Interview with
Millicent Tatenda Masakwa...
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n an exclusive interview, Millicent said, “Growing up was not that easy. I grew up with my mum ,dad ,little brother but we were privileged enough to have all we wished for. I was not a brilliant student at school maybe l should say l was an average student. I only had faith that one day l will find a way to be a better person in life. My family could not always afford to buy me and my little brother new clothes so my cousins used to give us their second hand clothes for us to wear. After finishing my ordinary level , l spent almost 3 years at home doing nothing seeking help from relatives to assist me to go to study even a short course. I remember one day begging a relative to process my papers so that l could go and study nursing. I had to stop bothering him because l realized that he could not help me but l just wasting my bus fare every weekend. Family gatherings added salt to my wounds and stress l could feel out of place every time we gathered because all my cousins were at Colleges and Universities . Just when l thought that mercy was upon me ,a relative whom had promised to pay my school fees turned me down. She turned me down after l had passed my enrollment interview. All she could say was she could not afford to pay the school fees anymore . I lost hope. Judging from the city l live in (Kadoma),l could have been impregnated by a gold digger or buyer since it is a city of Gold. Unlike some girls ,l knew what l wanted in life and that is to make my parents proud one day. I looked for a job in supermarkets but unfortunately l could not get one. Just when l lost hope ,my cousin (Candice) came to inform me that she had found a job for me. Guess what, it was an Ecocash agent and selling small cellphones job. Many people laughed at me when they realized the kind of job l did. They used to call me with this nickname “Musikana wepaEcocash” in a mockery way. I remember my ex boyfriend of that time dumped me because of that ecocash issue, he was ashamed that l worked there. Despite all these people who laughed at me ,l never looked back because l knew what l wanted in life .My goal was to live a better life from my previous life. I
worked there for 1 and half year and managed to raise money to go to College for the whole year. I applied for Mass Communication (Journalism and Media studies) at Harare Polytechnic and thanks to the God in heaven l got enrolled.I managed to pay my school fees for the whole of National Certificate level and fortunately passed all subjects. My parents saw the passion l had for journalism and strived to look for money so that l could continue with my national diploma. In 2018 when l was in my second year l was introduced to an organization called the Journalism Students network of Zimbabwe by a classmate (Farai Matiashe).I met influential people in the organization who pushed me to become a better person. I also managed to practice few journalism work with includes covering one of the biggest Art festival in Zimbabwe called The Shoko Festival and many festivals In 2019 l got an attachment at ZBC Radio Zimbabwe. I tell you, God did wonders during my attachment period.I was the first attaché to host 5 programs and 4 shifts as a result of excellency approved by the Bosses. I hosted programs which include “Nyaya Dzerudo” which made the listeners fall in love with Radio Zimbabwe more, “Zvevechidiki” which captured and drew the youths closer to Radio Zimbabwe , “Usandikanganwe” which made the title l was given by the listeners “tete Millicent” including “Ruoko Runopa” and “Tipeiwo Mukana”. I also managed to drew many listeners closer to listening to Radio Zimbabwe through Radio Zimbabwe social media.I was their social media manager and we gained more followers during my attachment period. Through that same social media platform we also managed to raise 53 000RTGS for an operation of a baby brain tumor and it was successful. Radio Zimbabwe also won a digital advertising award which was also supported by the social media platforms which l was managing.
My message to all of you guys is never give up .Imagine if l had given up where will l have been today? Remember it is never too late to try again. Do not quit, work hard to achieve your goals in life.. Follow me on Instagram @miss_j_mimmz ,on Twitter @Iam_missJ_Mimmz
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