My ordeal at the hands of Dr Nyepudzai Mercy Nyangulu began in 2001 around Nov when she approached me (name witheld at this stage) to design an architectural skylight component on her mansion in Borrowdale. She was referred to me by Mr Naidoo who was once our production manager at the then liquidated Frederick & Sage shopfitting company in Harare and, upon inspecting her building structure I requested for a meeting with her engineer (Mr Ndlovhu), who agreed to access the proposed technical drawings that I had prepared for the huge opening on the stairwell. When he approved the drawings as per minimum expectation of the building by-laws of the local council, a figure of about $3700.00 was agreed without glass costs which she was going to foot the bill and i had supplied all the structural materials including aluminium sections, timber groundings, labour and transport costs.

I told her I was only offering her all the materials at reduced prices since i was travelling abroad early in 2002 around February and she was very ‘grateful ‘ to such a gesture as the actual quote from bigger reputable companies was way too expensive and also, they had refused to undertake her skylight component simply because it was an irregular shape that posed serious complications on the falls of the minimum degrees of slopes for flat roofs. This skylight component was to fixed between the parapet protruding walls and this was a big challenge in terms of the abutment of the aluminium frame that needed an experienced plumber to attach flashingon both sides of the opening. Al this intensive work was way more than US$5000.00 due to its complexity, the work was basically a bespoke component that required delicate designing skills and careful planning in order to minimize risk of wasting materials and also producing shoddy work that poses long term technical problems.

When I finally prepared the timber groundings that acted as the backgrounds of the skylight fixing, I asked Dr Nyepudzai Mercy Nyangulu to get a plasterer who will finish off the plaster to conceal all the timber backgrounds, she couldn’t believe that the timber structure was in line with the expert knowledge that is associated with any fixings to civil structures. After everything had been done in terms of preparing for the final fixing of the frame, I finally brought the assembled frame to fix it as the second stage work of the skylight. The engineer of the project Mr Ndlovhu came to inspect the workmanship and we all agreed that every detail of the design had been met and fully implemented. When Dr Nyepudzai Mercy Nyangulu came to check on this development, she opened up in song and dance singing and praising this achievement. She started to narrate how she got hooked to the idea of including this architectural design featureon her mansion, as she recounted how on a government meeting in Switzerland she came across these massive structures of skylights that bring more light into buildings and it really inpsired her to have such design on her dream house. She opened up to me as started telling me where she worked as a secretary in the then Economic Planning Commission under the late Richard Hove, a ministry under the then president Mugabe’s office. When the stages of fitting the glass finally arrived, she couldn’t contain her joy and excitement as she drove all the way from her mansion to Highfield where i used to live and she was quick to ask me to go straight to City Glass company in the light industrial areas where we bought it. She was so prayerful in everything she did, everytime i went there she would religiously offer her prayers with ‘humility ‘. She would praise ‘god’ all the time and I had this impression that here was an ‘annoited daughter of the most high god’, she was relentless in her ‘godliness ‘ right up to the very last day of the completion of the project. She was there in song and a little dance, praising her ‘god’ that finally her wish had been granted of witnessing a skylight on her mansion and its bespoke design, a spectacle of architectural beauty and indeed a modern feature that so many buildings lack. She was so proud of her mansion when everything was agreed, after testing the skylight’s capacity to withstand sudden downpours, excessive rains and its durability on light falling objects like hailstorms of any organic objects from the trees or swirling wind driven objects that might fsll on it. All the materials used on that skylight met the minimum expectations of structural guarantees for upmarket buildings of this nature hence my undivided approach in trying to do an almost perfect job for her. She started telling me how her children are doing ‘great’ in UK and how her son, as a student in architecture was fond of this spectacle called skylight. She started to interrogate me how i had learnt these skills that were so unique and unbelievably technical. I told her that the education system that i had been nurtured was a model of the industrial development of technical subjects that trained students to master engineering skills and designing at very young age groups.

She was astounded, she couldn’t believ how such a project that was written off by major bigger companies of shoplifting had turned down her wish. She was shocked that finally, everything had become so true and her mansion was the talk of her life as she told everyone of the beautiful skylight overlooking the stairwell and when it rains, cats and dogs- she has the luxury of watching rain drops from the sky splashing on glass and drifting away straight into the gutters. Talking of gutters, i did instruct the engineer in her presence that she needed to have someone climb the tiled roof part and clean the gutters before the rainy season starts so as to clear off all organic matter.

I bade her farewell as i had told her that i will be leaving the following day and all payments were going to be made to my other brother or employees that worked there with me for more than 15 days. When i phoned them after 3 weeks i was met with a horror story of how the most prayerful ‘godly daughter of the most high god’, was the most evil demonic cunning woman we ever met. She was very loud, sharp tounged and very abrasive in her speech whenever one asked her about the payments. She became very scornful, toungue lashing all those who dared come to her offices in the Hurudza Building under Nyangulu & Associates. She had turned on the screws of depravity, untouchable and very tough in all forms of threats ranging from being a secretary in the president’s office to how she was connected in the ruling party. It was a horror and terrors glide, from doing a perfect job using all our resources, paying for all the transport costs, to supplying sll the structural materials and all the designs, plus the expert knowledge of fitting the component to engineering satisfaction and upmarket building by-laws, yet she never showed any signs of being a con woman or some shrewd trickster. At first i didn’t believe it, i tried calling her from UK and it was the same, if not more of the venomous threats of how the ruling party will ‘devour’ us if we kept asking our payments. We were sold a dummy by a woman who sings and prays ‘god’ during the day, but a dangerous non believer whose tenacity and arrogance makes church going exercises a terrifying indulgence. She taught us a lesson for life that a worshipping woman in religious regalia and church garb, can be the most difficult person overnight where her language becomes a mixture of thuggery bellicose of threats and malicious streaks, it was a rude awakening as we realised that she was indeed a wolf in a sheepskin.

I finally decided to follow it up as soon as i landed in Harare in 2014, but all mothers of dissonance had ganged up in their offices at the Nyangulu & Associates, when i entered uninvited and asked to see them. At first they took their time and she finally came out as if she was checking who that visior was. When she saw me, her face shrunk in shame and she quickly whisked me away from the front desk to avoid any confrontations as i was geared up for this. Her obsession of prayers never ceased nor simmered down but, when we gathered around a table she suddenly began her routine of ‘godly praying’ without delay, i quickly rebuked her to stop abusing the word of God and she was really upset and started accusing me of being ‘disrespectful ‘ to her. I was accused of trying to ‘steal’ from them, i was called names for daring to ask my payment that wasnt paid up to this day. The husband joined in and brought a version of his legal jargon that this case was ‘technically dead’ as the time frame of up to 3 years had lasped within any demand made to her or any litigation assailed in the courts of laws.

I stood my ground and the drama never ended as i was asked to come to their house and see how the skylight was ‘leaking ‘, i went there and met her son who had qualified as an architect and was full of praise for the skylight component. I asked him why the skylight was leaking and he was aloof, i checked the whole setup on the component and i was shocked to witness that not even one single day was set aside for cleaning the gutters before every rainy season. Organic matter build up was so excessive and plants were sprouting all over hence the drainage had stopped. All this was blamed on me, yet such delicate modern architectural features demanded a high level of prudence in cleanliness and maintenance. I asked her whether she really understood what a skylight was and its purpose on a building but, she was so arrogant and impossible to deal with . Finally they offered $500 for all this pain and workmanship but i refused it. I promised them that on a good day of democracy in a new and free Zimbabwe, i will descend on that property and take away all my materials and workmanship.

I got some tip off from a gardener from close by who advised me to go to her pastor and share this horrific experience.

I went to the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe and I was referred to Dr Zwane who was her pastor in Borrowdale. We met and had some grat time together where we discussed this terrifying experience and he promised me to do his best. He reminded me that I wasnt the only one who had been duped by her and she was a serial addict of blasphemy when it comes to abusing her ‘religious ‘ beliefs to her personal life. Ind3up to this day I havent been paid and what happened to Mr Mapfumo when he did a project for Mrs Joselyn Chiwenga is just the tip of the iceberg as many cases have not been reported. The most popular case is the one involving the late Gen Zvinavashe who did a worse version by bringing a gun to the contractor when he asked for his payments for the almost complete stages at his school near Warren Park. Rumour has it that the contractor didnt get a penny for all the work carried out right up to the roof levels of the late General’s two storey buildings.Worried citizen