Obituary- Moses Gumbo

Obituary- Moses Gumbo
By Dumi Sigogo

Super charged, firebrand, energetic, spirit filled and fiery that was how he talked and like wise that’s how he reported.
At college, he was renowned as a smart, short and clean shaven guy who liked to speak impeccable english, maybe perhaps it was because of his teacher training background.

We met and became friends, at the Christian College of Southern Africa (CCOSA in 1999). He was a tough and mucho guy who did not appear at all as some one who might coward life and hang himself using a shoe lace after an accident or an any tragedy.

Moses Gumbo, the late ZBC Midlands Bureau Chief, sacrificed the comfort of being a salaried teacher to become a paying Journalism student at CCOSA. Back then teachers appeared to be living in decent poverty but I remember often asking him why he resigned from teaching in order to train for another pathetically less paying profession : “I love journalism and its my passion” he would reply.

A father of three by then, he was bold and brave enough to soldier on and endure the harsh conditions as a student Journalist in Harare just for the love of what you want to do. Zimbabwe was not or is still not the right place to be selective or choosy. You need to have balls in order to do that. Moses did that and succeeded just as he had succeeded as an educator in the malaria prone areas of Gokwe.

As a student leader at CCOSA I organised some seminars which included journalism and media students from UZ and Harare Poly, Moses because of his vast knowledge of socio, politico and economic issues and of cause because of his teacher English speaking skills, he naturally led the CCOSA team at such activities. Many of my colleagues will agree that he was already displaying signs that he was destined to be a fine journalist and leader.

Our student activism saw me, Moses and Samuel Mungadze, another colleague of ours bravely and actively participating in demonstrations by the NCA and other organisation campaigning for democracy and human rights. At the official launch of the MDC at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex in 2000, we were there.

During our college years we would with Moses, drink Two Keys whisky or Vice Roy, we would dilute it with Stoney Ginger beer, because of its brown bottle packaging, it was easy to smuggle and drink in class without anyone suspecting. Those were the days we would drink outside the college holding street bashes, we would drink MuHarare Gardens or MuAfrica Unity Square. As students we could afford whiskey and sausages but as rising broadcasters at ZBC we could not afford the Scud and Maputi, the combination we used to enjoy at Club Cassa during mazuva ekubroker tichiri kuCollege.

He was like a brother to me to the point that we used go to his place in Kuwadzana and drink and then his teacher wife Mai Tanatswa would cook for us Sadza nemriwo ne nyama. Since he was more senior to us, Moses would help, share and offer sound advice to us on various matters that concerned life and family problems.

Madyira pazhe (panze) as the Gumbos are known, was my homeboy because he came from Mberengwa, my mother’s home area. I also learnt with many of his relatives at Chegato High School.
He also trained at Mkoba Teachers College in Gweru, my home town.

With Samuel we used to joke with Moses saying to him: “The problem with you Mozie is you are a teacher who wants to be a journalist so you don’t understand many things” and he would jovially retort saying: “I am journalist who had wrongly assigned himself to teaching”

At the end of our industrial attachment in 2000, Moses, Oscar Pambuka and I decided to stay with ZBC after being offered full time jobs. It was also for the love of broadcasting that we felt our careers would be shattered if we don’t go into broadcasting. Though we were very much aware of the state broadcaster’s notorious reputation when it came to balanced and ethical reporting, we knew of its horrible record on issues like independent creativity and career development but we agreed to use it as a spring board and leave for better turf. Also since it was the only Broadcaster we had no choice but to stay with it. Oscar and I did use ZBC as a stepping stone but Moses chose to stay, though I left without ceremony.

I remember greatly encouraging Moses to stay in broadcasting, this was after seeing that he was excellent in isiNdebele, Shona and of course English. By then it was only the likes of Godfrey Mtizwa, Patrick Banjila, Alson Mfiri and Moses’ homeboy Makhosini Hlongwane who could perfectly file in those three languages.
The then TV news Chief, Justice Dhliwayo and Hailey Velaphi Mlangeni, the then Radio News Head concurred with my judgement and encouraged Moses to follow that path.
He did not disappoint in his execution of duty as a journalist.

I know many including myself would unfairly judge him for staying with the Zanu PF biased ZBC and being used in the propaganda against the people. But if given another choice to broadcast, lets say there were many stations in Zimbabwe, I have no doubt he would have left or we would not have gone there in the first place.

Apart from his super charged reports, many still remember one winter night during the uMdala wethu Gala in the Midlands capital when Moses mistakenly referred to Presidential Spokesman, George Charamba as Charles Charamba(the Gospel Musician).

Had it not been the miserable peanuts the state pays as salary for abusing its Journalists as Propaganda boys and the bad state of the economy, I also don’t think he would give people a lift.

As a survivor that he was, Ayizama ku joinidza joinidza ne mota yebasa, If not 95% people with company vehicles are guilty of carrying unauthorised passengers in order to supplement their living.

Maybe because of his bravery he chose to end his life than to live with the guilty of being associated with the spillage of the blood of two people.
Perhaps because of his pride he could not face the tragedy and possibly as the African culture believe, Ngozi.
“But why I ?” I will ask you if we meet again Msipa. Accidnets do happen. Such is life you could have stomached it.

Using a shoe lace which many doubted could kill Cain Nkala as first reported by colleague Reuben Barwe, I even looked at the laces of my sneakers and imagined how they can end my life.
To those who perished in the accident and to Mozie Madyira, “Lalani Ngokuthula , Zororai Murugare RIP!”

Dumi Sigogo, is a former Producer with ZBC. He was a Senior Reporter with the Daily News on Sunday when it was banned. He is also a media trainer. The Journalist is now into film production with an internationally renowned Film, Music Video and Commercial Production Company.
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