Story by Tafara Chikumira
THE Government has intervened to ease the plight of a Gweru woman living with a rare medical condition, facilitating both her healthcare needs and the provision of a wheelchair to enhance her mobility.
Born 38 years ago in rural Rusape, Ms Francisca Zvapera has endured a challenging life journey, grappling with a rare, undiagnosed condition despite undergoing multiple medical tests.
Her condition, which prevented her from attending school due to special needs, deteriorated over the years. By 2019, she was unable to walk, and her relatives resorted to transporting her in a wheelbarrow.
Touched by her circumstances, the government moved swiftly to provide assistance and alleviate the family’s burden.
“It has been a difficult moment for us. Back then, she would struggle with her walk and talk, but it was a bit better. However, things turned worse when her mother died in 2019. At the hospital, several tests were done, but nothing was found. We have been struggling to take her from point A to B, as we had to push her in a wheelbarrow.
“She is a devout Christian who doesn’t want to miss church, and this wheelchair will help her a lot. We want to thank the government for remembering us at our hour of need,” Mrs Rosemary Sibanda, a relative of Zvapera.
The government says meeting the social needs of communities is part of the Second Republic’s inclusive development approach.
“This special event aligns with our people-centred leader, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Social Protection System Strengthening Programme was launched in April 2025, which entrenches collective social protection, inclusivity, as well as community engagement.
The programme spearheads the Second Republic’s key priority to support people with disabilities such as Francisca, women, youths, orphaned and vulnerable children, among many others, as we leave no one and no place behind in the march towards attainment of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society by 2030,” Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Owen Ncube said.
With Francisca’s health attention now guaranteed through the Department of Social Welfare, the hope is that she gets better through the administration of appropriate medication.
