×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Mhere ‘snatches’ Shumba band members

News
IN what may be termed a complete take over, rising musician Mathias Mhere has “snatched” three band members from Mutare-based gospel musician Blessing Shumba.

IN what may be termed a complete take over, rising musician Mathias Mhere has “snatched” three band members from Mutare-based gospel musician Blessing Shumba.

Report by Jairos Saunyama

The members — led by the two musicians’ producer Lyton Ngolomi — appeared to have deserted Shumba on Saturday when they joined young Mhere for a show at Pick and Save in Mutare while Shumba had to work with a makeshift band for a show in Birchenough.

Ngolomi on keybords, his brother Brian on bass guitar and his wife Bethany on vocals, all performed with Mhere in Mutare. Shumba, however, said he was not disturbed by the development.

“They have always played somewhere else on some occasions and there is nothing peculiar about it,” Shumba said.

“I always have standby artistes to fill the gap whenever they did not turn up and we did just that on Saturday. They are free to come back if they want to — just as they have always done, but this time around, they will have to be the standby artistes.”

Shumba said his mission would not be deterred by people who were sorely looking for money.

“Everyone is free to do what they want according to their mission and even you can come and be a vocalist without a single problem,” he said. Ngolomi, however, professed ignorance of Shumba’s show.

“We are free agents and we didn’t know that Shumba had a show. So instead, we were called by Mhere on Friday night and we went to Mutare,” he said.