Celebrity winners and losers in Zimbabwe 2011

By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka

HARARE- Affairs, awards, scandals, love triangles and money-grabbers – what a year it was as we look back at 2011 and the celebrities that made news headlines. We look at the lowest of the low and also the high riders in celebrity news with the hope that 2012 will be a better year filled with exciting news.

The snippets are in no particular order and every effort has been made to ensure that we cover as much ground as possible.

Oliver Mtukudzi – Winner and Loser

For some obscure reason, superstar Mtukudzi is both a winner and a loser. In all fairness, the granddad of music has became a brand, in fact an institution and where he fouls up his fans quickly come to his defence. A case in point is when he fired the quartet of Never Mpofu, Charles and Namatayi Chipanga and Simba Dembedza.

The million-dollar question is: Are the Black Spirits still the same? For once, we thought Mtukudzi had revived marimba and mbira but it looks like he’s gone full circle and back where it all began – electric guitars.

That said, a winner is always a winner no matter how small the margin is. His “foreign policy”, so to speak, has yielded results after he entered Forbes Magazine’s Greatest Achievers at number 12. As Zimbabwe’s international ambassador, Mtukudzi was also honoured by the Italian Embassy in Harare with an Order of Merit Award.

Phew! His life is indeed full of more ups rather than downs.

Stunner – Loser

Hate or love him, you can’t ignore Stunner aka “King of Bling” whether you call him Stunner or Desmond Chideme, there isn’t much of a difference these days. He’s the same guy who only some few years back was the envy of Glen Norah and with a bit of cash in his pockets he’s suddenly risen above all and sundry of urban grooves.

He’s a “sucker for fame” and when the sex tape was leaked albeit by one of his own it became the talk of town, but the most stunning part was that Stunner and his “porn” co-star looked awful in the pictures.

Tafadzwa Mapako – Winner

She learnt the art of taming the wild and she managed to co-exist with Nyadzisai Macheso even though the husband spends more time at her house than with his first wife. She gave birth to Alick Jnr and since then she hardly shows up at live shows proving that she has been domesticated herself.

Sharon Macheso- Loser

I know she is young and impressionable but Sharon has one big problem, she can’t keep things to herself. And can anyone please tell us the truth, was that a miscarriage, an abortion or a genuine unrelated illness?

Sulumane Chimbetu – Loser

For so long Sulu, as he is popularly known, had everything going on for him up until he started being greedy. At least four of his long-serving dancers deserted him minutes before going on stage and he had to go it alone. Phillip Dzivike, Shacky Phiri, Wayne Kembo and Nyasha Mugari quit the band over low salaries.

Word has it that the four have joined Tryson Chimbetu leaving Sulu with some egg on his face. Already something is missing from Orchestra Dendera Kings and the choreography “yadhakwa” (is now in tatters). But Tryson has to watch out because if these guys left Sulu over low wages, how then does he hope to keep them considering that Sulu performs more live shows than him. Let’s wait and see.

Winky D – Winner

Oh my word! Wallace Chirumiko, born and bred in Kambuzuma, alias the Ninja President has plenty of stuff up his sleeves.

His latest album “PaKitchen” became an instant hit and it also introduced a lady chanter called Lipsy. Music-wise the two are good but Winky D has not come out clear on what sort of relationship the duo have. We hope it’s professional.

Clara Matenga (Miss Teen Zim)- Loser

The whole Miss Teen Zimbabwe pageant was in shambles right from the outset and it was not surprising that the pageant will not be held this year for a number of reasons. At the Miss Teen World finals held in Houston, Texas in the United States, Clara failed to make the grade and came last.

Malaika Mushandu – Winner

It was pleasing to note how Malaika carried herself at the Miss World 2011 held in London, before and after the show.

Yes, she won big, not in terms of titles but it was an honour to be counted among the best of the best. Back home she was rewarded with several endorsements including notable ones from Edgars and TN Bank.

Vimbai Mutinhiri – Loser

The top model has been there and done that but 2011 was a bad year for Vimbai.

After missing out on the grand prize of US$200 000 at the Big Brother Amplified, she tried a hand at emceeing and was booed, her fragrance did not take off and her music is lukewarm. Maybe Vimbai must stick to what she knows best – and that’s walking the catwalk.

Wendall Parson – Winner

We understand he has not even used a cent of his prize money from the Big Brother Amplified reality show. A philanthropist and a party animal, Wendall has been at orphanages where he’s been throwing parties and donating goods. It is not just his clothing line “Nibbles” which people want to see but also the lucky lady who stole his heart.

Alick Macheso – Winner and Loser

He is one of the charming sungura artistes but when it comes to matters of the heart, Extrabasso comes short. Macheso married Tafadzwa Mapako and once you get a second wife, a third isn’t difficult to find.

What happened to Adeline Nhamoyebonde? Cheso unleashed “Zora Butter” dance and it has become so popular that Dynamos players and fans made it their signature celebration jingle last season. And so did the national cricket team.

Philip Chiyangwa – Loser

Lest some people accuse me of being a “PhD”, I mean a (player hater director) in street lingo, Chiyangwa is a gentleman and no one doubts that but on his debut movie appearance, the flamboyant businessman failed to impress.

Guess he should remain behind the scenes. Come to think of it, he only appears at the start of the movie and says one line “I run Johannesburg”, Oh please! Perhaps with a more meaningful role and more lines Chiyangwa may actually be watchable, otherwise he should just put in the money and keep his face out of the productions.

Energy Mutodi – Winner

There is nothing like show business and to get to the top it takes talent and determination. One such musician who has used both is Mutodi or simply “Tatu Muluba” to his fans. He is determined to revive Zimbabwean rhumba music taking lessons from the country’s culture and heritage.

Out of the blue, the flamboyant “Tatu Muluba” is now a big name on the music scene.