Eunice Mashakada dies

Trust Khosa

CEPHAS Mashakada’s widow, Eunice, has died.

She succumbed to kidney failure at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital yesterday.

She was 63.

Family spokesperson, Faith Taruvinga, described Gogo Mashakada as a unifier, a hard worker, and a marriage builder.

“We have lost Gogo Mashakada who was a family pillar and provider.

“In my capacity as her grandchild, I have lost a friend who was always there for me.

“She was a fighter who battled this illness for some time although we wished that she would make it,” she said.

Taruvinga hailed Gogo Mashakada as a hardworking entrepreneur who fended for her family.

“I have learnt that we should be hard working as women despite being single mothers.

“When she lost her husband, she continued fending for her family although the void left behind by her husband was hard to fill.

“We will always cherish the good memories that we had with her as a unifier,” added Taruvinga.

Gogo Mashakada’s younger sister, Betty Sauke, said the family has been robbed of a sole provider.

“I can’t imagine that she is gone. She was a jovial person who loved us.

“As a young sister to her, I will always miss all the good times that we had as a family.

“Life will never be the same without Gogo Mashakada who used to encourage us to work hard,” she said.

The younger sister vowed to keep the family legacy intact.

“As a family, we try by all means to ensure that we put into practice what she taught us.

“One of the things that she taught us was genuine love and never to fake love.

“People of her calibre who had wisdom are hard to come by these days,” she said.

Gogo Mashakada died at a time when she was reviving her late husband’s music.

Her husband, who died in 2011, left a rich catalogue of music, which at one time she sought to protect by continuing with his legacy.

The widow took a huge gamble with the help of some members of The Sounds of Muddy Face, resulting in the release of an album titled “Let Them Talk” in 2013.

However, she could not make it to acclaim due to economic challenges haunting most beginners in showbiz.

A cross-border trader by profession, Mashakada’s widow believed in hard work and professionalism.

Her death has come at a time when widows of musicians have been holding cooperatives to sustain themselves.

She is survived by one child and four grandchildren.

Mourners are gathered along Mabika Way near Ziko Shopping Centre in Seke Rural.

She will be buried at Zororo Memorial Park on Wednesday.