Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
BEFORE he was breaking up attacks on the football pitch, Jimmy Dzingai was setting the tempo from behind a drum kit.
Not just any kit, and not for just any band.
He was the original drummer in Jah Prayzah’s now famous Third Generation outfit, providing the steady beat behind breakout hits like “Ngwarira Kuparara” and “Sori Mhamha”.
Today, the CAPS United defender wears Jersey Number 01, a number traditionally reserved for goalkeepers.
But that is the thing about Dzingai: He does not follow the rules. He makes his own.
“When I joined CAPS United, my preferred number, 20, was already taken,” he said.
“Then I saw 01 was available. It’s not usual for a defender to wear it, but I figured, why not?”
That unorthodox choice is more than a number; it is a window into the artistic soul hidden beneath his rugged defensive game.
The man tasked with stopping goals was once helping make hits. And the musician in him? He is still very much alive.
“Yeah, I was the first drummer for Jah Prayzah,” Dzingai proudly recalled.
“We recorded some of his early hits like ‘Ngwarira Kuparara’ and ‘Sori Mhamha’. We really enjoyed the hard work everyone put in back then.
“Jah Prayzah was still trying to make a name for himself. The amount of work he put in was just out of this world. I’m not surprised at all by his success. I saw how serious he was about his craft.”
At the time, Dzingai was juggling band rehearsals with training sessions at the Aces Youth Soccer Academy (AYSA), where his coaches and teammates insisted he had something special on the football field.
They were right.
He would go on to wear the national team jersey for the Warriors and play top-flight football.
But back at AYSA, Dzingai was also the team’s go-to entertainer, frequently picking up the mbira, rattles or drums to ease tension in camp.
He played alongside future Zimbabwe stars like Khama Billiat, Knowledge Musona, the late George Chigova and Vasilli Kawe.
Even now, those memories linger, and so does his musical pull.
“I was always playing mbira at AYSA. Everyone got entertained,” he said.
“Most of the guys I came up with at the academy still push me to record. It was actually Billiat’s idea when he bought me instruments worth about US$1 600 while we were in Egypt for the 2019 AFCON — drums, guitars . . . I was playing them in camp.”
Music kept calling, even during his time at Yadah FC, where he joined the PHD Ministries church choir. But now, after years of sitting on
the fence, Dzingai has finally answered.
He is deep into studio work on a traditional, seven-track album he hopes to release later this year.
A teaser track titled “KaAqua Kaya” is already sparking intrigue.
“We’re currently recording an album called ‘I Love You Zimbabwe’,” he said.
“It’s a social commentary project, and I believe people will love it.”
His musical roots run deep.
His father, John, was a composer and publisher of Catholic liturgical notes. His brother, Clayton, was a session guitarist and backing vocalist for several local musicians.
“I grew up surrounded by music,” Dzingai said.
“I fell in love with it. Even though I chose the football path, music still flows in my blood.”
And so, the defender, who chose the goalkeeper’s jersey number, now finds himself stepping forward, not just to tackle strikers, but to chase a different kind of dream.
Dzingai is no longer choosing between passions. He is walking both roads, boots on the pitch, and beats in his heart.
Tinaye Agere