Seven Women, 17 kids: Tongai Moyo Unplugged
By Shamiso Yikoniko
The women that were in the late Tongai Moyo’s life proved that the man was not only musically gifted but also had an eye for the fairer sex. Or could it be the women gave themselves up to him because of his flamboyance?
For the late sungura maestro, he and women seemed not to be inseparable, apart from his formal wives, Dhewa had a fair share of several sexscapades.
His known formal wives are Maud Chirwa (Peter’s mother), mother to Nyasha Brenda Moyo (whose name we could not establish), the late Barbara Muchengeti and his surviving wife Miniehle Mukweli.
Nothing much has been documented about his first wife Maud as she only came to the public forum after Dhewa was in his last days. Her claim to fame is by virtue of having given birth to the heir-apparent to the throne, the young Igwe, Peter. It is widely said that Maud and Dhewa divorced before Peter could even utter a single word.
His second wife was mother to Nyasha Brenda, whose real name we could not establish as she is reported to be staying in South Africa.
The third wife, Barbara Muchengeti, died in 2010 when she committed suicide, in yet unknown circumstances as she did not leave a suicide note. Even Dhewa died without knowing why his wife had taken her life.
Then the famous Minenhle Mukweli, who openly declared on Wednesday that she is no longer part of the Moyo family and has since moved on, as she has found someone to love her. There have been a couple of names linked to her, the Mutare businessman and Tongai’s Kwekwe friend.
In her exclusive interview with H-Metro on Wednesday, Mini said when the time comes she will announce who has won her heart.
She has told anyone who has cared to listen that Tongai, because of illness, had not been a husband for two years before his death, and she could not continue for another year after his death, given her young age. Many critics and followers of Dhewa’s music claim she was the inspiration behind the Ndiro Yababa song.
There were several other women that the late singer was alleged to have been attached to, some of whom emerged when his death was announced.
Alick Macheso and Dhewa’s relationship is rumoured to have broken down irretrievably when the two music giants clashed over the same woman on two different occasions.
First it was Monalisa, who Macheso would name a song after (as always) who lived in the United Kingdom and she would “take care” of each of them, whenever either went overseas. Tongai Moyo used the woman’s framed picture on his video Mudzimu weShiri.
Then came the straw that broke the camel’s back, Fadzi Tembo whom Macheso would sing Madhuwe for, warning Dhewa to leave his woman alone. The battle crossed from their rivalry in girlfriends to recording songs, where they would diss each other.
Then in November 2010, Dhewa sued Precious “Chihera” Chikanda over allegations that she insulted him while he was mourning his wife, Muchengeti.
However, Chikanda counter-claimed that it was a case of sour grapes on the part of Dhewa. She claimed that the musician was bitter that she turned down his sexual advances on three occasions. The late Dhewa vehemently dismissed the allegations.
When the news of Dhewa’s death broke out, there was drama in Zengeza 3 Extension in Chitungwiza where Meroleen Gukwe attempted to commit suicide on two counts after learning that she had been widowed at a tender age.
Gukwe, then 23, claimed that she started dating the late Dhewa at 19 and he was the one who robbed her of her virginity. Gukwe’s neighbours even confirmed that Dhewa was in love with her. At that time, Gukwe claimed to be two months pregnant.
Yet another woman, Geenah Mapako from Gweru, also claimed that she has been dating the sungura giant since 2008 and when Dhewa died she was three months pregnant. Mapako and Gukwe both claimed to have had some altercations with Mukweli.
Peter Moyo could not have summed up his father’s sexual life all the better: “We have had to go for DNA tests with about 17 children and none of them has proved to be Dhewa’s child and we are not stopping anyone to come forward if they think they are one of us.” The Sunday Mail
