DRAMA FOLLOWS TV STARS
THIS past week, social media was abuzz with pictures of former ZBC newsreader Dave Emberton, who some claimed has fallen on hard times.
In a widely circulated picture, Emberton is seen cowering beneath the gaze of a camera, taken from a device that was probably wielded by one of the security detail or staff at a supermarket in Harare where he was arrested for alleged shoplifting.
Word is Emberton was apprehended after trying to exit the shop with a packet of bacon that he had not paid for. However, there was also word that he suffered from a medical condition— dementia — that makes him forget, and had thus forgot to pay for the bacon and did not intend to steal as it were.
For most who have followed the life of the former MultiChoice CEO, it seemed like a puzzling plunge from grace. Here was a man after all, who in the 90s had made even the dreariest news items coming from the most remote corners of Zimbabwe seem exciting.
The ever elegant Emberton made the business of relaying the day’s events to the rest of the country an art, as his silvery voice grabbed the attention of all who watched him in action every evening.
The question foremost in the minds of many was what had happened to this man, and what of other stars from the 90s who had lit up the rooms of Zimbabweans during the height of ZBC’s popularity?
Another former TV star who many people wonder where he is, is John Phiri. With his inimitable combination with Eric Knight, Phiri had made watching ZBC’s signature music programme Mutinhimira Wemimhanzi/Ezomgido a pleasurable experience, as their rapport on screen made the wait for the next video seem negligible.
Unlike Emberton who had initially bagged a soft landing with his top post at MultiChoice, Mzala — as the pint-sized Phiri was known, left to pursue greener pastures in the United States. Phiri had left ZBC to work for Video Audio Network in Harare before moving to America with his family in 2011.
“We left Zimbabwe looking for those green pastures that everyone was looking for those days. When we got there, it was not what we expected as we had to start from scratch. The first years were difficult. I must confess,” Phiri said chuckling.
“When they say it’s an eight-hour shift, they mean it. It was tough working there as I was packing supermarket products. I left after a year because other doors had opened and that’s when we set up an online radio station with my friends, Kelvin Prince Ncube, Ezra Sibanda, Eric Knight and Hoseah Singende which we called VFM,” he said.
The story of Phiri’s erstwhile partner in crime, Knight has been more complicated. After his decorated stint at ZBC, Knight re-emerged into the spotlight as a politician, after announcing that he would be standing for the opposition in the 2013 harmonised election.
His screen popularity could not translate into a victory at the polls however, as the MDC-T candidate lost to Tendai Savanhu after garnering 10 932 votes against the Zanu-PF candidate’s 14 674. Election losses were not the only reason Knight grabbed the headliners that year as he was accused of having defrauded his business partner Ezra “Tshisa” Sibanda. Knight was alleged to have withdrawn $3 000 from their company’s account after forging Sibanda’s signature.
“You’re a family man, supposedly a Christian and well-known and respectable person. Sadly people don’t know you’re a fraudster. I don’t want to put you in trouble, you know the consequences for this thing going public. You want your mother and your family to say I put you in prison, how do I tell people all this dishonesty of yours,” wrote Sibanda to his partner in an email leaked to the media at the time.
Since those rocky times, Knight has seemingly got his ship back on course after announcing earlier in the year that he would be working for broadcast heavyweight Sky TV although he has been mum on what his exact role at the station is.
If Knight’s story reads like a script from a movie then the story of another 90s Zimbabwean small screen legend, Tich Mataz, is a novel that could be part crime thriller and part Shakespearean tragedy. After being unceremoniously chucked out of South Africa, Mataz returned to Zimbabwe towards the end of the century to rebuild his tattered empire. With his uncanny eloquence and inimitable swagger, he quickly became many a youth’s darling as the presenter of ZBC’s flagship youth-focused music programme, Coke on the Beat.
Since his time on ZBC, his life has seen dizzying highs and heartbreaking lows. In 2006, he was appointed as Swaziland King Mswati’s media consultant. He returned to assume a role at Star FM, but left the company unceremoniously after being accused of defrauding it of $126 000. Those charges followed similar charges in 2009 when he was accused of defrauding the Zimbabwean central bank under the pretext of supplying hampers under the Bacossi programme.
It appears controversy always follow TV stars and it remains to be seen whether the new generation of small screen stars will have less controversy ridden futures. DROP dead gorgeous, sexy TV personality and fitness and health fanatic, the one and only Nyasha Mtamangira has come a long way in making her name in the showbiz industry.
Popularly known as the Diva, she has not only found love but also announced that she is . . . brace for it . . . pregnant!
The TV personality recently revealed to the world via social media that she was expecting her first child — a girl.
She candidly posted a picture collage of her baby bump, which she captioned:
“Yes, it’s happening to me. I am going to be mum. ?#? excited?# hyperventilating# babygirl# pregnantdiva#”
Sunday Life senior reporter Peter Matika had a chat with the sexy mother to be diva, who opened up about how she felt about her pregnancy.
PM: Wow, Nyasha and I just had to learn of the news on social media, is that why you’ve been so scarce. This is good news, so fill me up on the nitty gritties.
NM: Gosh where do I start? Well I’m six months pregnant and it’s a girl.
PM: You’re nearly due, you do know how to keep a secret don’t you. Have you decided on a name yet? After all you must be excited about this.
NM: To be honest I’m still deciding on a name but none as of yet. The father and I aren’t decided yet.
PM: Just where the conversation was headed, who’s the father?
NM: Hahaha, Peter I knew this is where the conversation was headed. Well, I can’t say because he is a high profile person and I don’t think it would be fair to mention his name as of yet. He is with me every step of the way but he is not flamboyant like me. He prefers to lay low and it’s my duty to protect his ID. When we get married, guess you will know.
PM: That’s the juicy bit of the story; we all want to know who the lucky guy is?
NM: My lips are sealed you will know in good time.
PM: Oh well it was worth a try. So how do you feel about the pregnancy though?
NM: It’s an amazing feeling, it really feels warm. I know this will probably sound like a cliché but honestly I’m not getting any younger, I’m 32 and it was about time for me to have a child and settle down. And to keep you in your tracks, the pregnancy is not a mistake, it’s a blessing and it’s not like I didn’t expect it.
PM: How do your folks feel about it?
NM: Having been raised in a Christian family, it’s not the way I had planned and my parents expected better in the form of a white wedding. But for me a child is a blessing from God and I will do whatever it takes to make sure she has a good upbringing.
PM: Inspiring, have you started preparing for the little diva?
NM: Oooh yes, I have already started preparing, actually I intend on going on a trip soon to get her more stuff in Dubai.
PM: Already making a statement before she’s born. The little diva! Are you happy about the pregnancy?
NM: You know as a woman, one will always have mixed feelings. When I found out that I was having a baby, I was worried but I accepted it and I’m happy. That’s why I posted that picture on Facebook.
PM: Babies are always a blessing. For those who don’t know you, who is this diva we are chatting with?
NM: Nyasha is a TV personality and a strong willed woman. I have been in the industry for a while now and I have covered almost all genres in showbiz, be it kids shows, music, talk shows, sports, you name it.
PM: Thanks for the chat. It was really nice catching up with you and learning of the news.
As Sunday Life we couldn’t be happier for Nyasha and her mystery man and can’t wait to follow their exciting journey over the next few months!