New Domboshava school, founded by the Mutizwa family, to be officially opened on Wednesday in a ceremony celebrating learner achievement
By Desire Tshuma
DOMBOSHAVA — The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education will officially commission Makumbe Hilltop College (MHC) on Wednesday, 21 October 2026 in a ceremony that marks a major milestone for the young institution and the Domboshava community.
The school has invited parents, learners, government officials and community members to attend the event, whose theme is Together Towards a Brighter Future.
Your presence will be highly appreciated as we celebrate the achievements of our learners, reads the official invitation.
Makumbe Hilltop College was established in 2024 with the motto Vincere Caritate — With Love We Conquer.
It is a modern private boarding and day school located on a mountain top in Domboshava, on the outskirts of Harare, overlooking Makumbe Visitation High School and the surrounding countryside. It opened its doors in January 2024 and now offers Forms 1 to 6 under both the Cambridge and ZIMSEC curricula.
The school is now open for its 2027 Form One intake and is positioning itself as a centre of academic excellence, discipline, hard work, integrity and success.
Its curriculum is anchored on the Heritage-Based Curriculum, which seeks to give learners a strong grounding in Zimbabwean heritage, culture and identity while preparing them for the modern world.
The college also teaches Law and Mandarin (Chinese), and says it is the only school in Mashonaland East that makes learning Ndebele mandatory.
We want to produce a complete student that can compete on the international stage, said Principal Mark Manyenye.
The college boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including hostels accommodating six students per room, each with a wardrobe, a toilet and bathroom with two showers fitted with solar geysers, WiFi for students and solar lights in every room, modern classrooms fitted with projectors, a state-of-the-art kitchen and dining hall manned by professional staff, and a newly completed science laboratory block to anchor its STEAM programme.
The school has also been active in community outreach, including anti-drug campaigns and menstrual hygiene programmes.
Makumbe Hilltop College was founded and is directed by Bernard Fungai Mutizwa.
Born in Domboshava, Mutizwa describes the school as his way of giving back to his community.
I was born here, so taking from the President’s mantra that ‘nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’, we found no excuse other than to follow suit. We had been saving some money as a family so we thought of investing in something meaningful that we would leave as a legacy, that’s when we discussed with my wife Eva, on building an institution of such magnificence, he said.
Mutizwa has also sponsored the gravelling of the road that leads to Visitation and to the school.
The college is co-directed by Mrs Eva Mutizwa, wife of the director.
Mrs Mutizwa has been central to the school’s development from construction to welfare. She revealed that the school took six years to build, starting with staff quarters, then classrooms, administration and other facilities.
She is a strong advocate for girls’ health and dignity, leading the school’s menstrual hygiene initiative, including the construction of an incinerator to safely manage menstrual waste.
We recognized the challenges girls face during their menstrual cycles, and we wanted to provide a safe and dignified way for them to manage their hygiene. By prioritizing menstrual hygiene, we are not only improving health and wellbeing, but also empowering our students to reach their full potential, she said.