By Sharon Chimenya

IT was the catchy songs sung during pungwes, which were held at their home during the liberation struggle that made the veteran musician and now Pastor Leonard Karikoga Zhakata fall in love with making music.

During the struggle for independence, pungwes were nocturnal mobilisation gatherings used to educate people on the importance of the liberation war.

These gatherings were characterised by song and dance, punctuating important lessons about the ideals of the armed struggle and mobilising the masses. Freedom fighters used these gatherings to endear themselves to the people, which was a key aspect of the struggle for independence.

For Zhakata, their homestead was located at the foot of the mountain, where the freedom fighters camped during the day. At night, they would gather at his home for pungwes.

He said that after independence in 1981, he started to write his own songs before teaming up with his nephew, Thomas Makion, to form their first band, the Social Kids.  

“My career began during the liberation struggle. Our home was a base for the comrades; they would be in the mountains during the day and then come to our house in the evenings. It was a place where pungwes were held, and you know, you would spend the whole time singing pungwe songs, and that’s how I started to love music,” he said.

“I started writing songs in 1981 when I was still in school. Then, in 1986, I called my nephew Makion to start Social Kids, and then we later formed Maungwe Brothers. We started recording in 1989; it was tough, but we thank God that in 1991, a promoter from the UK came scouting for artists he could take back to the UK. He saw some bands, such as that of Tuku, Bundu Boys, and Four Brothers, but he opted for us because we were young, and he said we had potential.”

Zhakata said that when they went to the United Kingdom in 1991 for about three months, they had the opportunity to tour the UK and perform, which enabled them to bring back a PA system.

He said that owning a PA system was the “in” thing for bands at that time.

“We were also assisted by Senator Charles Tavengwa, who assisted many bands back then. At that time, I was working as a fitter and turner, while Makion worked in customs and excise. We would do our rehearsals soon after work at the Mushandirapamwe Hotel, and at 9:30 pm, we would perform until around 1:00 am. That was our routine. At 7:00 am, we would go to work, and at around 4:30 pm, we would clock out. We would then go for rehearsal from 5:30 pm to around 7:30 pm, then go home and come back to perform from 9:30 pm. We did this for about seven years,” he said.

“I would like to thank Senator Tavengwa because the opportunity gave us enough time to perfect ourselves, because that’s when hits like Mugove and Makorokoto by Makion started, it was because we had good leadership.”

Zhakata is now a Christian and a pastor at the United Family International Church (UFIC) of Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa.

He said, seeing his life, he thanks the Lord for guiding him all these years.

“It’s been more than three decades now, and next year I will have clocked four decades in the industry. Looking at myself, I feel like a buck being kept in a national park with lions, and because of that, I saw there was enough reason to be born again. I am now a Christian and I worship at UFIC; I am a Pastor now,” he said.