The great Chavunduka dynasty
By Fanuel Viriri
I was a wide-eyed teenager when I first met Alyce Chavhunduka and Fungai “The Voice” Marange in 1988.
I was totally stoked about radio, and at that tender age, I had already decided I wanted to be a DJ.
So, when I heard about this DJ competition called Spar Letta Pop the Tops, I had to enter!
I sent in my entry, and lo and behold, my letter got picked in the lucky dip! Fast forward several years later and guess who was on real radio.
It was me and the current boss of Classic 263 Terrence Mapurisana, making it from that radio competition to real radio.
Alyce Chavhunduka
I started as newspaper journo and then joined SpotFM now Classic 263. I would return to print media for the long haul.
Mapurisana who called himself the Hotstepper from that radio competition dabbled in TV, radio and newspapers
So, back to the competition. . . I arrived at the Rhodesville studio early on a Saturday morning, nerves buzzing. Alyce and Fungai weren’t there yet, so I waited.
Then, in sauntered Alyce, a petite and stunning beauty with a smile that lit up the room. She started chatting, trying to put me at ease.
Meanwhile, Fungai later popped in and with four quarts of Lion Lager beers.
I was whisked into the library to pick the tunes I would be playing – introducing and back-announcing the songs.
What struck me was how effortlessly cool Alyce and Fungai were- speaking flawlessly while sipping some Lion Lager and puffing on cigarettes during the recording.
Then l was given the last segment of the programme – my five minutes of fame. I was hero, when l returned to school. This my first foray into media. The rest is history.
It was a day I will always cherish. Growing up, I would watch Alyce read the news at 8 and host a Radio 3 show on a Saturday afternoon, and now I was meeting her in person.
I never saw Alyce again until she started appearing on SABC TV news.
Alyce, the talented radio personality came from a legendary Zimbabwean family known for their academic achievements.
The Chavunduka dynasty began with David Wanhuwana, a polygamist with two wives and four sons – Solomon and Percival among them.
Solomon Chavunduka had three notable sons: Gordon, Dexter, and Sarah. Gordon became a renowned social scientist, serving as dean of the faculty of social studies and vice-chancellor at the University of Zimbabwe.
Dexter was Zimbabwe’s first black veterinary surgeon. Sarah was the first black woman to earn a university degree and later chaired Zimbabwe’s government-owned newspapers.
Alyce’s father, Professor Gordon, and her mother Rachel (a college principal), instilled a love for clear communication. Alyce grew up speaking impeccable English, aware of her academic heritage.
Alyce started broadcasting at 12 on ZBC, presenting children’s radio programmes on Radio 1 and 3. She joined Radio 702 in South Africa, then became the first black woman presenter of “Good Morning South, Africa” in 1992.
That same year, she broke barriers as South Africa’s first black woman newscaster on SABC’s TV1, alongside veterans like Jane Hicks and Anand Naidoo.
After leaving SABC she featured as news presenter for Summit TV on DStv and hosted the Alyce Chavunduka show on 94.7 Highveld Stereo.
She also worked as àn M-Net presenter on Studio 53.
With her family’s academic legacy and her own confidence, Alyce has paved her way in broadcasting.
Alyce died in 2014 after suffering an epileptic seizure. She collapsed at her flat in Johannesburg and was in a coma in hospital for a week.
She was 46.
During her stay in South Africa she was involved in two separate accidents that caused her to have seizures later on in her life. RIP Alyce.
#fblifestyle #entertainment
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