Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Reporter
With 20 years in the entertainment industry under his belt, Manu Mahaso says marriage saved his life and is the sole reason he has been in the game for such a long time.
Born Emmanuel Takaedza Mahaso in Mutare on March 14, 1976, he grew up in rural Masvingo and got educated there until A-level. He then relocated to Bulawayo to further his studies.
A devout member of the Seventh Day Adventist, Manu attends church religiously even though he has the pressures of running bars in the city.
He is a lover of the soft life as his drinks of choice are Johnny Walker Blue Label, Remy Martin and a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne once in a while. He supports English football giants Liverpool.
Those who are familiar with the Bulawayo nightlife have come across Manu Mahaso with his bulky frame and booming voice as he welcomes one to the many establishments that he has managed.
He started off at Hustlers Night Club, moved to Paparazzi (now defunct), Brass Monkey, Eden (now Cosmopolitan), Zarah Lounge, Havana, Cubanna, the defunct Club Connect, and now he is working at The Boundary.
Welcoming the crew to The Boundary a Queens Sports Club, Manu speaks glowingly of his past and his life in the entertainment industry.
However, it was by mistake or chance that he started off working in the bar industry.
Manu had gone to Hustlers Night Club in 2002 for a drink after a long day at work. Little be known to him that at the same time, the night club was looking for bouncers and the manager then thought that Manu had come for the job.
“The first time I walked into a bar I got a job. I had never set foot in a bar in my life until I was at college. I was working as a store clerk at Agrifoods, then I went to Hustlers Leisure Centre by accident.
“Luckily the entertainment manager, Charles Arnold Brown (the late Charlie Phresh or Charlie Boy) was interviewing bouncers and I bumped into him. I’d gone there for a drink but because of my heavily built stature, they thought that I’d come for an interview for the job as a bouncer.
“He grabbed me straight away into his office and said I was being interviewed to be a bouncer. I played along and I passed immediately. I lifted weights to keep in shape,” said Manu.
He said he was not a bouncer for long because he had a good job at Agrifoods in sales and marketing.
“However, there was a vacancy for a store man, that’s when I applied at Hustlers and I was successful. The salary was so good that I had to quit that other job,” said Manu.
“I used to follow Charlie Boy a lot; the way he was managing the bar and bringing entertainment acts. He would control the customers, staff and the general ambience of the place was so top notch that I got fascinated and knew I wanted to do this.
“Charlie Phresh would promote shows for the youngsters during the afternoon and then he would attract the upmarket people in the evening. He was extraordinary and very talented and he was born an entertainer. I learnt to be an MC and DJ from him and I sometimes spin the decks with DJs Mzoe and Nospa here at The Boundary.”
During this time is when Manu got married to his wife of 20 years, Rutendo Kaseke, a development that he said saved his life.
“Marriage saved my life because I got married at a very young age. I was 25 at that time. It was a positive development in my life, luckily I got the right woman, Rutendo Kaseke. We’ve been married for the past 20 years and we have two beautiful daughters,” said Manu.
He said working in nightclubs, with the access to money resources, there were many temptations that he dodged because of his marriage.
“As a man, young at that age and nightlife being exposed to every woman who wants to be with you, I was lucky. I was very lucky not to experiment. It was a life lesson that I’ll always cherish. I stayed focused and it helped me a lot in my development up until today.
“It gave me control of my life and her life as I was committed to making our relationship work and the risk of catching diseases was not only on my side, but also giving it to someone else who is very innocent, that is my wife,” said Manu.
As a word of advice to young people in the entertainment industry, Manu said they should remain focused and stay away from sleeping around.
“Whether you are a bar owner or bar manager, you should remain focused and focus on one woman. Along the way, I lost brothers because of indiscipline because we are exposed to these women.
“I worked with Charlie Phresh and it was painful to lose him because he was not disciplined morally. He was a heavy drinker who took drugs and slept with many women and this cost his life, dying at an early age.
“So my advice to young people who are up-and-coming in this industry is to not take drugs and not abuse women. Every woman is like your mother, if you treat them differently I don’t think you can make it in life,” said Manu.
Asked whether he would retire, Manu said no, adding that he is actually thinking of opening his own nightspot. – Follow on Twitter @bonganinkunzi
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