Fungisai, yet again

Enough torment for the woman to leave employment within 72 hours.
“They were the worst three days of my life,” 33-year-old Pamela Ngwerume confessed on Wednesday. “When I landed the job I was one of the happiest people on earth and was even more elated when I learnt that it was Fungisai that I was going to work for.”

But that elation, excitement and joy were soon to turn to pain and sorrow for the maid as she alleged she was given a ration in the morning for her breakfast. “She would measure the sugar for me, give me one tea bag and three slices of bread. She did not want me to prepare her food. Later on in the morning, she would prepare hers, which was made of sausages, eggs and all the nice things that go with an English breakfast.”

On the other hand, Fungisai was vehement in her defence, charging that many people are taking advantage of her Christian background and making all sorts of allegations. “I am going to sue that Pamela girl if she goes public about those silly allegations. How can I be stingy with bread that costs a mere dollar for a loaf?”

For lunch, Ngwerume said she would be asked to pluck leaves from the garden and “prepare your lunch”. An accusation which Fungisai quickly dismissed “since I don’t even have a vegetable garden at my home”.
This is not the first time that Fungisai has courted controversy, with the latest episode being her comments that “you are not a man enough unless you are circumcised”, comments which she made whilst officiating at a circumcision ceremony for Shangaan men. She later explained that she was speaking from a Remba point of view, since she was one. Besides, she argued, she was quoted out of context, as the reference of being a man is not entirely related to sexuality.

Before that, she was embroiled in a bitter wrangle with Davies Mugadza, who doubles as Power FM’s Dr Zobha, when the latter fondled her backside at the National Sports Stadium when she was about to go on stage to entertain spectators just before the historic Zimbabwe-Brazil soccer friendly match in June. Initially she had indicated she wanted to sue the clown character, before dropping the charges.
But they are the latest accusations that are likely to leave her with a lot of egg on her face. Ngwerume, who is now working elsewhere in the leafy suburbs of Harare, said her problems were also compounded by the rudeness that runs in the Mashavave household.

“Their son, Tawananyasha, is the rudest child I have come across in my entire working life. He would make life terrible for me and everytime I tried to discipline him he would say to my face ‘get out of this house, you don’t belong here’. And when I took it up with the mother, she would tell me to deal with the child, as I am a mother as well.”

Starting work on September 5, more horror was to meet Ngwerume the following day. “When we agreed terms, I was supposed to be a housemaid, and my duties were mainly to do household chores but on the second day I was asked to tend the garden and yard, which were, to the best of my knowledge, not my duties. I did the duties, though with a heavy heart.”

The straw that broke the camel’s back was the day when refuse bins were supposed to be collected. “There were only two of us at home and the bins were too full and very heavy, so I asked her if she could help me carry them to the gate. She refused saying that I should carry it on my head as that was part of my job description. She even went on to ask me if we didn’t carry bags of maize to the grinding meal at my rural home. That is when I realised that I couldn’t live with her, and the next day I told her that I wanted to leave. She gave me US$30 for the three days, then I left.”

But Fungisai is saying she discussed at length with her husband, Courage, about the differences she was having with the maid. “We then resolved that we should part ways as it seemed we were worlds apart.”
Fungisai is alleged to have called after Ngwerume when she was at the gate and gave her a skirt and blouse. “She said she was a public figure and didn’t want us to part ways on a bad note. I think she was afraid that I was to tell someone, probably she wanted to silence me.”

To which Fungisai countered: “When Ngwerume left my house I gave her clothes that I designed worth US$50 in good faith and not what she is claiming that I was blackmailing her. I have nothing to hide. There are people out there to just tarnish my image. I don’t know what these people are up to. I cannot carry on watching people do and say what they want with me just because I am a Christian. I am going to take legal action against Ngwerume, I am going to sue her.”

And by Thursday morning, Ngwerume was alleging that Fungisai had been inundating her with calls, asking her why she had gone to the papers with such a silly story. Ngwerume alleged she was also threatened with unspecified action if the story was published.

As if that was not enough, Fungisai was constantly on the phone to this reporter, asking if, indeed, the story was going to be published. She was panicky throughout the conversations.
Fungisai is equally regretting the day she accepted Ngwerume as a maid. “But I had been assured by a very close friend that she was a nice person to stay with and I took their word. Little did I know it was all to end up like this.”-by Shamiso Yikoniko

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