Love or hate: Inside father-son relationship

📅 Published: August 16, 2025

Curated by AllZimNews.com

Is it possibly a case of “I have been your age, have done this and that, which may have contributed to the position I am in, so don’t follow the same road? ” This relationship is different from that of a father and daughter.

Events of the past week in which a father beat his son to death was astonishing and frightening.

In Harare, a 41-year-old security officer allegedly tortured his 19-year-old son to death after he had failed a police recruitment test.

The incident left netizens divided on whether the father did it out of love or cruelty.

Though bringing up a family can never be a one-size-fits-all, it seems the traditional African father is a bit hard on their children, especially the son.

Speaking to NewsDay Weekender, Remigius, 52, from Chitungwiza, narrated how he handles his children. “Well, most of us men appreciate our fathers when we become fathers also or when our fathers have passed on,” he said. “That is when we will realise the importance and the roles our fathers play.

Because we will be growing and experimenting a lot, we feel like our spaces are being invaded. “Fathers love their sons, but we don’t want to raise mama’s boys or simply weaklings. “A father carries you and throws you in the middle of a crocodile-infested river so that you unstuck yourself. “In other words, they throw you to the deep end so that you learn how to survive. ” Sekuru Muushi (67) from Mbare said when his wife gave birth to his firstborn son, his father gave the newborn baby a cow and named the baby after him.

This was a way of celebrating the family’s new addition. “We were elated.

My father named my son and gave him a cow,” he recalled. “He also gave my wife two goats to show gratitude to a daughter-in-law who gave birth to an heir. “What it meant is that an heir is supposed to uphold the family legacy, culture, values, and be strong. “As a man, you are supposed to be the provider, be able to provide solutions to problems affecting your family.

You need to have survival skills. “It’s now a bit different from how we were brought up.

Nowadays, our children spend a lot of time on the internet and copy what the Western world is doing. 🔗

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