In an era where the cost of living crisis is shrinking families across Africa, one man in Zambia is defying the demographic trend with staggering confidence. Tenfold Matimba, a 53-year-old farmer from Kalukwiso village, has built a dynasty that would make the patriarchs of old envious: seven wives, 62 children, and a thriving farm that feeds them all.

Matimba is not a tycoon with offshore accounts; he is a man of the soil. His wealth is measured in bags of maize and the laughter of dozens of children. Speaking from his homestead in Mpongwe, he revealed the secret to his massive household: hard work. His family is run like a cooperative, a well-oiled machine where every hand contributes to the harvest. The result? An annual production of 5,000 bags of maize, alongside soya beans and other crops.

Farming as a Family Business

"We don't lack," his wives declared in a rare joint interview, projecting a picture of contentment that challenges modern critiques of polygamy. They describe Matimba as a "kind and caring" provider. But the logistics of such a family are mind-boggling. Feeding 70 people daily requires industrial-scale food production. The farm is not just a job; it is their survival.

The success of his farming has allowed Matimba to achieve a feat that many monogamous families struggle with: education. He claims to have educated 40 of his children to tertiary level. If verified, this represents a monumental investment in human capital. It turns his family into a clan of educated professionals, potentially lifting the entire village's economic status in the next generation.

• The Social Contract: Matimba’s model relies on traditional structures where labor is abundant. His children are his workforce, and in return, he provides their future. It is an agrarian social contract that has existed for centuries but is vanishing in the face of urbanization.
• The Contrast: While Nairobi men complain about the price of school fees for two children, Matimba is paying for dozens. His story is a testament to the productivity of African agriculture when managed with discipline.

Pride and Prejudice

Critics may view his lifestyle as archaic or oppressive to women, but Matimba and his wives present it as a choice of abundance. "I manage them through my success in farming," he boasts. It is a statement of power. In his world, a man’s worth is determined by his ability to provide, and by that metric, Tenfold Matimba is a king.

His story has gone viral, sparking debates across the continent. Is this the ultimate flex of the African man? Or is it a reckless burden? For Matimba, standing in his fields of green maize, surrounded by a small army of his own blood, the answer is clear. He has built a self-sustaining nation within a nation.

As the sun sets over Mpongwe, the Matimba compound comes alive with the noise of a village—a village that shares one surname. He is a reminder that for some, family is not just about love; it is about legacy, labor, and the land.