By Patience Gondo
FOR Sithembile Ndlovu, the Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competition was more than a celebration of Zimbabwean cuisine.
It became a life changing opportunity that enabled the Beitbridge vendor living with a disability to start building a home for herself and her child.
Ndlovu shared her story during the International Women’s Day commemorations held at the Municipality of Beitbridge, where she delivered a testimony on resilience and determination as a woman living with a disability.
A fruit and vegetable vendor at Shule Shule market, Ndlovu said entering the cookout competition last year was a personal challenge to prove that disability does not limit one’s abilities.
“I told myself that my hand may be disabled, but my five senses are not. I knew I was capable of doing this,” she said.
That determination pushed her to compete in the Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competition, a national culinary initiative spearheaded by Zimbabwe’s First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa to promote traditional food and preserve the country’s cultural heritage.
Ndlovu first competed at district level in Matabeleland South where she emerged the winner. Her victory earned her a place at the provincial stage, where she again took first position to represent the province at the national finals.
The finals were held at Mabidi Stadium in Beitbridge, giving the local vendor an opportunity to compete on home ground.
When the results were announced, Ndlovu had once again impressed the judges, winning first place in the newly introduced category for people living with disabilities.
The category was introduced in 2025 as part of efforts to promote inclusivity and ensure broader participation in the competition.
Ndlovu said the victory came with prizes that included money, cooking utensils and other household items.
“From the prizes I received, I managed to start building my own house. It is not yet finished, but I now live there with my child,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to officials from the Ministry of Women Affairs in Beitbridge who encouraged her to participate in the competition.
Ndlovu also thanked Beitbridge West legislator Thusani Ndou for supporting her journey.
The Amai’s Traditional Cookout Competition was launched in 2019 by Auxillia Mnangagwa before being handed over to the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry following its nationwide success.
The initiative runs across Zimbabwe to promote local gastronomy, celebrate traditional meals and encourage communities to preserve indigenous culinary knowledge.
By including people with disabilities, professional chefs and tertiary students, the programme aims to foster broad participation while ensuring that no one is left behind.
For Ndlovu, the competition has become more than a cultural programme. It is the foundation of a new chapter in her life.
Today, the unfinished house she built with the prizes she won stands as a reminder that opportunity, determination and support can transform lives.