This is the story of The Voice UK contestant Donel
Mangena’s 77-year-old dancing grandmother, Nita Mangena.
The world instantly fell in love with her as she showed off
some nifty dance moves when her grandson impressed the judges, R&B singer
Jennifer Hudson, English singer Olly Murs and Grammy Award winning artiste Sir
Tom Jones, during blind auditions aired last week as he sang some of the parts
of the song in his native isiNdebele.
Donel had just ignited the stage with his cover of Major
Lazer and Justin Bieber’s Cold Water when his boogying granny Nita stole the
show as she unashamedly strutted her stuff on stage.
This immediately gained her fame as the world was delighted
by her moves on stage.
Even the judges took a breather and watched her dance for
her grandson and clap encouraging her.
During the week Chronicle Showbiz visited Gogo Mangena as
she is affectionately known by neighbours at her home in Old Luveve in Bulawayo
to get to know her more.
Her corner extended house, painted bright yellow
complemented with a beautiful garden outside that has an array of flowers, she
was dressed to the nines when she met the crew at the gate.
Gogo Mangena, who was born koSigola in Esigodini in Matabeleland
South province on August 15, 1940, is a bubbly personality and ever smiling.
Widowed in 1982, she is a mother of six children, five
girls namely Beverly (late), Nomuhle, Patience, Sithembile, Ntombiyelanga and
Nkosana as the last born son.
When the video started circulating on social media, she
shared that her friends, relatives and church mates inundated her with calls
saying they saw her dancing on The Voice UK.
She said she danced like that because she loves Donel to
bits, a child who she brought up from the tender age of three months until he
left just before he was old enough to go to high school.
Evidently, every time Gogo Mangena talks about her
grandson, who she warmly refers to as Don Don or Doni, her face lights up with
a smile that beams with delight.
“Donel was a nice little boy. Very naughty, however he had
met his match because I was strict with him. Even now, he’s such a good boy and
respectful and works very hard at school,” said Gogo Mangena.
“I love my grandson so much. When he was younger when he
called me from UK he used to sometimes cry and that would drive me also to cry
because we missed each other. That’s the kind of relationship that we have with
Doni.”
Gogo Mangena said Donel grew up in Old Luveve, learnt at a
preschool in the neighbourhood while his parents were in the United Kingdom.
She said when he was in Grade One he was enrolled at
Masiyephambili Primary School.
Speaking of her new-found fame Gogo Mangena said she had
gone to the United Kingdom last year to celebrate the wedding anniversary of
her son Nkosana and his wife Nobukhosi, Donel’s parents. The Voice UK was
recorded in September and aired in January.
“I’d gone to the United Kingdom to attend his parent’s
(Nkosana and Nobukhosi) 10 year wedding anniversary in September. At the same
time it was my 77th birthday and I also celebrated it there. So everything was
a celebration topped off by Donel’s show-stopping performance,” said Gogo
Mangena.
Describing herself as an optimist in any situation Gogo
Mangena said she had faith that Donel would make it.
“When we were on our way to the show for the auditions, I
said to him Doni, don’t be scared, I know you can make it. He said Gogo are you
sure? I said yes.
His mother and father were both nervous. I was just
encouraging him because, deep inside I knew he would make it,” said Gogo
Mangena.
“When his name was called up and he started to sing, before
he had finished three lines the whole place stood up in amazement. When Will
I.Am pressed his button to turn his chair around to see Donel, I leapt with joy
backstage. I didn’t even hear the rest of the song. I knelt down and said
praise the Lord. His father was astonished and asked me what had got into me and
I said Donel is singing wonderfully,” said Gogo Mangena.
Then her moment came to dazzle the world and leave a
lasting imprint in people’s hearts when she got on stage. She said she
remembers the moment as if it was yesterday.
“When he introduced himself he said he was Donel Mangena
and was born here but was brought up by his grandmother in Zimbabwe. As he said
that, backstage they asked me if I was the grandmother and then I said yes.
They said get on stage and I ran up and that’s when I danced. The music was
playing and I was moving every limb in my body,” said Gogo Mangena.
She said the chief reason that made her boogie was that
Donel made her proud as he promoted his culture.
“He made me proud that when he sang he mixed his song with
English and isiNdebele to add flavour to his performance. It’s good that
wherever you are and on which foreign land you find yourself, promote your
culture there. Even if most in the
audience save for us as Donel’s family, couldn’t hear what he was singing they
enjoyed his performance,” said Gogo Mangena.
She said all she wants is for her grandson to do well in
the competition.
A bit of background Donel’s granny shared was that his
father, the last born of her children, came as a specific prayer to God for her
to have a son.
“I’d five girls and then fell pregnant. Unfortunately, I
suffered a miscarriage and I was sad. I then asked God to give me a boy. Months
later I fell pregnant again this time with Nkosana. When he was born at Mpilo
Central Hospital I asked the nurses what sex the child was and they said it was
a boy. I leapt off the recovery bed to go see the child. I was so happy that
God had answered my prayers.”
Gogo Mangena is a devout Seventh Day Adventist, who attends
church in her neighbourhood with her favourite hymn being, Emnyango Impela (The
Coming King).
She said the words attest to her strong roots in the faith. Chronicle
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