By Marshall Shonhai
Many would want to believe that Leonard Zhakata is done, they couldn’t be more wrong. Koga by one is very much alive and still has it and is still making music. I had the privilege of meeting him and seeing him perform one of my favorite songs at a friend’s wedding just a few weeks ago.
In 2012, Leonard Zhakata shocked many of his fans when it was announced that he was becoming a pastor at Prophet Makandiwa’s UFIC. Claims were made that he was quitting music and would now only sing gospel music. To be honest Zhakata singing gospel like he now mostly does, is not too surprising for me.
His old song always had a hint of gospel, songs like 1997 release Gomba Remara quickly come to mind as well as Ikodzero Yako released in 2001.
Becoming a pastor did not stop him from making music that fans love and his 2017 Album Mutungadzose (itself a gospel song) set that record straight.
He scored what should be another first in this country and I wonder if anyone has achieve it yet. He proved that he us still here and making music that still has impact after 3 of his songs were the top three songs on the Coca-Cola Radio Zimbabwe Top 50! Now that chat is the biggest in the land and winning it is no easy thing but to have all 3 songs from the same artist?
On first position was the song – Madam Boss featuring Sulu Chimbetu and Progress Chipfumo which had 104 046 votes. Zvine Mwaka was second with 89 663 votes followed by Mwoyo Wekutenda with 62 272 votes. The song Madam Boss was so big that at one point it received over 10K votes in the weekly radio Zimbabwe weekly Top 20.
His 2018 song Yarutso also did well and is a song I love dearly. Now that I am a father, it a song that gives me drive to work hard for my children.
His 2020 song I am a fighter is an anthem for me, its my “I am going to make it” song. Zhakata says in the song, “Kunokamwa ana mubheme vane magwinhi mhou dziripo”
I love it, hanzi Asi baba musandityire I am a fighter, ndini uya uya wemazuva aye” oh man. That gets me going.
In part I had spoken about how Zhakata went of the bad side of the state at some point. The album Hodho in 2003 carried a number of songs that we deemed to be political and so it did not receive much airplay. I mentioned the song Warrior.
I need you guys go through the song to understand what I mean.
Anodiwa sekuru kure kwamuri uko, ndinobvunza upenyu zvose nemabasa.
Anodiwa sekuru kure kwamuri uko, ndinobvunza kusimba ka zvose nemabasa.
Kubvira chiendero chenyu muchitiza kuurawa, kuno sekuru zviro zvakandiwomera x 2
Dai zvaibvira maindi rongerewoka basa, ndombouya ndoshandira ikoko x 2
Kuno vakandisona, vanoda ndiputike moyo neshungu x2
Vakandisunga mbira dzakombo, vochinditi ngaanhanye navavo x3
Akangokundwa chete shambadzai shoko, chava chiweya zuru
rakapinda nyoka.
Akandokundwa chete ngatimurikite, aimbozviti anomhanya samare.
Akangokundwa chete shambadzai shoko,
chava chiweya zuru rakapinda nyoka.
Makandisunga mbira dzakombo, komambotyeizve ndakasununguka. X2
Makwikwi rudzii? Kupinda munhandare wakakundwa kare? Makwikwi rudzii? X2
Makundano rudzii kupinda munhandare wakakundwa kare? Makundano rudzii? x2
Kubvira chiendero chenyu kunoshandira kure, kuno sekuru zviro zvakandiwomera x 2
Dai zvaibvira maindi rongerewoka basa, ndombouyawo ndoshandira ikoko x 2
Kuno vakandisona, vanoda ndiputike moyo neshungu x2
Vakandisunga mawoko machinda aya, vochinditi tamba tsiva newoyo ×3
Ukangorohwa chete tinokurikita, waimbozviti unorova samare.
Akangorohwa chete, shambadzai shoko
Rave zimbwende zuru rakapinda nyoka x2.
Makandisunga mawoko vakomana,
komagotyeizve ndakasununguka? X2
Itsiva rudzii? Kupinda mudariro wakarohwa kare, itsiva rudzii? ×3
Ihondo rudzii? Kuti mhandu ine gidi iwe une hodho ungakunde nepapi? x2
Ihondo rudzii? Kuti mhandu ine bazooker iwe une rekeni ungakunde nepapi? x2
Ndikakunda pakadai ndakunda zvachose, ndave warrior.
Ndikakunda pakadai ndakunda zvachose, ndave warrior.
Ndikakunda pakadai ndakunda zvachose, GANDANGA NDIZVO ndave warrior.
I had to transcribe all that. The year was 2003. Is this not the true reflection of our national elections? Well, maybe the writer had other thoughts but I sure understand why ZANU PF would be livid. Especially that “Gandanga ndizvo” part which is thought to have been referring to the exiled legend Thomas Mapfumo.
Another hard hitting song of that album that can be interpreted politically is Ngoma yeNharo. It goes.
Yandauka ngoma yenharo, yarira ngoma yenharo iyi kumakuwerere.
Zvakanaka kukunda wani, asi zviri nyire kukunda pamwechete. Kwete kuti struggle within a struggle, tingakunde sei? Rangu pfumo ndokanda kumhandu, iwe rako pfumo woposha kuneni.
Other songs that were given a political meaning are songs like Musadaroba and the song Sakunatsa made him MDC in the eyes of the state as it was taken to mean that the late former Prime Minister and MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai is the one who was being spoke of in the song.
Part of the song goes.
Kaitiriko kapi kana tiri kwedu? Kuti Sakunatsa ndiye sakubaiwa? Mutemo wekwedu wakanyangara, wakarerekera divi rimwe.
Mhosva imwechete inosiyaniniswa, zvichifamba nekuti wabuda mumba mani.
Another part says “mutemo unoda kutasanudzwa”.
Deep, deep song, take time to listen to it.
Whichever way people might interpret his songs, one thing is undeniable. Karikoga Zhakata is a master of song. He is way up there with the greats to ever come from this land. With 20 albums under his belts (pun intended, he has stood the test of time. He is a living legend.
About Author
