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He was born the third child in a family of five. For the family, it was a joy to have a new member of the family, but there was more to the joy. The boy grew up to be an ambitious young man aiming for the very top of each and every endeavour he attempted. That same character saw him becoming the first managing director of the National Housing Development Trust of Zimbabwe (NHDTZ). Before occupying the prestigious position, Mutodi had been, like any other university graduate, become a teacher in Karoi at Chikangwe Secondary School before joining a local bank as a marketing executive in the ledgers office.
In 2005 he left the bank and started consultancy work in the banking and insurance sectors soon after which he assumed his position as managing director for the NHDTZ.
Two years later he was elevated to his current position as CEO of the same entity after attaining a membership of over 30 000 new members, a figure higher than that of any financial institution in the country that year.
Currently, the NHDTZ has over 10 000 successful housing properties countrywide. With a saddle as high and esteemed as his, one would never expect him to turn his head to music, and rhumba for that matter. Yet that is exactly what Mutodi has done. He has taken over the welfare of the Real Sounds of Africa, a rhumba outfit which has been in existence since 1975.
Together, they recently released an album titled Simbi yaMdhara, which was launched at a colourful ceremony at Jazz 105 two weeks ago. The event was well received by the full house at the jazz spot and most, especially middle-aged men and women, could not help but dance the night away. Special mention for the night went to the group’s presentation on the night. The attire was exquisite, the choreography complementary, the vocal clarity was superb. To cap it all, the recent addition to the group, Malaika Dance group, were perfect in every sense. They exhibited energy, skill, artistry and, most of all, were neatly and decently dressed.
According to Mutodi, he met with the group a few years ago as a promoter and later started composing Shona songs since the whole group is of Congolese origin.
“We worked on the album last year and later decided to launch it this year. I have had a strong passion for music and rhumba particularly. Old skool matched my model so it was not a difficult decision.
“It is infested with social messages and everyone knows that old skool rhumba has been the missing link in our music industry,” said Mutodi.
He said many who followed other African editions of different genres like jazz and kanindo are the very audience he targeted. More importantly, however, Mutodi’s taking over of the Real Sounds of Africa will bring a lot of sanity into the music fraternity and the recently formalised dancers’ association in terms of the day-to-day lives of the members of the group. This is only if other stakeholders emulate the way he conducts his business. The members of his two incorporated groups can still perform live shows as independent entities but are entitled to a monthly salary which they get regardless of having held shows or not.
Besides being a successful businessman and now a musician, Mutodi is an academic and an author as well. One of his books for Advanced Level Physical Geography, titled Total Geography Series, is currently being used in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana. He is currently working on another geography series book for A-level and a Shona novel, Pfimbi Yebenzi, which is scheduled for release next year.
“I felt that I have an obligation to help mould the social fabric of our country, at the same time I want to present myself an opportunity to interact with my business clients while on stage as I embrace the chance to change the complexion of Zimbabwean music,” said Mutodi.-The Sunday Mail
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