Chronicle Editor
Blessings Chidakwa, Zimpapers Elections Desk
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday honoured popular television personality and social commentator, Dr Rebecca Chisamba, with the Order of the Star of Zimbabwe Silver medal.
Dr Chisamba rose to prominence through her popular interactive programmes, ‘Mai Chisamba show’, broadcast on national broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
She has 37 years broadcasting experience.
President Mnangagwa honoured Dr Chisamba during a ceremony at State House in Harare.
“I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa President of Republic of Zimbabwe, Commander in Chief of Zimbabwe Defence Forces, the Grand Master of the Zimbabwe Order of Merit in terms of subsection 3 of the honours and awards act as read with warrant 2 of 2023 hereby declare this gathering to be a convocation for the conferment of honours and awards as notified by the general notice number 1345 of 2023,” he said.
The recognition of Dr Chisamba comes barely a few days after President Mnangagwa also honoured outstanding organisations and individuals including the First Lady’s Angel of Hope Foundation which was awarded for its philanthropic work which has seen her being recognised internationally for uplifting lives.
Individuals honoured are Dr Sikhulile Moyo who discovered the Omicron variant in 2021. He was the first to be honoured with the Order of The Great Zimbabwe Award in Silver.
Another luminary, Ambassador Mary Mubi, received the Order of the Star of Zimbabwe in Gold while Dr Agnes Mahomva was confered with the Order of the Star of Zimbabwe in Silver for the successful co-ordination of Covid-19 mitigation and prevention programmes across the country.
Also to further immortalise the works of the various recipients, a Hall of Fame will soon be established as part of the Government Complex at the New City, in Mt Hampden.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Dr Kazembe Kazembe said President Mnangagwa had honoured Dr Chisamba as part of the Second Republic’s bold stance of rewarding excellence.
Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, who read the credentials of Dr Chisamba, said she received the award in the category of Living Public Service in terms of section 3(3) of Warrant 2 of 2023, as published in Statutory Instrument 144 of 2023.
He said Dr Chisamba is deserving of this national honour for her service to the public as her television shows have tackled societal vices and ills that were deemed taboo.
“The experts invited to her shows on various matters have given handy and critical advice, her listeners and viewers have found relief and significantly, solutions for challenges, which at times they would bear silently.
“She is practically the National Aunt/Tete Venyika, Ubabakazi Welizwe. Indeed, she has contributed to transforming communities through challenging stereotypes, denouncing harmful practices, dispelling fear, promoting courage and strength and harmonious living,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said Mai Chisamba, as she is popularly known by her followers, is an iconic television talk show host of the Amai Chisamba show, the longest running talk show in Zimbabwe.
He said she started off as a teacher with the Audio Visual Services Department of the then Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture, where she would present radio lessons.
Minister Ndlovu said she traded that role, initially for a part-time position with the ZBC’s AM Zimbabwe where she successfully hosted shows such as Mhuri Pachinyakare, Mabhuku neVanyori, Masamanisi and Kukwira Gomo.
He said Dr Chisamba broke into television when asked to host Today’s Woman/Mudzimai Wanhasi/Umama Wanamuhla as a stand-in.
“Eventually, she became the only presenter of the show leading to the show’s name changing to Mai Chisamba Show. She left ZBC when, together with her husband, they had formed Chisamba Productions and Media Consultancy, currently responsible for the continued successful running of the Amai Chisamba Show.
“The Amai Chisamba Show has been held at many different locations in Zimbabwe giving it a national character. It has also attained an international flavour after the show was held in Canberra, Sydney and Perth in Australia and in Manchester, England,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said Dr Chisamba has been at the fore-front of informing, educating and advising the nation for almost four decades.
“Her shows have broached numerous subjects that the Zimbabwean community at large grapples with, ranging from HIV and AIDS, female dressing, health problems related to public hygiene, the phenomenon of child-headed families, moral decadence, evolving gender roles, poor performances of the Zimbabwe national soccer team, gender-based violence, among others.
“Her productions continue to provide space for people to air their views on societal issues. Amai Chisamba also runs a successful column called, Mudzimba with Mai Chisamba, in The Sunday Mail, in which she engages with Zimbabweans on marital and related issues,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said Dr Chisamba’s work is held in very high esteem that the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority saw it fit to appoint her Domestic Tourism Ambassador.
He added that she has won 36 local awards in recognition of both the importance and the quality of her work such as Zimbabwe Communicator of the Year Award (2003), Victor’s Award for Outstanding Woman in Zimbabwe and Longstanding Talk Show Host (2011, Victors Incorporation) and Superwoman for Advice and Mentoring (2012).
Other awards are outstanding woman in the use of Mass Media for Gender Equality Award (2012, Professional Women Executives and Women in Business [PROWEB]), Overall Defender of Human Rights Award (2014, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association), Honorary Doctorate (2015, International Institute of Philanthropy).
Minister Ndlovu said other awards are top outstanding woman in Peace and Community Development in the Republic of Zimbabwe (2015, Women’s Heritage Society Organisation) and Icon in Entertainment of the Year, Special Recognition in Talk Shows (2018, Iconic African Women’s Awards).
Dr Chisamba said it was an honour to be receiving the award, paying great tribute to First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa who assisted her with venues for the much-needed recordings and would use her personal vehicle to transport her with the crew, way before she became the First Lady.
“I am very happy and excited to have received this award, this award is very special and big. It is not only for me but my family, country and even those who have gone before us.
“I want to tell the youth that nothing comes easy, being where I am right now was not easy, I started in 1986 behind the microphone and this is 2023, holding on to something you believe in will take you places,” she said.
Dr Chisamba said her career did not come on a silver platter as she encountered challenges along the way.
She also took a swipe at youths taking drugs.
“This issue of drugs is wreaking havoc and hurting us. I sometimes talk to the youth on my shows and they tell me that the reason why they are doing drugs is because there are no jobs so we have resorted to using drugs.
“So I then ask them that if the drugs wear off will there be jobs available then. I tell them that if using drugs doesn’t bring jobs etc, they should look for something else to do instead of abusing drugs because getting drunk will not help anyone in anyway,” she said.
Dr Chisamba also paid tribute to Mr Munyaradzi Hwengwere, Ms Susan Makore and Mr Henry Muradzikwa for playing a pivotal role in her career.
“I also want to express my profound gratitude to ZBC because if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have been where I am today, the show would have never existed.
“When we celebrated our 36th anniversary of me being behind the microphone, it brought about the birth of the Dr Rebecca Chisamba Linguistics Academy, but I don’t want to say much about it,” she said.
Online Reporter