It is also the story of thousands of individual men and women from various Western countries including Switzerland who dedicated their lives in helping others.
A recent visit by the Ambassador of Switzerland, H.E Mrs. Ruth Huber and her husband to Driefontein Mission near Masvingo in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe, showed how missionary work by Swiss nationals had a much broader impact than the religious objective – related to medical care, agriculture production, education and the development of trade skills among the local communities.
The name Driefontein derives from Afrikaans meaning Three Fountains. The mission station at Driefontein was established in 1906 initially by missionaries of the Jesuits Order and in the 1960s it was handed over to the Catholic Fathers of the Bethlehem Mission Immensee originating from Switzerland. The mission is popularly known by the local people as Guta (meaning capital).
Driefontein is mainly known for the Primary School which was built in 1934, where many prominent citizens of Zimbabwe have been taught. The mission also adopted the Swiss approach to vocational training and established a Technical School which has trained many students in plumbing, metalwork, tailoring, home economics, agriculture, motor mechanics, carpentry and wood carving specialising in Jacaranda carvings. Several of the workshops are still in use today offering three-year vocational training to Zimbabwean young men.
The Mission also boasts of a Sanatorium which specializes in the treatment of Tuberculosis; Muwonde General Hospital which was once a reformatory for young offenders, now a hospital and the Gweru Diocese Regional House where the Swiss Catholic Missionaries learnt Shona before deployment to the various mission stations in southern Zimbabwe and today is a retirement home of the Catholic priests and brothers.
The serenity of the Mission station makes it a place worthwhile to visit. However, above and beyond the tranquillity lies a rich history of connections and life. Indeed for one to become a missionary it takes commitment, dedication and a lot of sacrifice. As noted by Fr. Julius Greber who came to Zimbabwe in the early 1960s and retired in 2016, said Driefontein is now his home and he has no plans to return to Switzerland because he has a very strong bond with the local people and the country.
Fr. Greber is fluent in the local language (Shona) and lives a life of total simplicity. He has dealt head-on with some of the customs of the area, such as throwing twins into the bush to die and negotiated an end to this. Today his most revered memories are those related to people who have come through Driefontein Mission and have gone to establish their own successful Christian lives.
Ambassador Huber was given a tour of the Mission by Fr. Chukucha – the local priest who today is in-charge of the Mission, ensuring continuity of much of the work built up by the Swiss Missionaries.
