Chingoma: Man of many talents

19 Nov, 2017 - 00:11 0 Views
Chingoma: Man of many talents

The Sunday Mail

Tendai Chara and Emmanuel Kaffe
Self-taught engineer and helicopter designer Daniel Chingoma is a fascinating character.

Apart from designing and building the “Zimcopter”, a helicopter that was never allowed to leave ground, Chingoma has also tried his hand at music and politics.

Among some of the events that have punctuated Chingoma’s colourful life is his sensational eviction from the Harare Agricultural Showgrounds — where he had settled illegally.

In 2010, he entered the political fray by announcing the formation of a political party called the Zimbabwe Industrial and Technological Revolutionary Party. Calling himself an “economic messiah”, Chingoma said his party appealed to intellectuals.

Chingoma then embarked on one of the strangest campaigning strategies: His posters were exclusively put up in public toilets. He argued that since everyone uses the toilet, this only made sense.

Although not a member of the Rastafarian community, Chingoma always wears that religion’s headgear “out of respect” for the faith.

And have we mentioned that there is also a criminal conviction for fraud?

Recently, Chingoma sat down with The Sunday Mail Society to reflect on an oft-eventful life.

Chingoma still entertains hopes of seeing the Zimcopter taking to the skies: “I will never surrender. A time shall come when my helicopter will fly and I will shame the devil. What I need is some resources and further education so that I perfect the machine. I am willing to go for studies so that I tighten up the loopholes.”

Chingoma claims his helicopter — built from scrap metal and with a Lexus V8 car engine — flew in 2003, but he has no documentation or witnesses to prove it.

A second version of the helicopter was built in 2009 but the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe would not give him flight clearance.

The father of five says he is often misunderstood.

“Some people think I am mad and that I am chasing wind. That machine is capable of flying. Although I went to school and ended in Form 3, engineering skills run in my blood,” he insists.

A chuckling Chingoma also speaks about his flirtation with politics.

“I formed that party for fun. I was merely testing the waters. I was not serious and by the way, I never registered the party with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission,” says Chingoma, adding that he only stuck 50 campaign posters in public toilets.

He says his wife, Edna, was the only other member of his party.

Chingoma jokingly advises political parties to try his campaign strategy.

“It is a fact that everyone uses the toilet. Sticking posters in toilets is not only effective but comes without much cost. As opposed to paying television and radio advertising rates, what I simply did was photocopy my campaign material, applied glue and then stuck the campaign messages on toilet walls.”

Chingoma’s song “My Career” hit the airwaves in 2000 and was well received.

In 2010, Chingoma and his wife Edna were convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail for fraud after the pair, who are directors of a water harvesting engineering firm, Taisek Engineering, failed to drill a borehole for a client who had paid them to do so.

Chingoma simply laughed when he was asked how he ended up on the wrong side of the law.

“That is water under the bridge my friend. It was a minor issue of understanding which we resolved and I avoided jail time. Such things happen in life.”

Born in Rusape in 1968, one of Chingoma’s children Tinotenda, is following in his father’s footsteps, studying Aeronautics in South Africa.

Chingoma is constructing a Great Zimbabwe-like structure at the Mbudzi Roundabout along the Harare-Masvingo Highway.

“This stone structure is a reminder for us not to forget our culture. We are going to build such structures in almost all the country’s towns and cities. We must never forget where we came from,” explains Chingoma.

He appealed for financial support as he seeks to realise his dream of having the first locally-made helicopter take off the ground come true.

“As Zimbabweans, we have a serious problem when it comes to supporting local talent. We have locals who made milestone engineering achievements but are not being supported. We can make our own drones, generators and many other things.”

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