Tuesday 31 March 2020

WE ARE IN PAIN AGAIN : JAMES MAKAMBA


PROMINENT businessman and politician James Makamba yesterday opened up for the first time about his son Zororo’s death, saying it has left a void which cannot be filled.

Zororo, 30, became Zimbabwe’s first casualty of coronavirus when he died at the Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare on March 23.

Following his death, his brother Tawanda, in an interview with the Daily News, indicated that the Wilkins hospital failed to give him the required treatment to save his life, citing that there was a lack of equipment, including ventilators, sockets to connect ventilators, lack of medication and care from health workers.

Taking to his official Twitter account, Makamba said the death of Zororo had caused him and his wife, Irene, untold suffering as they already suffered the pain of losing two children in the past.

“On March 23, our beloved son, Zororo Makamba succumbed to #Covid-19 . There is no loss more painful and enduring than that of parents losing their child. My wife, Irene and myself have experienced this pain no fewer than three times.

“Our two surviving children, Kushinga and Tawanda also went through the deep pain of losing three siblings,” Makamba said.

“We thank them all for their prayers and thoughts. We were touched that many people recognised Zororo’s immense talent as a communicator. His loss is thus not confined to his family and friends,” he added.

In 2011, Makamba lost his daughter Chiyedza in a tragic car accident, in which she collided head-on with a commuter omnibus along the Harare-Mutoko Road. The other sibling was Rufaro who was two when he died in 1988.

Makamba further expressed gratitude to his family and friends who comforted them at a time when health officials are encouraging social distancing in efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

“The Makamba family expresses deep gratitude to friends and relatives who comforted us in difficult circumstances of social distance and quarantine.

“For that, we are extremely proud and grateful. Zororo, your name demands that you rest in peace. The family and all those whose lives you touched will always love you and thank you for your short but highly productive life.

“The country and the profession lost an outstanding talent,” he said. Zororo was a broadcaster and entrepreneur. He was the director and co-founder of Eleven Dogs, a digital media and broadcasting company.

He was the host and executive producer of Point of View with Zororo Makamba, an opinion-based political web show which he launched in February 2016. Daily News

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