THE late former Hohodza Band frontman Simbarashe Mudzingwa went into depression following a messy divorce with his ex-wife Staceley Tongogara, destroyed his personal identity documents in a fit of rage and threatened to commit suicide before undergoing counselling, NewsDay had established.
BY PHILLIP CHIDAVAENZI/HARDLIFE SAMUWI
Mudzingwa, who had relocated to the UK, died late last month from an undisclosed illness.
An emotional relative who declined to be named told NewsDay from the UK yesterday that the late Mudzingwa’s family was disturbed by Tongogara’s “false statements” to the media when she was not part of the people in charge of the funeral and efforts to repatriate the body back to Zimbabwe for burial.
“She is the same woman who divorced Simba, after which he went into depression and wanted to commit suicide,” said the woman who said she was a niece to Simba’s mother.
“Efforts to get the body to Zimbabwe have been delayed because we were trying to get a new birth certificate and national identity documents for Simba, but everything is now in order.
“Staceley gave my aunt (Simba’s mother) gupuro (a traditional token of divorce) and said I don’t love your son anymore. She is now married to another man and I don’t know why she still involves herself with our family issues. I am really angry about that because she wants to tarnish the Mudzingwa name.”
She said they were a very “soft family” and respected Tongogara, who is a gospel musician, as Mudzingwa’s former wife otherwise she could have been beaten up over her conduct.
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Mudzingwa’s brother Cletos, who is in Harare, however told this publication that Tongogara was still part of their family, describing her as “a very good person”.
“They used to love each other, (but) as you know, in life people will have differences, so they divorced in the UK. Of course no one really knows the cause of the divorce,” he said.
Tongogara also told NewsDay that she never posed as the family spokesperson but she was just lending assistance to the family and she was doing everything for the sake of her two children with Mudzingwa.
“I have never said I am the family’s spokesperson but I am working together with his relatives here. This is about my children. They have always had a good relationship with their father,” she said.
“Even my family is involved because we are supporting the children.
“Notwithstanding what happened between me and Simbarashe, I have always had a good relationship with his family.”
At the time of his death, Mudzingwa had another child with his partner in the UK, Kayleigh Goodier.
Mudzingwa was part of the Portia Gwanzura-led Hohodza Band where he was the lead vocalist, mbira and keyboard player.
The band also included Aluwis Machapo (lead guitar), John Nyahodya (drummer), Patrick Nyakudya (bass guitar, keyboards), Innocent Jack Farai (mbira, percussion), Lloyd Mapfumo (percussion, king dancer), Jane Josiah (backing vocals, dancer) and Lena Mandizera (backing vocals, dancer).
