Journey into Macheso’s early life

ground that the judge takes.
The man and his polygamous liaisons has ignited debates with admirers and detractors all getting in their two cents worth.
But who is this man, composer of moralising lyrics, talented guitarist and dancer of unmatched creativity, who has divided the country into two camps, one of his defenders and another of his critics?
If the child is the father of the man, could a journey into Alick’s early life provide an insight into the drama of his marital life?
The Herald took time to track down Mbuya Silver Zhuneya, Macheso’s maternal grandmother in Chiroodza Village under Chief Musana and she revealed his story.
Alick was fathered by Hardson Mbewe, a Malawian immigrant farm worker at Hereford Farm in Bindura in 1968, but before the young boy was even at the crawling stage; Mbewe took off claiming that he was not the father of the child.
His mother moved in with her mother Mbuya Zhuneya and left the young Alick there as she remarried. Mbuya Zhuneya brought up her grandson together with her own son, Danlos Macheso who was two years older.
Danlos recalls that during their days at Hereford Primary School, Alick was not too keen on books and he would play truant, preferring to spend his time in the hills.
“Alick only went up to Grade 3 before dropping out completely to concentrate on his musical career.
“At that time it was made up of discarded tin cooking oil containers which he fashioned into guitars with twine stolen from the fishing of rods of my father, his grandfather.”
The enterprising would-be musician also helped himself to the half-drums that the women in the area used for beer brewing. With those, Alick invented what he termed a “spring base guitar”.
Danlos said his nephew dug a hole and used an upturned half-drum with a hole in the middle dug into the ground. He would pour water into the ground through the hole then place a stick strung with twine across the drum to produce a deep bass.
The rest, as the story goes, is history and today Alick Macheso is arguably one of the most successful and popular figures in the music industry in general.“At that time no one realised that Alick’s future was in music and what with his pilfering twine and drums, his grandfather was always after the young scamp,” Danlos said.
But there was also a lot of empathy, as the maternal family believed that Alick could not help his nature; music was obviously in his blood. His father, Hardson Mbewe, used to move around playing a pennywhistle and a banjo in those days.
Unfortunately, the father did not feel an equal pull to his son and when contacted to remind him of his child he emphatically denied fathering Alick, says Ambuya Zhuneya.
Thereafter they lost trace of him and the family has no idea as to whether he is still in the country or even if he is alive. So practically, that means Alick has no paternal relatives and that may explain his urge for several wives.
Perhaps he is determined to found a huge clan to make up for his loneliness.
On that topic the grandmother had this to say:
“We only heard him singing about one Tafadzwa of which we haven’t met.
“I heard through rumours that he has married another wife and I do not know what he wants to do with those wives.”
Contacted for comment, Tafadzwa confirmed that she has never visited the old woman in Musana but claimed to have met her when she came to Harare recently.
Tafadzwa also confirmed that she knew that Alick’s grandmother is old and ailing, having had some toes amputated in a fight against cancer.
I asked if she knew where Machesos marital spree was coming from or what was behind it, Mbuya Zhuneya said, “He showed me one big house he bought in Waterfalls and probably he wants to fill the house with wives and children.”
His uncle Danlos interjected and said Alick could be imitating him since he once had two wives with whom he sired seven children. Danlos said his nephew has remained down to earth and was still a Nyau dancer:
“He still dances in masquerade, but no one ever realises that it is him as Nyau dancers are always mysterious,” Danlos said.
Danlos and Mbuya Zhuneya lauded Alick and Nyadzisai for holding the family together.
Alick bought the homestead in Chiroodza for her and takes care of the extended family.
Mbuya Zhuneya has nothing but praise for the first wife, Nyadzisai, whom she described as an exemplary woman who is just one call away whenever a family member is in need.