BY NIZBERT MOYO/ SILAS NKALA
ARTISTES in Bulawayo and across borders have described the death of former music promoter Dave “Madamara” Ncube, who used to run Mighty-D Productions, as a great loss for the industry.
Madamara, the younger brother to Alpha Media Holdings executive chairman Trevor Ncube, died last Monday morning at his home in Bulawayo at the age of 54.
He was laid to rest in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
Madamara was born in 1967 and rose from being a DJ in the early 1980s to become one of the top music promoters in the city with his entertainment company popularly known as Sekunjalo, loosely translated in English to “It has happened”.
Condolence messages continued to pour in, mostly from musicians from Bulawayo and South Africa.
Artistes said Ncube had a passion for music and had worked tirelessly to nurture the industry in the City of Kings and across the country.
Bulawayo-based musician Jeyz Marabini said: “Madamara worked tirelessly to liven up the music industry and keep it afloat in Bulawayo by promoting big shows staged by South African musicians in Bulawayo that included Freddy Gwala, Platform One and Dan Tshanda, to mention a few which ended up earning him the name Madamara.”
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“He promoted big music shows at large stadiums that included White City and City Hall. I remember, in 2003 he came with Dan Tshanda and other South African musicians to my house in Lobengula West where we were doing rehearsals and Tshanda liked my song Amalungelo which we rehearsed and promised to reproduce it.”
South African uMbaqanga group Soul Brothers founding member and keyboardist, Moses Ngwenya said: “Ncube worked with another late music promoter Jeffrey “JJ” Chavunduka, who was dealing with the Soul Brothers, but he personally (Ncube) did not engage the Soul Brothers. However, we as the Soul Brothers send our sincere condolences to his family and friends akwehlanga lungehli.”
Madamara’s elder brother, Nicholas said his brother earned the name Madamara after working with South African musician Freddie “Madamara” Gwala for a long time.
“Madamara loved and followed the music entertainment scene at a tender age after giving up on the ‘working life’. After working at the then Express Stores and later at Swift, where he didn’t last for a year, he gave up the job and began organising music events starting with disco shows at the City Hall with radio disc jockeys,” he said.
“Madamara travelled internationally with several local musicians such as the late Oliver Mtukudzi, John Chibadura and Busi Ncube to mention but a few. He took music to neighbouring countries such as Zambia, Malawi and Uganda and also ran in bars such as Metropolis, a bar in North End and at Selbourne Hotel.”
Madamara also managed to bring entertainers in the form of Jamaican reggae great Dennis Brown, Congolese rhumba icons, Kanda Bongo Man, M’bilia Bel, Fredie Gwala, Brenda Fassie, Chico, PJ Powers, Lucky Dube and Soul Brothers.
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