The celebrated entertainer, who succumbed to cancer on
Monday morning at a private medical facility in the capital, was laid to rest
at a cemetery close to his homestead.
There was a clash of beliefs over funeral rites, between
Gringo’s family and his apostolic church members who removed the corpse from
the coffin before burial and barred graveside eulogies.
Gringo’s wife and seven children are also members of
Johanne Masowe eChishanu sect.
This sparked an uproar that saw many disperse in protest.
For the Rukweza villagers, they were there to pay last respects to Gringo,
while for the artistes and fans it was time to celebrate his illustrious career,
but his churchmates were there to bury the entertainer who had been
rechristened Madzibaba Gadhirosi.
“Before he died, (Gringo) he told us that we should not
play drums at his funeral, but not what they are doing here. They removed the
corpse from the coffin and we do not like it as his family apart from it being
illegal,” Gringo’s brother, Harrison, said.
The remorseless church members, however, could not bow to
the family’s stance, maintaining that they were following Gringo’s church
doctrine.
In his speech at the burial, Youth, Sport, Arts and
Recreation deputy minister Tinomudaishe Machakaire pledged support for the
industry to avoid artistes turning into beggars whenever tragedy struck.
“We have converged here for the funeral of our television
star who not only entertained the citizens of this country, but all the way up
to the President. I have heard the cries of the industry related to the status
of their work and I promise that we will make efforts towards making their
lives better,” he said.
Among the mourners were musicians and creative stakeholders
such as National Arts Council of Zimbabwe director Nicholas Moyo,
actor-cum-singer Kapfupi, First Farai and Simon Mutambi.
Members of the arts fraternity lauded Gringo’s contribution
to the industry.
“He worked very hard during his days and it is painful that
at the time of his death he had not gained meaningful benefits from his work,”
said Mbudziyadhura, who worked with him on many projects.
Gweshe Gweshe said: “He was a very humble man and deserved
better. I just hope that this is an eye-opener that we need more funding and
ways to earn better as artists.”
Gringo’s acting career began when he appeared on a TV
commercial for Castle Lager and later worked for the now-defunct Joy TV where
he appeared on some shows.
He made a name for himself with the popular drama series
Gringo, where he shared the platform with one of the country’s best actresses,
the late Sthembeni Makawa who played the role of Mai Gweshe Gweshe. Gringo was
arguably one of the best actors of his generation as he played the role of a
notorious gardener who used unscrupulous means to “fix” his errors. Newsday
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