Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
FOR what now seems to be the umpteenth time, the Bulawayo arts scene is once again mired in controversy, with more than a few groups worried for their future, after two members of the renowned all female imbube group, Nobuntu, disappeared while on tour in the United States.
Only a month ago, the trailblazing group was grabbing headlines for all the right reasons, as they embarked on yet another sojourn to North America, their second such tour this year in the US. While there, they played in 15 states, with performances having started on 6 October at Salisbury MD – Salisbury University.
However, over the past few weeks, there were murmurs in the arts scene that all was not well in the Nobuntu camp, as two members of the group had reportedly “disappeared” while on tour.
After an inquiry during the week by Sunday Life, the group released a statement confirming that this was indeed the case, as longtime member Heather Dube and Brenda Rera had separated from the rest of the pack on 23 November.
“Nobuntu and its parent company—10th District Music would like to announce that longtime Nobuntu member Heather Dube along with Brenda P. S. Rera who temporarily joined Nobuntu on behalf of Thandeka Moyo who was on her maternity leave never returned home after the US tour. The two disappeared on the day—November 23 as they were supposed to return home after a two-month Nobuntu tour in the USA where they performed in 15 states. Since then, we haven’t got any contact from them. However, the group is left with four members— Duduzile Sibanda, Zanele Manhenga, Thandeka Moyo and Joyline Sibanda,” the statement read.
The director of 10th District Music/Nobuntu, Dumisani “Ramadu” Moyo said the issue was reported to the police in the USA and family members were informed on what had happened.
“Soon after I was informed that Heather and Brenda are not on board, I told our agent to make a report to the police in case something bad like kidnapping, injury had happened to them.
“We also informed their families. We hope that they are fine wherever they are. It’s not good for the Arts sector when artistes use illegal ways to settle overseas,” he said.
Moyo expressed his disappointment at Dube in particular, as she is a seasoned professional from whom much was expected.
“…that doesn’t give a good image for the group and the Zimbabwean Arts industry. It’s sad because Heather is a professional artiste and we did not expect that kind of behaviour from her considering that she is one of the pioneering members of the group,” he said.
Many will thus be questioning what lesser groups could do if the famed “Obabes BeMbube” also feel the need to abscond while on tour.
The disappearance of the two comes as a shock due to the fact that Nobuntu, as one of the most prolific touring groups from the city, was thought to be immune from the disappearance syndrome that Zimbabwean arts ensembles seem to catch whenever they set foot on foreign soil .
Many will thus be questioning what lesser groups could do if the famed “Obabes BeMbube” also feel the need to abscond while on tour.
Nobuntu has broken down barriers in local arts circles, proving to many that imbube is not a domain for men only, as their performances captivated audiences at home and abroad, where they seem to spend most of their time.
Rodgers Fatiya
Of concern for most performing artistes, however, is how it might impact all groups going forward, as Western authorities are known to tighten visa requirements for everyone whenever individuals disappear while on tour.
“This thing has always been happening with regards to groups in the arts in Bulawayo,” the founder of one ensemble in Bulawayo told Sunday Life in an interview.
“But it only makes it hard for others to apply for similar visas afterwards and you find that before they grant them the opportunity, stringent conditions are imposed that make it clear that authorities that side think you guys will run away while on tour. As for Nobuntu, it’s possible that they might still go back to the US considering that they went through all the processes required to show that the other group members wanted to come back. Overall, this is not good for the industry, it’s not good for groups that want to tour other countries because next time someone says they want to go to the US, they will immediately be told that Zimbabwean groups usually fail to come back from such tours.”
The disappearance of the Nobuntu ladies will feel like deja vu to stakeholders in the arts, who have watched as cases of group members disappearing while on tour become a pandemic over the last two decades.
In 2003, Alick Macheso seemed to have been dealt a deadly blow when a section of his famed Orchestra Mberikwazo disappeared while on tour in the UK. Thomson Chauke, Samuel Mugende and Rodgers Fatiya were the three members that vanished, with Chauke revealing eight years later that he had spoken to Macheso about remaining behind before the tour.
Alick Macheso
“When I stayed behind, I actually spoke to Macheso and I still recall the conversation that I had with him in May 2003. It was by mutual agreement because I told him that I wanted to start something of my own and he could not over-ride my decision.
“After all, I had helped him since 1999 having recorded a number of successful albums with him like Zvakanaka Zvakadaro and Zvido Zvenyu kunyanya which propelled him to stardom.”
As if to cement their rumoured tit for tat rivalry, three members of Tongai Moyo’s group also disappeared while on tour in the UK.
A year later, it was Albert Nyathi’s turn to feel the pain of mutiny among his ranks, as two members of Imbongi also escaped his watchful eye while on the streets in the UK.
Rachael Maketa
This was after Nyathi and his group had been on a four-month tour of the UK showcasing their dancing and poetry prowess. Despite a fuming Nyathi swearing that they would be found and deported, the duo made good their escape.
In 2012, it was time for a budding Jah Prayzah to feel the pinch, as drummer Pridemore Madzudzu also deserted the group while on tour.
The UK has been fertile ground for deserters, with three Siyaya dancers Cleopatra Mugadza, Consolatta Ngwenya and Nyarai Marufu also reportedly sneaking away from the group while it was on its way to the airport, staying behind in the hope of greener pastures in 2012. A year later, the same group would suffer two more losses as Benhilda Ngwenya and Thubalenkosi Gumede also went AWOL.
Jah Prayzah
In 2017, former Jah Prayzah band members Generator and Rachael Maketa disappeared in the UK after a tour in the UK with gospel star Fungisai Zvakavapano. While the gospel diva was adamant that she would report the two when their visas expired, close friends revealed to the media at the time that Generator in particular had planned her escape while in Harare.
“When she was going for rehearsals, we were actually laughing. We knew she would not be coming back with the band, Generator is troublesome, everyone knows that,” said the friend.
Now it is Nobuntu’s turn to deal with the fallout of the disappearance of its members. With most other such incidents occurring in the UK, it remains to be seen if they will remain at large for long in the US, where immigration policing can be notoriously rough on non-white refugees and asylum seekers.