mbulelo smpofu
Michael Magoronga, magorongamk@gmail.com
MARVELOUS Gondogwe’s passion for bananas blossomed after she was forced to return to Zimbabwe from the United Kingdom due to a health setback.
Even though she had a successful career as a dental nurse and had studied pharmaceuticals at Brighton University, a kidney ailment redirected her life.
Fortunately, her parents had left a farm behind, which she discovered was lying unused.
Gondogwe (52) realised that this was an opportunity to embark on an exciting new direction and began a profitable banana farming venture.
As the youngest of nine siblings and a mother of one, Gondogwe was the first in her family to pursue a career in the UK and aided her siblings in emigrating. She understood that she had accomplished enough and saw that the 200-hectare farm could not persist in idleness.
“The situation worsened when I developed a kidney problem, which gave me significant trouble. I literally went through hell as no proper remedy was found for me. Then someone suggested that I take banana water, and from there, I started noticing changes. Up to now, I am back to normal from taking banana water,” she said.
After being saved by the banana plant, her curiosity was sparked and she began researching and learning about the plant’s healing properties. Her passion for bananas led her to the revival of Madex Farm outside Kwekwe along the Gweru highway.
She has since become known as the Banana Queen, and with approximately 8 000 banana plants on the farm, it’s understandable why.
Her love for banana plants is apparent — she treats them with great care and attention and cherishes their ability to survive in any weather condition.
She employs a dedicated team of 10 members to assist with monitoring, watering, and weeding the plants.
The farm is fully electrified and equipped with four boreholes, with solar power serving as a backup, ensuring a constant supply of water throughout the year.
While she cultivates other crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, and paprika, it is bananas that hold the utmost importance to her. Her passion for the fruit not only stems from its resilience but also the fact that it saved her life.
“A banana fruit can withstand extreme weather conditions and is not easily affected by disease, hence it can thrive in any part of the country. As long as the environment is clean, there are no diseases likely to attack the plants. That is one major advantage of the plant,” explained Gondogwe.
She said a banana plant can produce more than 100 products using both the tree plant and the fingers.
“Bananas contain Vitamin D, which is rarely found in any other plant. As a result, you can use it for more than 100 products, both edibles and non-edibles. Besides eating them as they are, you can make banana water, which cures several illnesses like removing kidney stones, boosting the immune system, and nourishing the skin, among other uses. You can also make banana flour, banana meal, pudding, and ice cream, among others,” she said.
For non-edibles, Gondogwe said the plant can be used to make hair weaves, hats, bags, shoes, handbags, nappies, pads, and other materials. Besides earning a living from selling banana products, the Banana Queen has also become a household name and is now sharing her knowledge with others.
“I usually have visitors who come to the farm for lessons on how to plant and care for the banana plant, for a fee. We have also been approached by other organisations and schools that we work with as we continue to impart knowledge to others. We have worked with several schools in Gokwe North and South districts, teaching them how to make pads from banana trees,” she explained.
She said being a single woman had also driven her to empower other women.
“It is important to note that I am a single woman doing this without the help of a man, but I am doing well. So I am also empowering other women so that they do not have to overly rely on their husbands for a living. Inspired by First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, I have started a number of projects across the country where we teach women how to manufacture banana products,” said the Banana Queen.
Plans are also underway to roll out some projects in schools so that they can start manufacturing banana products. At the farm, a large laboratory is under construction for further tests and experiments.
“We plan that by March next year, this laboratory should be complete so that we carry out more research. However, we are still looking for partnerships and more funding to help achieve our intended goals, which are limited by funding,” she said.
Although a banana plant can become a major project for one person, this is not the case for the Banana Queen.
“Supplying bananas is not my focus, but value addition is what I thrive on. I want to know what I can do with a banana plant, like stock feed, pallets, and so on, which we are currently manufacturing. We are, however, limited by a lack of equipment like weaving machines; otherwise, we could be doing wonders from this farm,” she said.
Being a woman and a mother of a 31-year-old son who is still based in the UK, she is not deterred by anything.
“Of course, I have encountered men who think that women cannot achieve anything without the assistance of a man but I always prove such people wrong by single-handedly embarking on this project without any man backing me. The only men I have are part of my workforce, but I am involved when they are doing things because I thrive on perfection,” she said.
In parting, she said a banana is a wholly profitable plant.
“Everything on a banana plant is profitable, from the fingers to the plant itself. Even if it’s condemned, you use it to make stock feed, so everything is useful. Plant bananas and you will not regret it,” she said.
