Samuel Chikonzo, a former liberation war fighter, is not letting age slow him down. The 68-year-old businessman from Chikonzo farm in Nyagori Estate, Ward 15, Mhondoro-Mubaiwa, is on a mission to expand his family. He already has four wives and 16 children, but that’s not enough for him.
Chikonzo told a local publication last Saturday, while celebrating his birthday surrounded by his family, that he’s hoping to add more wives and children to his already large brood, aiming for a total of 40 children.
“I have 16 children and I want to add more, ndikuda kuita 40 vana. By 2060 ndinenge ndichipo,” Chikonzo said.
Chikonzo, who is known for his farming and cattle ranching businesses on his government-resettled farm, believes that polygamy is not inherently bad. He insists that a family should be well taken care of, with no need for any member to go hungry. He also believes that polygamy is in his family’s bloodline.
“If I am talking like this, I hear you gossiping about me, but magariro akaita Chegutu yese iyi ndini. The Government is protecting us, we have peace, umwe anobva nekuku achifamba husiku asi anomuka asina mavanga,” Chikonzo said.
While Chikonzo is happy with his current family, he hasn’t shied away from the possibility of adding more wives. He declined to comment on whether he already has other wives beyond the four he openly acknowledges.
His four wives, while not comfortable disclosing their names, are supportive of their husband and their lifestyle. One wife said, “I am the housewife, I see nothing wrong here. We are taken care of and given everything we need and our children go to school. Everyone has a role to play and our children get along.”
Chikonzo’s youngest wife, Anna, who is 28, is also happy with their life together. “We stay peacefully with my husband. Staying with our family, tinochengatana zvakanaka, I say happy birthday to him and God bless him,” she said. “I just stay here tichichengetwa, baba ndivo vanotishandira.”
Chikonzo is confident that he has plenty of time to achieve his goal of having 40 children. He believes that he will still be alive in 2060, citing his own family’s longevity. “My own brothers are around 105, 90 something years while my sisters are around 104 years,” he said. “Ranga ringori barika, ndiri mambo mumusha, saka ndezvedzinza. Zvebarika izvi tinazvo murudzi rwedu. Inini pachezvangu ndine nhaka.”
Chikonzo’s story is not unique. There are other men in Zimbabwe who have chosen to live with multiple wives. Misheck Nyandoro, for example, has sixteen wives and 151 children. In 2022, when his story was reported, he was 66 years old.
But perhaps the most well-known case of polygamy is Ziona Chana, who lived in New Dehli, India. He had 39 wives and 94 children. He died in 2021 at the age of 76. Chana lived with his entire family in a sprawling house with 100 rooms.
