St George’s learner foresaw his death
THE late ST George’s College vice head boy, Ashley Musendekwa, foresaw his death a year before the fatal accident that claimed his life on October 11 on Harare Drive, his mother has revealed.
The deceased teenager’s family has also rubbished social media claims that he was driving recklessly when his car crashed.
The vehicle he was driving collided head-on with a Koala Park Abattoir truck on Harare Drive in Marlborough, Harare.
On the day of the accident, Musendekwa had just finished writing his final Cambridge A-Level Computer Science examination.
It has emerged that on more than one occasion before the accident, Asho, as the 18-year-old was commonly known among his school mates and friends, told his mother that he was “ready to face his death and meet angels in Heaven”.
According to his mother, Mrs Tsitsi Sithole-Musendekwa, Ashley begged her that his family and friends should not cry when mourning him, as he appreciated that his death was caused by God.
Chronicling her son’s life, who was the second born in a family of five, Mrs Musendekwa described him as a responsible teenager, who was envied by many.
“I think in 2021, when we were doing online church sessions, he was selected to be a Bible facilitator.
“Ashley was eloquent and could preach. He was good and they elected him to be a facilitator and I thought it was too much for him.
“Some people agreed with what I was saying and after that he sat me down and said you are worried about my academic results, are you not worried about me passing the exams in Heaven?
“He said once you excuse me from the thing that I should do for God, automatically, you are not worried about me going to Heaven and he said I think I can balance it.”
She said on another occasion, in October last year, her son had another premonition about his death.
“Now, there comes a day when I picked him up from school and we were going up the stairs.
“He just said I am not feeling well and I told him, should we go to the hospital, but he said no I will have a nap and I will then wake up feeling well.
“But he said I have a feeling that this is the time for me to die.
“He said I have to die, mum.
“I said but why? And he replied, saying I think I should get a reward from God.
“He said I have done everything anyone would deserve for a reward.”
She said Ashley dismissed her when she attempted to convince him to pray over his adverse feelings, insisting that he was prepared to face his death.
“I had to share his feeling with some other people and we prayed about it.
“I even told Ashley to pray and fast about what he had just shared with me, but he said I was not going to pray about it. I am not going to pray for myself not to die.
“I am not going to block God; it is my time to go.
“He said if you knew where you are standing and where you are going, you will not be afraid of dying, so for me, I am not afraid of dying.”
Mrs Musendekwa told The Sunday Mail that her son’s untimely death closed many chapters in him, his siblings and the extended family’s book.
She said Ashley was aiming to attain best results in his academics, with hopes of getting a fully funded Harvard University scholarship.
Mrs Musendekwa believed her son was at the dawn of realising his dream, as he had attained A grades in his last exam sitting.
The late Ashley’s uncle, Mr Tungamirai Owen Musendekwa, spoke glowingly about the late teenager, whom he described as a responsible youth leader.
He said the late teen could be trusted, even with other people’s lives.
“As parents, we read through a lot of things, but we want to dispel some falsehoods. Ashley was not that irresponsible. It just so happened that there is no such person, whom he is said to have been racing with.
“You know, when accidents happen, narratives are so different. He was a very responsible man whom, as parents, we felt we should give a car to drive to school.
“There are also reports that the driver of the truck (he collided with) also died.
“That was not true but people continue to say things that are so heart-breaking. Imagine, at this moment, when we are mourning, someone chooses to write such statements,” he said.
Mr Musendekwa also described Ashley as an ambitious “brilliant young man”, who dreamt of being an entrepreneur in science and technology.
He said the late teen was outstanding in his academics and sport.
“He literally performed in a lot of sporting disciplines, tennis, swimming and cricket.
We were not going to be shocked to see him play at Wimbledon.
“We believed he had the potential. But beyond sports, he would also tell me that he had this entrepreneurial mindset.
“He wanted to become an entrepreneur. He felt motivated by the likes of your (Strive) Masiyiwa, your Elon Musk.
“But academically, he actually wanted to become a computer engineer.”