dyton mupawaenda
Elliot Ziwira-Senior Writer
Iconic yesteryear music promoter, Lashton “Lashers” Chitoro has somehow mastered the art of falling, with a thud, even, yet he keeps picking himself up, unmindful of the next turn awaiting to tumble him to the ground, again.
Like the legendary phoenix from ancient mythology known for its astonishing abilities and symbolism — signifying hope, resilience and transformation, Lashers is a fascinating character.
He has a way of rising from the ashes with the same significant impact that he falls, yet his passion and dedication to the preservation of Zimbabwean cultural heritage, explored through music, remains inspiring.
A village boy’s inspirational journey
It is a Monday mid-morning as I take a stroll behind the famed Jongwe Corner Bar along St Patrick’s Road in Hatfield, Harare, to meet the man I have known for over two decades, and call mukoma.
Although I have known him for years to earn his confidence, we had not gone as deep as I intend to on this occasion.
Wearing his usual infectious smile, Lashers calls out for two chairs, and maiguru brings a stool for me, and fetches a plastic bucket for mukoma.
He offers me a drink as he makes himself comfortable on his “seat” under the eaves of the house, which he uses as a lodge, facing south-eastwards, and I contemplate sitting in the rather inviting June sunbath or away from it.
I eventually opt for the latter. We sit side-by-side opposite his old white BMW jalopy.
“Mwana wamai, you know everything about me. We have come a long way,” he says in his soft voice.
But I want more, more than we have shared before. There is always something that hasn’t been said before, or, if no careful probing is done, will remain hidden in the depths of life.
“Chitoro, my surname, is probably a corruption of “chitolo”, or something else, for I am of Malawian descent,” Lashers opens up, chuckling.
Born in Marecha Village, Madamombe, in Chief Chivi’s domain of Masvingo Province on April 2, 1966, he is the last born in a family of 11 siblings, four girls and seven boys, seven of whom are late.
Lashers’ early life was marked by hardship, with his height initially preventing him from attending school.
“I couldn’t pass the ‘raise your right hand over your head and touch your left ear’ hurdle,’’ he says.
When he was about eight-years-old, he moved to Victoria Falls where his eldest brother, Simeon, now late, worked.
He recalls how he travelled from the village to the Falls in the company of his sister-in-law wearing an oversized dress, for lack of decent clothing.
Despite these obstacles, his determination and spirit shone through.
He eventually began his education at Chinotimba Government Primary School in Victoria Falls in 1974, where he faced a new challenge—language barrier—as Ndebele was the language of instruction.
Following his brother’s job transfers, Lashers’ journey took him to different parts of the country.
After completing his Grade Six at Chinotimba, he transferred to Madamombe Primary School for his Grade Seven, and later Temeraire Secondary School in Mashava in 1981.
He faced an uncertain future when his brother left his job at Gath’s Mine in 1982 to settle in the Matandamaviri Resettlement Area, taking the Form Two schoolboy along with him.
Left in a quandary, he lied to his brother that he wanted to pick up some of his belongings from a friend at Mashava Mine.
In a bold move, he negotiated with his headmaster, Mr Makore, to stay in school in exchange for working during weekends and holidays.
A chance encounter with an uncle connected to his maternal grandmother led to a turning point in Lashers’ life.
“He was the father of Misheck Makota, who would later turn out for premier league outfit, AmaZulu Football Club,” he recalls.
It was here that he forged childhood bonds with Misheck and Esther Chijaka, which changed the course of his life.
Unconditional love: Esther picks Lashers up
Had it not been for Esther, Lashers’ star could probably not have shone as brightly as it did. Her love had a profound impact on his life, shaping him in various ways; financially, emotionally, and psychologically.
“Esther was my guardian angel,” he says, nostalgically.
The Chijakas, who were considered well-to-do, lived two houses from Lashers’ adoptive family. He attended school with Esther’s elder sister, Kudzai, while she was at Dadaya Mission.
Kudzai later introduced her sister to Lashers one exeat weekend when they were in Form Three, and the two immediately clicked.
“She would write me letters, first as a friend, until it blossomed into love,” he reminisces.
Esther took over the responsibility of Lashers’ school fees, uniforms and stationery from the pocket money she got from her father.
“She would send me money through registered mail. Sekuru continued providing me with accommodation and food, while my brother Nelson later paid my O-Level examination fees,” he says, his eyes far-gone.
On the emotional front, Esther offered love and encouragement, boosting Lashers’ confidence and self-esteem, despite his poor background.
He reveals that while awaiting their O Level results in 1984, Esther’s parents asked him to accompany the two sisters to their rural home in Chihava Village near Chivi Mission.
That was where everything got off hand, resulting in Esther falling pregnant when they were hardly 18.
In 1985, she gave him bus fare to try his hand in Harare. With only one subject, Shona, he got his first job at Arcadia Supermarket as a packer, while his sweetheart, who had passed four subjects, was working as a relief teacher.
When her pregnancy began to show, Esther was dismissed from her teaching job, and joined Lashers in Harare.
Around 1986, the lovebirds moved to Glen Norah A with their one-year-old daughter, Faith, to live with Lashers’ maternal uncle, Vengesai Chiketa, who worked at Star Africa Corporation (kuSugar), and had a house near Chitubu shops.
They later lived with Nelson in Highfield.
Riding on Esther’s support, he enrolled in night lessons, passed five subjects, and later pursued an Institute of Bankers of Zimbabwe (IOBZ) diploma.
Between 1987 and 1989, Lashers changed workplaces three times. He worked at Supreme Butchery in Chisipite, then Zimbabwe Credit Insurance (now Credsure), and finally, Merchant Bank of Central Africa.
Esther’s presence in Lashers’ life helped him develop a sense of responsibility and purpose. In essence, her love and support helped him overcome obstacles and achieve his goals, shaping him into the buoyant and accomplished individual he would later become.
Betrayal stings: A heartbreaking ordeal
Over the years, I have come to know Lashers as an ever-smiling man, no matter the odds. However, behind that smiling face and a never-say-die spirit, lies a painful tale of love, trust, and betrayal.
The hurt shows in his eyes, becoming a window into the darkest recesses of humankind.
On February 3, 1990, Lashers’ world came crashing down when he discovered that the love of his life, Esther, had been unfaithful to him with his cousin.
They were sharing a cottage with a taxi driver in Arcadia. Like a dagger perforating his soul, the news cut deep. Feeling his entire existence crumbling beneath him, and the pain overwhelmingly simmering, he contemplated ending his life.
“I just wanted to die”, Lashers says, tears welling up in his eyes. “My Esther felt the same, too. Had I not heralded her mischief to family members and friends, I would have forgiven her. I loved her. She was my pillar of strength.”
The thought of his wife, the mother of his two children, in the arms of another man, a married relative, was a burden too heavy to stomach. Sadly, too, their son had died.
In a cruel twist of fate, Lashers had unknowingly funded the illicit affair using his severance package from the insurance company.
“She lied that she was going to Murehwa to visit her aunt. Coincidentally, he said he was going to Mutare to sort out a maintenance issue with a woman he had a child with there. Using my wife, he asked me for money,” Lashers recollects, visibly hurting inside.
He vividly recalls how he was offered a lift by the taximan to a college in town where he was studying for his Advanced-Level.
“He wanted to pass-by the railway station. That is where I saw my wife and cousin snuggling against each other, heading to the first-class bay,” Lashers says, unburdening his tormented soul.
“I told my mate what I had just seen. He said we should teach them a lesson there and then, but I refused. We waited until 9pm, and witnessed them leaving.”
It was on a Thursday, and the cheats returned on Monday morning. Esther called him upon arrival home.
The incident marked the end of their union, leaving Lashers shattered and lost. His cousin’s subsequent elopement with Esther to Gweru only added salt to the wound.
Fate, however, turned the tables, as his cousin later met a tragic end in an accident not long afterwards.
Remarried, Esther died in 1998, dejected.
As Lashers struggled to come to terms with the betrayal, his brothers and family rallied around him, introducing him to another Esther, who would become his second wife.
She was in Form Four, and lived with her brother, who was Nelson’s best friend, in Chinhoyi. She was related to Nelson’s wife by totem—Soko.
Though the wounds of the past still lingered, Lashers found solace in this new love, Esther Mudzengerere, whom he married in 1990. The couple has five children, four daughters and a son.
Like a phoenix, Lashers began rebuilding his life.
The rise: Birth of Club Lashers
In 1999, Lashers’ life took a dramatic turn when he received a lump sum payment from his bank job, including a bonus. He had been promoted from a supervisor to an internal auditor, following his exposure of a scam involving R2 million.
With a passion for music ignited by the Devera Ngwena Jazz Band, fronted by Jonah Moyo, which was resident at Mashava Mine, he leased a nightclub in Epworth, paRuben, birthing Club Lashers in 2000.
“I used to follow the band wherever it played around the mining area in Mashava, from Gath’s Mine, King Mine, and Temeraire Mine,” he recalls.
Despite being a teetotaller with no club experience, Lashers’ passion for music drove him to promote local talent, starting with paRuben, and later registering Lashers Promotions in 2002.
It was around this period that I got to know him at a personal level.
He bought a beautiful seven-roomed house in Glen Norah A, kuma17, in 2001.
When he joined our ’hood, we called him ‘Cronos’, because he drove a sparkling new, white Mazda 626 Cronos, a car of the moment, then. He would later acquire a bottle green Mercedes Benz C180.
We accompanied him, my friend, Sylvester Kasikwale, and I, to kwaRuben in 2002 to mount a widescreen television set in his joint in a supply and fix deal.
Lashers became the first promoter to bring artists to Epworth, showcasing talents like Tongai Moyo, Jonah Moyo, Kiren Zulu, and Pengaudzoke.
“I recall that in those days there were only two promoters; myself and (Nancy Manyaya’s) Presdom. Presdom only promoted Oliver Mtukudzi, and I was open to everyone,” says the promoter of repute.
“Later came Ghetto Fabulous (Chris Musabayane), and all the others that Alick Macheso sings about; Mai Red Rose (Barbara Chikosi), and (Notice) Chigome. By then, there were four promoters for Macheso”.
Club Lashers expanded to Makoni Shops in 2003, Rusape in 2004, and Budiriro in 2005, becoming a hub for emerging artists like R & K African Sounds of the “Tina” fame, Mambokadzi, Tongai Moyo, and Jah Prayzah.
“I would slot in Jah Prayzah on Ladies’ Night every Thursday. He would curtain raise for Macheso, sometimes alongside Tongai Moyo, Sugar-Sugar, R & K, and Mambokadzi,” Lashers says.
A selfless man, Lashers organised many successful events and concerts, converged diverse artistes and genres, and shaped a vibrant music scene in Zimbabwe. Through his guidance and support, emerging artists were able to find their voices and navigate the tumultuous music industry, and develop their craft.
An innovative and creative icon, over the years, he introduced novel ideas and formats to the music landscape, through fusion gigs and collaborations, keeping the industry freshly exciting.
Also, he forged partnerships with local and international artistes, promoters, and organisations, thus catapulting Zimbabwean music onto the global stage. In collaboration with other promoters, Lashers brought international acts like Awilo Longomba, Kanda Bongoman, and Koffi Olomide to Zimbabwe.
To be continued . . .
Online Reporter