LAST week’s untimely death of socialite and controversial businessman Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure aged 36 grabbed headlines beyond Zimbabwe’s borders and flooded social media.
Ginimbi’s funeral will go down as one of the most attended outside national heroes and a few influential individuals.
People from all walks of life, including those that had never met him, thronged his ultra-modern mansion in Domboshava to mourn the man who rose from obscurity to amass wealth at a scale that defied any form or refrain.
Ginimbi had three associates on the morning that his speeding expensive Rolls Royce vehicle collided with a small car, hit a tree and burst into flames.
But so huge was his influence that the nation quickly forgot about what happened to the occupants of the other vehicle, and even his associates.
They turned their focus to their trendy, stylish and extravagant celebrity — Ginimbi.
If you are accomplished and you touch so many lives, it is easy even for strangers to mourn you, was the overriding message that came out of his funeral.
Many across the world mourned the death of the self-proclaimed young tycoon who popularised the phrase “My Guy” in Zimbabwe.
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Those who had the opportunity to spend moments with him, poured their hearts out, too.
Many braved the scorching heat to travel to Nyamande Village in Domboshava, some 40km north east of Harare, to pay their last respects to the man that others called the “party animal”.
Others were glued to different digital platforms to witness his high-profile interment.
Ginimbi’s death showed his popularity not only in Zimbabwe, but the world over.
Last week’s events literally showed that he was followed by the who’s who in society beyond our borders.
Probably even the man himself did not know he was that popular.
A day before his burial, a farewell concert was staged at the mansion and it attracted an overwhelming crowd while security guards had a torrid time trying to bring order.
He was a hero to many, and a mere socialite to others, who shared many conspiracies about his wealth and life.
For our nation, however, the best way to mourn Ginimbi is to copy the good things that he did, such as the ability to create wealth from scratch, and ignore the things that one may feel were not good.
Fare thee well, “My Guy”.
