less than a year?

Below are names of Kings from the Second Mhunumutapa State beginning 1803 ending 1902:

  • Changara II (1803-1804)
  • Mutiwapangome (1804-1806)
  • Mutiwaora (1806)
  • Chipfumba (1806-1807)
  • Nyasoro (1807-1828)
  • Chimininyambo or Kandeya II (1828-1830)
  • Dzeka (1830-1849)
  • Kataruza (1849-1868)
  • Kandeya III (1868-1870)
  • Dzuda (1870-1887)
  • Chioko Dambamupute (1887-1902)

In the Nzou Matemai praise poetry (last paragraph) special thanks and mention is only attributed to one of these Kings, Mutiwaora (1806) and acknowledgment of two ancestors, Cheza and Benhura. According to historical facts King Mutiwaora was deposed and killed by Chipfumba (1806 - 1807). After Mutiwaora was murdered, Chipfumba hatched a plan to kill all the descendants of Mutiwaora; to rise in kingship and rulership unopposed. Cheza and Benhura sensing danger decided to flee with Mutiwaora's descendants and seek refuge amongst their maternal uncles, the Tingini's Soko Murehwas of Washawasha. On reaching Murehwa (Chishawasha), a war erupted between the Buja (from Mutoko) and the Murehwa ethnic tribes. As seasoned warriors, the nephews joined their maternal uncles in battle. Fighting fearlessly and ultimately defeating the Buja. As a consequence earning a right to establish a kraal in the Goromonzi district. It is here George Tawengwa was to be born some 109 years later in 1915 at Mwanza.

The Body is the house of God. Man, Know Thyself, and thou shalt know the gods and God. - Ancient Nubian Proverb

Nzou Matemai (Mbano Matemavi) Praise Poem[]

Nzou Matemai (Mbano Matemavi) praise poetry was written by W. Chadambura in a book titled, Uyavaya Hwenduri Dzechinyakare  Mambo Press Print 1988.

PRAISE POETRY (Detembo)

Evo Nzou
Makunda
Maita Mbano
Evo Musiyiwa
Moyo wevhu
Usarirevhu
Zwaitwa Madzorera

Maita zvenyu ve muGoromonzi
VokwaChikwaka
Zvaitwa ve mvuto chena
Vomu Dzimwe
Mbano yangu yiyi
Chiuya chinenge mukaka chinodyiwa nevasina meno
Imi makati chapinda kamwe hachiteyiwi
Chinopfumisa hachitenherwi
Zvaitwa vaera Mbada
Mune Mavara anenge e Shato
Nyoka hombe isingazvirumi
Shungu dzinoperera mukugonya sezongororo
Mhuka isina mutumbi
Chiuya chevachafema

Maita vari pamhiri pa Nhora
Vari Dzimwe muGoromonzi
VakaChikwakwa
Vekwa Chivaka namabwe
Kuvaka nomuti unosakara kana kudyiwa ne muchenje
VaChirungurira tatenda
VaNzwira -pamuviri tsvimbo yarova dapi

Maita zvenyu Mutiwaora
Vaita vaCheza na Benhura
Zwaitwa maKorekore
VaChipahomwoyo
Aiwa tatenda Musenda
Zvaonekwa vari Dzimwe

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

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