guitarists, Zakaria Zakaria.
It appears Macheso aka Extrabasso was not moved by Zaka Zaka’s exit from his group – the Orchestra Mberikwazvo.
The sungura maestro said it was business as usual although Zakaria, the younger brother to his mentor, Nicholas “Madzibaba” Zakaria, had returned to his old job as a truck driver.
“Kufa kwemujoni kamba haivharwi. Musatarisa kuti arikukwenya waya ndiani iwe ingoteerera waya,” he said to wild cheers from the crowd that attended his show in the Harare Gardens on Sunday.
There had been some murmuring in the crowd as fans asked for Zaka Zaka to which Macheso responded by comparing football players to musicians.
The bassist likened the departure of Zaka Zaka to that of football star Evans Gwekwerere who left Dynamos to join CAPS United.
“Zvakafana naGwekwerere munga bvunza kuti arikupi kana kuti munotarisa arikutamba number yake iyoyo?”
He, however, said fans should not worry about those who leave his group but focus on his music.
Zaka Zaka is one of the best sungura rhythm guitarists and a founder member of the Orchestra Mberikwazvo.
Since the beginning of this year, Zaka Zaka has not been performing with the group amid reports that he was now driving haulage trucks.
Madzibaba told The Sunday Mail that Zaka Zaka had secured a job with a South African transport company and was already driving around the region.
The soft-spoken Madzibaba confirmed that Zaka Zaka wanted to start a new life in South Africa so that he could improve his children’s lifestyle.
“He has always said that he needs to do something about his life for his children and since he had the advantage of being a good driver, I guess he has decided to do it,” he said.
Some critics who have been following developments within Extrabasso’s camp were quick to say that Zaka Zaka’s move to truck driving was precipitated by the fact that Macheso was now focused on his love for Tafadzwa Mapako, his second wife.
They say that morale momentarily hit its bottom low after Extrabasso fell head over heels with Tafadzwa, for whom he penned a song on his latest album.
Others said Zaka Zaka opted for a better deal than just being a back line musician.
Zaka Zaka is the second key band member to leave after Innocent Mjintu was unceremoniously sacked from the Orchestra Mberikwazvo.
It therefore remains to be seen whether or not there was any bad blood between Zaka Zaka and Extrabasso.



