Entertainment Reporter
TOP Zimbabwean musician Mukudzei Mukombe, stage name Jah Prayzah, has postponed his wedding indefinitely following the death of his friend and benefactor Wicknell Civayo who died Wednesday.
In a message on social media Jah Prayzah said at the moment there were no immediate plans but since Thomas Mapfumo is still in the country, it would be another day.
“We will notify of another date with time. Mukanya (Mapfumo) is still around the country,” he said on a message posted on Facebook.
Chivayo and his wife Lucy perished in a horific helicopter crash over the Kudenga Farm in the Marondera District at around 1700 hours Wednesday.
The couple was returning from their Chivhu rural home when their chopper plummeted killing all on board.
“The sudden loss of our dear brother Sir Wicknell Chivayo, his wife Lucy, and all those who lost their lives in this tragic accident has left us deeply heartbroken,” said Jah Prayzah.
“Wicknell was more than a friend to us. He was family, a brother, and someone who walked closely with us through many chapters of life. Losing him together with Lucy in such a sudden way is a pain that is difficult to put into words.”
“Our hearts and prayers are also with every family that lost a loved one in this tragedy. Mwari vape nyaradzo nesimba kune vose vari kuchema panguva ino. (May God console all those who are mourning at this time).”
“Pane nguva yekuti zvimwe zvinhu zvese zvinofanira kumbomira (There is a time when everything else must stop). Out of love, respect and the need to grieve with family, our wedding which was scheduled for 3 October has been postponed,” said Jah Prayzah.
“We will continue with our wedding plans when the time is right,” he said.
Jah Prayzah and his partner Rufaro were expected to officially wed this weekend in a widely broadcast celebration where Chimurenga Guru Thomas Tafirenyika Hurricane Hugo Gandanga Mapfumo was expected to perform.
Chivayo who in his lifetime showered Jah Prayzah with cars, cash and other gifts, paid a whooping $1 million to secure Mapfumo’s signature to xing at the wedding.
Mapfumo who had previously rebuffed Chivayo gifts accepted the “contract” which was generous with other perks like a house and a Toyota Land Cruiser car.
Showbiz gurus have been looking at Mukanya’s show as he goes into retirement, as one to officially annoint Jah Prayzah as the heir apparent to Mukanya’s Chimurenga title.
Mapfumo has not been contested as the founder and champion of the Chimurenga beat, derived from folklore drumbeats of Zimbabwe fused with tales of social living and struggles.
Jah Prayzah’s beat has adopted some folklore beats and has steadfastly put a claim to Chimurenga beats.
“The show may have geen Chivayo’s grand plan to have Jah Prayzah annointed by Mukanya. There is a lot of Chimurenga beat in Jah Prayzah music some believe an evokes ancestoral spirits,” said one music pundit.