System Tazvida’s Widow Appeals For Help After Fire Destroys Her Chitungwiza Home
The widow of the late sungura legend System Tazvida, Barbara Mabuyaye, is counting her losses after a fire tore through part of her house in Unit N, Chitungwiza last weekend.
Four rooms were badly damaged, and property was destroyed, although no lives were lost.
Barbara said she was at work when the inferno started. Her brother-in-law, Isaac Tazvida, the younger brother of the late musician, was inside the house at the time.
Neighbours battled to douse the flames before they could spread further.
Narrating her ordeal, Barbara said she was told the fire was caused by an overheated stove in Isaac’s room.
“Part of my house was damaged by fire while I was away at work. Babamunini Isaac was in the house when the inferno started,” she said.
“I was told the fire was caused by an overheated stove in his room, which later spread and damaged four rooms. The window panes were shattered, and some of my property was destroyed.”
She described the fire as mysterious because her bedroom was spared, and said Isaac was heavily intoxicated when it broke out.
“From what I gathered from neighbours, Babamunini Isaac was drunk when the fire broke out. He did nothing to extinguish the fire because he was heavily intoxicated,” said Barbara.
“My neighbours are the ones who did their best to put out the fire. I would like to thank my neighbours for the wonderful job they did.”
Barbara, who survives through buying and selling and other small businesses, is now appealing for assistance from well-wishers as she begins to rebuild.
She said she had been reluctant to make her plight public because of cyberbullying.
Barbara, who lost her husband in 1999, said life as a widow has taught her resilience and the value of hard work.
“After losing my husband, I learnt the hard way that I had to work hard. I am involved in buying and selling, but like everyone else, we face many challenges in life,” she said.
“In my case, I have learnt to be hardworking, and I will always do my best to provide for myself.”
Barbara is among widows of musicians who have formed an association to empower and support one another.
She has also remained vocal about her late husband’s estate and royalty entitlements, a stance that has earned her respect among other widows who feel short-changed by local royalty collection bodies.
System Tazvida, whose real name was Funuel Nyasha Tazvida, was one of Zimbabwe’s biggest sungura stars of the 1990s.
He began his career with Khiama Boys, Sungura Boys and Mabhauwa Express before forming his own band, Chazezesa Challengers, in Chitungwiza in 1993 after leaving Khiama Boys over royalties.
The early Challengers line-up featured his brothers Peter Tazvida on bass and Isaac Tazvida on backing vocals, Lucky Mumiriki on rhythm, Roggers Fatiya on drums and Last Fatiya on lead guitar, with guitarist LeeRoy Lunga joining in 1997 after the hit Anodyiwa Haataure.
He first came into the limelight with Mabhauwa, which he sang with Khiama Boys, before going on to release several hits including Vaforomani, Babe Rakanaka, Mutunhu Unemago and Smoko.
H-Metro
