Vabati VaJehovah’s Timothy Magaya dies

By Leonard Gonzo

Timothy Magaya, one of the founding members of the popular apostolic choral group, Vabati VaJehovah has died. He was 34.

Timothy, the younger brother to the late Wiseman was hit by a haulage truck at Rosalum Shopping Centre along the Harare-Masvingo highway as he was coming from the Beatrice farming area.

A family spokesperson, confirmed that Timothy was hit by the truck in the early hours of Sunday.

“He was on his way to collect some fire wood in the Beatrice farming areas and when he reached Rosalum shops he decided to drop a spare wheel for mending.

“As he was now coming from Chivhu his car developed a puncture five kilometres from the spot of the incident around 2am. While waiting to get his tyre fixed he fell asleep by the roadside.

“He was woken by the noise of a lorry coming from Harare and he suddenly jumped onto the road, got smashed by the car and died on the spot,” said Elijah Magaya who visited the scene of the accident.

The death follows that of his elder brother Wiseman, who died in 2007. Timothy had become one of the cornerstones of this pioneering group of choral music.

His presence was felt on their latest album titled Ndivanze Muponisi in which he wrote four of the seven songs namely Handikusiyeyi, Jerusalem, Pauro and Jehovah Weminana to mention a few.

Fans may remember him since he featured prominently on the video “Kune ari kudana” on the album Chirikochikomo.

The award winning Vabati VaJehovah is one of the pioneering apostolic groups to emerge on the music industry.

The group burst onto the scene when they released their debut album in which the proceeds went to charity.

However, the demand for their harmonious music was high and the group led by the late Wiseman established itself as a music outfit that performed acapella music.

It performed at several state and public functions and also won National Arts Merit Awards and Zimbabwe Music Awards.

Mourners were gathered at Number 2385,Kuwadzana 4 .

He was buried yesterday in his rural home in Mhondoro at Mupfuka Village chief Mashayamombe area.

He is survived by his wife Violet Murwisi and three children John, Knowledge and Constance. The Herald