POPULAR DJ JOHN MATINDE RE-DISCOVERED

Fred Zindi
Last month, I heard about the mysterious death of Dr Tham Matinde in South Africa. He was brother to the famous former Radio Three DJ, John Matinde. Since John and I were great friends during our stint at ZBC, I decided to look for in order to pay my condolences.

During our conversation, I decided I would write a story about John for the benefit of his fans and those who do not know about this legend. He was not sure about this, mainly because he feared I would distort his story. So after a lot of persuasion, I let him write his own story. Here is the story and I quote him verbatim:

“The story of my life . . . where do I begin?

It is often said though that if you are going to write the story of your life, then you must not let someone else hold the pen (even if it’s a good old friend like Fred Zindi — he is liable to muck it up here and there!. So let me give him a few pointers . . .

Like your good self friend, I am now quietly enjoying what can be considered (though unkindly, I reckon), as “senior citizenship”! Not that I feel a day older than “handsome pfacha” yaMtukudzi. I was born just outside Bulawayo, many dry years ago, and have an elder brother and two surviving younger siblings. My parents were educationists, and made sure we were not only properly schooled, but kept us on the straight and narrow too. Dad was a headmaster, so disciplinarian by default, so cue live by example and all that.

Most of my primary and secondary education was done in and around Bulawayo, and I am proud to be an ex-Umzingwane Govt High School student. It is there I learnt most of my life skills, and also discovered my passion for music. Perhaps I should qualify that and say my “conscious” passion of music, because I forced Dad to buy me a portable radio to take to boarding school. The truth is growing up in Bulawayo I had always been surrounded by music on the radio, and at various Youth Clubs where local and visiting live bands, or just boy bands, serenaded us with their various wares. (Izintombi ZesiManje Manje, West Nkosietc come to mind)!

By the time I left secondary school, those who know/knew me then will tell you I was destined to be on radio, as even then I religiously followed pop charts, chart history, musicians autobiographies etc and was a huge fan of a seminal pop station called LM Radio (broadcasting from Maputo, but with Jo’burg based transmitters and auxiliary studios; pretty much like Radio 3 with Byo Montrose studio days).

I was raised on rock, rock music as it were, and I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter as that was the music I was mostly exposed to, not that I regret it. It’s just how I’m wired. My music tastes were to broaden more widely however when I joined Radio 2 (then RBC) after a chance audition in the early 70s, while awaiting my UK University applications to come into place. What I didn’t realise was it would take me 20 years to eventually “go to the UK”, because I enjoyed my little radio detour so much!

I will summarise my radio days as those are mostly in the public knowledge already, and I feel a bit vain talking about myself. Suffice to say from Radio 2 I moved into Commercial Advertising (to replace Webster Shamu who’d left for the guerilla war), at the invitation of the late Patrick Bajilla. Patrick was my hero and one of the most talented broadcasters I ever worked with. My other broadcasting heroes are Webster Shamu, Wellington Mbofana (late) and Ephraim Chamba (late).

In 1980, at the behest of Webster Shamu, we gave up our commercial broadcasting full time jobs to found Radio 3, which was a pop station to compete with the hitherto referred to LM Radio, so as to entice the “youth” into local listenership and values. So we had to compete on par with such international pop stations, but that is not to mean at the expense of local music/musicians, as ZBC also had the luxury of a second music cultural station (Radio 2), whose larger footprint was to cater for 70 percent local music, as opposed to our 30 percent local vs 70 percent international. Radio 3s founding DJ line up was a dream team to die for: Patrick Bajilla, Wellington Mbofana, Josh Makawa, Ishmael Kadungure, Roy Brassington, Brian Ship, Gerry Jackson, Busi Mhlanga (now Chindove), MusiKhumalo . . . and many others who joined at different points along the way. It was an honour and privilege for me to have risen to Captain of the ship by the time I left the boat in 1991.

With Radio 3 also came my work with ZTV presenting various music shows, game shows (with Alan Riddell), news (yes, I used to read the MAIN NEWS with the late Mervyn Hamilton mostly)! I also found time in between my radio work to further my education and attend University in between.

One of my most memorable days was the pleasure I had to introduce the Bob Marley Show at Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980.

I have also had immense pleasure in working with great Zim talents like Rozalla Miller (who remains a friend), Mukadota (you know I recorded and co produced their radio show for quite a while at Blackberry Productions once a week after hours), Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi, Andy Brown, Don Gumbo, Keith Farquarson, Lovemore Majaivana, Bhundu Boys, Boykie Moore, Solo Chiweshe, Dave Marumahoko (4 Aces), The rock band Dagger (from Westwood &Highfields), Fred Zindi , whose “Stop Your Crying” is still on my playlist, just like Fungai Malianga’s “Zimbabwean Funk” is, . . . Calvin Gudu and the Children of Nandi etc

The list is endless. It would be easier to mention which musicians I haven’t met. To the international list you can name anything from Paul Simon (whose Graceland’s tour I compeered, and in fact on some editions of his video tour, my voice still introduces him in the vernacular!), UB40, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Hugh Masekela, Caiphus Semenya, Letta Mbulu etc.

I finally boarded that plane for good, and I now find myself on these crowded islands. What have I been up to in the intervening years, I hear you ask … or not? Well, study, business, broadcasting, indulge my other passion of cars, and of course, pursue my serious passion for music … be it playing it for myself, playing the odd instrument, or just playing it loud to annoy the wife, the kids and the neighbours!

Life may have its ups and downs like ponies on a merry-go-round, but all told, I’ve lived a charmed life. I dreamt a dream and I have lived the dream.