COMMUNITIES POINT STATEMENT ON SAM MUTUKUDZI'S DEATH

COMMUNITIES POINT: STATEMENT ON THE SUDDEN DEATH OF SAM MTUKUDZI

Communities Point joins the nation in mourning Sam Mtukudzi, Oliver Mutukudzi’s son and a budding musician in his own right http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=6503&cat=1. The death of Sam robbed the nation of a performing and recording artist who had a promising career ahead of him. We also mourn the death of Owen Chimhare, his sound engineer and another key talent in the music industry as without sound engineers there is no recorded music.

Together with the likes of Kudaushe Matimba, the late Simon and Naison Chimbetu, Nicholas Somerai, Chioniso Maraire, Prudence Katomeni, the sensational Munodawafa kid, Sandra Ndebele etc. Sam Mutukudzi occupies an historical spot in Zimbabwe’s recording history by being one of the few teenagers ever to record their music in the country and be played on national radio. At Communities Point we value the contribution of every Zimbabwean in whatever sector and do not belittle the collective capabilities of every profession in the country. Unlike others we believe that music, the arts and sports should always be viewed in equal regard with politics and the economy and that musicians, artists, sportspersons etc deserve the same recognition that politicians get and that heroism is not the preserve of politicians only.

We view Respect from a very large angle of our retinas and believe that only when Zimbabweans move to an era of mutual respect, where everyone matters, and every contribution is valid, can our nation start to approach its claim to success with seriousness. As we mourn the passing of yet another talent our thoughts go to the Mutukudzi family, the Chimhare family, members of the Ay Band and all the fans of Sam Mutukudzi who have lost a son and brother, a leader and a favourite artiste. We share the same belief that indeed deaths cannot be controlled but we again urge the authorities in Zimbabwe to begin the process of rehabilitating our roads because they have become death traps. One way of doing the country a favour is to cut the unnecessary costs of aggressive foreign policy and channel the funds to the rehabilitation of our roads and also other infrastructural development projects. There is need for the country to have a clear transport policy and at the moment it seems this is absent with the duplication of roles by local authorities, Zimbabwe National Roads Authority and also that there is no clear knowledge of what exactly the Ministry Transport’s role is whether its telephone poles or roads.

When Addley and I lost our first son, Thaboka, the pain was devastating and today the same devastation is being felt by the Mutukudzi and Chimhare families. What makes it even more painful is that deaths caused by road accidents are not entirely unavoidable, they can with the necessary investment into road construction. To the Mutukudzi and Chimhare families we urge them to find strength in the fact that the whole nation certainly joins them in their hour of need and that they should also take comfort in knowing that there is a place where souls rest when people die.

Julius Mutyambizi-DEWA
NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON: COMMUNITIES POINT
Contact: mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or 07529705413