BY JOHN MASUKU I AM shocked and utterly devastated to learn that Cuthbert Maziwa, my primary classmate at Kudzanayi Primary School (1960s) and Highfield Secondary School, Harare (early 1970s) is no more.
After school, Cuthbert aka “Kuchie” together with his late siblings Canaan and Charles as well as our ex-classmate Charles Sifa and others formed EYE Q Band, a youth rock band which became very popular with songs such as Please the Nation Eniweth and Pezuma.
Remember those days when late rock music icon Jimi Hendrix of the Jimi Hendrix Experience was a huge favourite of many of us youngsters…especially with his world hit song All Along The Watchtower.
Kuchie emulated Jimi Hendrix in many ways.
Dr Footswitch, Manu Kambani and Pied Pipers also played a number of popular English songs.
In later years, music producers like Cris Matema father of DJ Chewman Witness Matema, Phillip Mabhena and South Africa’s West Nkosi recorded a lot of local language content and warned youngsters that they would not go far by concentrating on Western genres.
Thomas Tafirenyika Mapfumo and The Springfields also played some Beatles music at Mutanga Night Club, Machipisa, Highfield and as youngsters we enjoyed watching them through windows before having running battles with manager Clever “Mudhara” Mutanga.
I interviewed Maziwa a number of times and played his music on my early morning shows on the then RBC African Service, later to become Radio 2 now Radio Zimbabwe.
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He is very grateful of the modest publicity I accorded to him and his band.
Cuthbert joined the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and worked as a cultural officer for decades.
He was credited for opening and developing the Murewa Culture Centre where he promoted the mbende dance big time.
Maziwa was the only surviving sibling in the family of late well-known Highfield traditional healer “Masambaasiyana” and his wife who lived in the same New Canaan street with broadcaster Ishmael Kadungure, environmentalist-cum-broadcaster, Dynamos founder Morrison Sifelani, father of DJ Soul Supreme Kelvin Sifelani, Sakhile-Sifelani Ngoma of WIPSU et cetera as well as well-known sales and marketing executive of the time Enos Mbofana, Comfort Mbofana.
My heartfelt condolences to the Maziwa family, Laban Kandi who reportedly gave muzukuru Cuthbert his first guitar and family, Charles Sifa of Jerusarema -Surviving Eye Q band member, journalist Christopher Muzavazi who also had a stint with EYE Q.
We are poorer in our Highfield Secondary School class of 1973 WhatsApp chat group without Kuchie…thank you Mutsvene John Marangwanda, also related to Cuthbert for alerting us about Cuthbert’s demise.
Last, but not least ngiyabonga kakhulu dadewethu othandekayo Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe commissioner Audrey Chihota-Charamba aka Naka Jabu for sharing with me your wonderful memories for the time you worked together with mukoma Cuthbert at The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe. MHSRIP
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