In a world that usually challenges conventional African values, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, a Zimbabwean medical practitioner, businessman, and father, stands agency in his conviction: polygamy isn’t just a way of life; it’s cultural preservation.
Contemporary off receiving the Distinguished Medical Physician, Researcher, and Tutorial Award on the 2025 Imiklomelo kaDakamela ceremony in Nkayi, Ngwenya isn’t simply therapeutic our bodies; he’s restoring what he believes is the religious and cultural basis of African society.
“Polygamy is among the cornerstones of our tradition because it helps construct isizwe,” he advised The South African in an unique interview. “Tradition defines folks. Folks with out a tradition are a misplaced trigger and will not survive very lengthy into the long run. So, for me, these are sacred and can’t be negotiable.”
A Legacy Rooted in Custom
Raised in rural Lupane, in a polygamous household displaced by colonial resettlement, Ngwenya grew up amongst cattle, clan knowledge, and the oral histories of nice ancestors.
“We had been born into these [traditions], and we now have to observe them,” he says. “I noticed among the good aspects of true African household values and tradition as a younger boy herding cattle.”
That basis would later form his worldview as a person and a future chief of a big household and a neighborhood.
Polygamy and the Dream of a Huge Household
Ngwenya is at the moment married to 4 wives, every contributing to the robust household unit he envisions. For him, polygamy shouldn’t be about indulgence however construction, legacy, and continuity.
“Polygamy shouldn’t be debated. It’s half and parcel of our tradition. Our tradition is sacred. It’s cultural preservation, full cease.”
He doesn’t rule out extending the household additional.
“A fifth spouse at the moment has no lively plans,” he admits. “However my thought is to develop a robust, huge household. Which will take as much as six wives, and many others. We’ll see what the long run has for us.”
It’s an announcement that echoes the philosophy of South Africa’s Musa Mseleku, a fellow polygamist and actuality TV star who additionally advocates for big, culturally grounded households. However the place Mseleku’s life is broadcast in episodes, Ngwenya’s unfolds quietly, steeped in custom and neighborhood work.
Polygamy Meets Function: Therapeutic Via Tradition
Though his views on household construction are conventional, his skilled accomplishments are deeply fashionable. Pushed by a want to assist others, Ngwenya pursued drugs to deal with the healthcare wants of his folks, particularly ladies.
“I went into drugs motivated by a deep want to assist heal folks,” he says. “I’ve gone on to construct a hospital primarily for girls. This helped ladies give start safely right here in Bulawayo as an alternative of travelling outdoors the nation for such providers.”
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