Studio 263 Mai Huni DIES

Studio 263 actress and jazz musician Charmaine Nomore Chakanyuka Mangwende has passed away.

Mangwende acted the role of Mai Huni in the original Studio 263 of the early 2000s. The talented actress was best known for being a caring wife who was always committed to her family.

Fellow actress Charity Dlodlo who played Mai Madziva in the same production confirmed the death and said it was a great loss to the film industry.

“Charmaine was always a jovial person and she would always make people laugh on set. Not only have we lost a veteran actress but we have lost a sister and a friend. It is also sad that with our industry in Zimbabwe great artists have nothing to show for the hard work they have done.

Mangwende also had a passion for music having worked with Transit Crew and the legendary Pied Pipers. She penned the song Pafunge for the latter while still with the band.

Studio 263 is Zimbabwe’s first Soap Opera that Premiered in 2002. Initially written by Aaron Chiundura Moyo, the soapie was about life in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.

The series made history by becoming one of the few locally produced series to be aired on international television channels such as M-net.