From mischief, to football to church
MM: Uncle P...Welcome to Know Them Better. Let’s begin right there. Whose uncle are you precisely Peter Madondo(PM) . . . listeners’ uncle or some special cousin or nephew? PM: I’m an uncle of many. Uncle refers to someone who loves . . . who cares . . . who is concerned . . . who is compassionate. So when I came to radio I thought this was the best name for me. So I adopted it.
MM: Tell me about your youthful days. Where were you born . . . your growing up . . . that kind of background? PM: I was born in Mutare . . . Sakubva precisely. That was 42 years ago. I went to Chisamba Primary School in Sakubva . . . then proceeded to Sakubva High School. After my Form 4 I enrolled with a Bible School... thanks to Dr Campion Mugweni, principal Sakubva Commercial College. He was a veteran spiritual mentor . . . father if you like. He mentored me and I am who and what I am today because of him. He has spent more than 52 years proclaiming the word of God.
MM: Let’s go back to the beginning. You swiftly dashed to the end of the story. Ko, tumisikanzwa twehudiki Peter . . . as a young boy, kuchikoro, kumba, you know we all have little crimes and mischiefs we hate to be remembered for.
PM: Oh dear me! I was a notorious little boy . . . a famous imp . . . notorious in every sense. Mind you I grew up in the ghetto!
MM: Talk to me and our listeners . . . they want to know you better. What is that story I heard you talking about at the canteen one day . . . about the empty . . . abandoned lorry tyre and Zupco Bus? I didn’t join in then . . . you know I rarely gate-crash into people’s talks . . . preferring to listen quietly. Now here you are in my space! I’ve got you.
PM: (Lhe laughs) One day, as we did every day, I was packed, literally coiled in a huge lorry tyre and my friend started driving the wheel down the road. Funny enough the tyre, with me coiled up inside, gathered speed until my driver lost control. And there I was rolling down the road at breakneck speed, demon-like the wheel out-sprinting him. From the other end came a ZUPCO bus. Spectators screamed in horror but could not do anything. MM there is God in Heaven. One or two metres away from the bus, when everyone was expecting the worst . . . a head-on collision, and the end of Nobo the tyre veered off the road and plunged into Chisamba Grounds. That is how Nobo cheated death. Naboth is my childhood name. My friends called me Nobo. Peter came much later in life.
MM: Otherwise there would be no Uncle P to talk about today? Your friends stood there watching you roll into your grave? Miraculous NOBO? PM: Miracle MM. That’s how I can explain it. Well, from Nobo and the ZUPCO near head-on I went to Sakubva to do Form 1. Our head was Mr Samupindi. My welcome here was terror. I was the first to be beaten by Mr Samupindi who never beat anyone. He caught me making a noise in class and felt like using me as an example to scare off the rest. After beating me I went back to confront the little girl who had betrayed me to Mr Samupindi. As I stormed at the sell-out girl, little did I know Mr Kuwanda was watching from a spitting distance. He dragged me by the ears to his office and gave me a sound second beating. I will never forget this. Such was my welcome at Sakubva high school.
MM: Uncle P Nobo . . . Peter Madondo! School gave you quite something to remember . . . pleasant memorial scars I must say.
PM: Of course, but soon I was a big time sports young man. I became a star goal keeper almost overnight. But there was this young boy who enjoyed all the girls’ attention because he was as fast as a rabbit in the 100 metre dash.
And I didn’t like it. So one day I asked the housemate who was going to compete in the inter-house athletics to give me a chance. I ran like the wind and took number one for my house and was the day’s hero. So from a star goal keeper to a Usain Bolt! And now the girls and the attention were all mine!
MM: What an attention seeking boy! I hope none of that followed you to today.
PM: I was raised by a single mother who wanted to see me go to church and to work hard. She was a fruit vendor and I would carry ipwa (sugar-cane) and fruit baskets to the market place every morning before going to school. She woke me up very early every morning and I learnt to be responsible and helpful at that young age. Grabowski once came to Sakubva scouting prospective soccer stars, I recall. I lost this chance because my mom would not allow me to go to Harare with a murungu . . .a mungezi, to play football. “Over my dead body!” she swore. And that’s how an opportunity for me to play big time soccer went begging. Today she blames herself, “May be you could have been a big football star.” But I know God had a plan for me.
MM: I want us to go back a bit to the lorry tyre and the ZUPCO bus! Who were some of the imps in your notorious camp?
PM: I remember Fungai Simbi, Allen Mashiki, Rudolf Mandeya, Tendai. Peter Kushata, Tapera Posvo, David Mombe, Gift and Michael Sande. MM: And after that...during your ‘Bruce Grobbellar’ or ‘Peter Shilton’ days! Who were your companions? PM: Let me give names of those who then made it to dizzy heights in football: Anderson Phiri . . . he went on to play for Caps United, Andrew Kamanga . . . played for Zimbabwe Saints, Blessing Makunike . . . topshelf Zimbabwean national team player, Lazarus Muhoni, Richmond Murandu, Misheck Sunguro, Dananai Chinovava . . . many more. MM: Any stints of jobs you did before coming to DiamondFM? And where has church gone to by now ‘Evangelist’?
PM: Church continued to be in me but after Form 4 I worked at the Arcade Pharmacy here in the OK arcade . . . as shop assistant. Mr Mike Hamadziripi, the proprietor, trained me to work hard. At first I thought he was ruthless.
Later on I realised he was training me to work like a Trojan horse without complaining and without supervision. I do that easily today. I’m proud he was tough with me . . . tough, firm, but full of love. MM: I guess going forward, all the mischief and naughtiness remained at Chisamba.
PM: As soon as adulthood came, all the mischief and delinquency disappeared. With a single mother to help and soon look after, I had to immediately become responsible. I then worked at Randals Plastics . . . then Eastern Highlands Stores . . . and finally Swift Unifreight . . . that was in 1999. Here, I rose to the rank of manager . . . the youngest manager here probably. Then the calling!
MM: Who called you?
PM: God. (silence). Dr Mugweni said to me, “Young man, come serve God. This is your time.”
MM: So Dr Mugweni called you...not
God?
PM: He heard a voice from God saying that I should serve God. And here I was between football and Church. But as a loyal son I obliged. I told my wife who agreed and supported me. MM: We have run out of time Uncle P. Please allow me a Part 2 programme. I want to talk to you seriously about Church and Football, your journey to DiamondFM, but for now please say hello to friends and family.
PM: Hello Sweetie . . .thank you very much Nancy. It has been a long and rough journey but you have always been by my side. Hello mom! Heloo my children!
MM: Was wonderful talking to you Peter. But this programme is half way through. Let’s continue it to the dead end in another edition of Know Them Better. My name is MM. Good afternoon!
PM: Why not? I enjoyed every bit of the show. This is a wonderful and useful programme. Thanks MM. Will be there again when you want me!