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Zvirikuzhe a jack of all trades

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Just looking at her appearance, it is hard to even believe that she is a teacher,  farmer and  tailor or even that she is into sport as well.

BY AGATHA CHUMA IT is very rare in life to find a teacher, farmer, tailor and singer all rolled into one.

For Rumbidzai “Rumbie” Zvirikuzhe, although singing has been her passion since schildhood before becoming a renowned gospel singer she is today, she says all these things come naturally when she is outside the studio.

Just looking at her appearance, it is hard to even believe that she is a teacher,  farmer and  tailor or even that she is into sport as well.

The songbird is even also a housewife, married to Smart Nazombe.

Born in Masvingo at Silveria Mission, she went to Kuwadzana 4 Primary in Harare where her musical career took root while performing in a percussion band. She proceeded to Nyadire Secondary School in Mutoko where she joined the school choir which further honed her musical career.

Zvirikuzhe, however, credits Kudzie Nyakudya, a contemporary gospel artiste whom she backed for four years from 2003 up to 2007 before recording her maiden album Mwari Inhare in 2006, for discovering and moulding her musical career.

In 2015, she performed in Malawi during Thoko Suya’s Adzandinyamula double album launch which she remembers as one of her electrifying moments. Her song Huya Mweya Mutsvene catapulted her into the limelight.

She went on to release five albums namely Mwari Inhare, Tenzi Chiramba kusakara, Restoration, Mutsawashe (God’s Grace) and Kwajeka. She has two singles Psalms 91 and Ndinoshamiswa Kwazvo, which features Rev TT Chivaviro.

This week NewsDay Life & Style caught up with the talented artiste for a chat.

Besides music, what else do you do for a living?

“I can say that I’m a jack of all trades. I am a qualified Grade Three teacher at Allure International School here in Harare, a farmer and also a tailor, I sew beautiful curtains. Venturing into teaching has been one of my other passions ever since I was young.

“At my homestead there was a shack which we used to call Chitangwena, so what I would do was to gather the children from my community (Kuwadzana) and start teaching them, while I write on the walls using firewood charcoal. So these kids would actually know that if Rumbie is back from school she should teach us and it was fun at that time. So I can say that teaching, is one of my inborn talents and I have been so passionate that even today when I am teaching I feel happy because I enjoy teaching.

“When it comes to farming I think I inherited this gift from my grandfather who was a great farmer back then in the rural areas. So every time I find a seed, I sow it no matter what kind of a seed it is because I enjoy seeing these seeds grow to become edible food and it is somehow a metaphor to life that if you sow a seed and it will bring out expected results.”

How she spends her day if not in the studio

“The first thing I do in the morning when I wake up is devotion, communicating with God is the best. I then prepare for work.

“When I get back from work I do my garden work because I love farming. During weekends I will be at my farm and I usually work the land the whole day.”

Her favourite food

“Well among all the foodstuff you can imagine, I love sadza with beef stew mixed with vegetables, which is popularly known as Highfield in the ghetto.”

How she spends her weekends

“I am an outgoing person, so I enjoy travelling to places such as Victoria Falls and Kariba. But because I’m into farming lately my travelling time is limited.”

Favourite sport

“I love lawn tennis, I enjoy it a lot.”

Most exciting experience in her life

“My most exciting experience should be when I was in Swaziland studying for a Diploma in Education from 2016-2018. Learning their culture was somehow interesting as I got to learn new things from different people.”

Favourite perfume

“Well to have a pleasant fragrance, I use Inuka products, they work for me.”

How she handles pressure

“My solution is simple, I pray.”

Wishes

“I wish to go to heaven.”

Things she despises

“I don’t want to be lied to. I feel provoked, so I avoid to socialise with such people.”

  • Follow Agatha on Twitter@AgathaChuma

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