Madzibaba’s 100-year-old father dies

Sungura musician Nicholas “Madzibaba” Zakaria on Saturday lost his father Sekuru Maluwa Chekani Zakaria, who died after a long illness.

Sekuru Zakaria was aged 100 and a family spokesperson said he had not been well lately and had been in and out of hospital.

He died at his home in Chiweshe, where he was buried yesterday.

He was born on January 1, 1920.

In an interview yesterday, Madzibaba said they were celebrating the life of his father who taught them important tenets of life.

“Death is always painful, but in this loss we are also celebrating his life,” he said. “Very few people live up to 100 years and we want to thank God for giving our father such a long life. He saw his great-grandchildren and that is a rare privilege.

“He taught us values of life and he was there to see his children impart the same wisdom to their children and grandchildren. We will forever cherish the many days we had with the old man and we wish him a peaceful rest.”

Madzibaba’s younger brother Zakaria Zakaria echoed his brother’s sentiments, saying they will forever celebrate Sekuru Zakaria’s life.

“We will celebrate his life forever,” he said. “He was a good man and we thank God for the gift of life. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren loved to be with him. He also loved our music and encouraged us to keep going on in the industry.”

Madzibaba and Zakaria Zakaria worked together for a long time at Khiama Boys before Zakaria left the band together with Alick Macheso to form Ochestra Mberikwazvo.

Zakaria Zakaria now leads his own Chilli Boys, while Madzibaba is still at the helm of Khiama Boys. The Herald