The Sunday Mail
ARE you aware that there is a new breed of celebrities in town?
Something better than those “porn actors” and “big spenders” often described as socialites in the Press, who think that they are better than everyone else yet they add no real value to the arts and culture industry.
How these new school celebs have escaped the prying eyes of the tabloid writers in the country baffles this writer. Reports of these fresh stars’ lifestyles are pouring in since the “super dad” story broke a few weeks ago.
Super dad is a name given to popular Star FM DJ Ndumiso Dube aka Skywalker whose two ex-wives recently joined forces to soil his name through the media while dragging him to the courts.
Skywalker, who is known for his well-liked Sungura Wednesdays slot between 9pm and 12 midnight, saw his name dragged through the mud recently after an arrest for defaulting on a $100 maintenance. As if that was not enough, another ex-wife of his was busy spitting venom about her estranged husband to any reporter who cared to listen.
“I ran away from him because there was no reason to stay since I was being looked after by my parents,” said ex-wife Tendai Manyame while another ex, Getrude Maseko, said: “He does not know how to control his manhood and does not know what a condom looks like and how to use it.” It is these “new” celebrities that add spice to the showbiz scene through their shenanigans, failure to embrace their newly acquired status and their sometimes bizarre lifestyles. The Sunday Mail Leisure caught up with Skywalker, to find out if he is as bad as he has been painted. The DJ was portrayed as an irresponsible father and husband, and a generally reckless, womanising fella who takes advantage of women using his popularity as a radio presenter.
However, Skywalker, who says he only has four children (not eight), as claimed by his two ex-wives — swore that he would “never neglect” his children.
“I take very good care of my children. Being a DJ is not the only thing I do — I am a farmer as well. So I have the resources to look after my kids.
“But that is not all — I am someone who grew up impoverished. I wouldn’t want my kids to go through what I went through when I was growing up. I am doing everything I can to ensure that they all get a good life and have a better future,” said Skywalker. By “impoverished”, Skywalker is not just making up a story!
His parents divorced when he was a toddler, mother died while he was in early primary school, grandmother died while he was in secondary school while his father was buried the same day he found him after 18 years. “I never even got a chance to speak to him,” said Skywalker.
At some point in his life he deferred his education to do menial jobs with his uncle in Zhombe, not for school fees but to feed his own hungry tummy.
Due to his unstable background, Skywalker did part of his primary education in Filabusi and Harare during which he faced tough times as both his mother and a guardian left to care for him died.
He relocated to Gokwe where he went to school at Mbungu Secondary School near Binga but after failing to pay school fees had to retrace his roots back to his paternal rural home in Filabusi. He had to write his ‘O’ Level through correspondence while surviving through gold panning. He says it was his elder brother, Ndodana, who bailed him out of extreme poverty into a better life when he became a hwindi (kombi conductor) in Bulawayo. He later graduated into being a driver during which he met his first wife. “We had no chance. Her parents couldn’t stand a hwindi being married to their daughter,” he confessed.
Heartbroken, Skywalker sought a new start in the capital city where through “back door means” he became a stores manager at a local company. He even went on to study computers at the University of Zimbabwe before enrolling at a local college for Sound Engineering.
At the height of the economic meltdown, Skywalker had acquired a PA system and when the company he worked for shutdown, he began hiring it out.
That job was to force him to learn a number of musical instruments, which include the bass guitar, keyboard and drums. “I have played with Progress Chipfumo, Gift Amuli and Tawanda Mutyebere. Right now I still get hired to record with artistes as a player of instruments.”
He has even been a sound engineer for a number of musicians and he says he likes to learn new things.
“I like to learn new things — to venture into new territory, which is why I auditioned for a Star FM job when they advertised. I even write stories for Kwayedza.”
Radio, he says, is his life, where he has discovered his true purpose in society.
Skywalker says that the point for being on radio is to “change a life, just one person, with every show”.
“After every shift I get a few phone calls from strangers asking for my help. Even though my own marriage has failed to work — I have helped many people and that alone gives me the strength to go to work, that alone makes me love my job.”
The DJ speaks seven languages and is learning an eighth one. “I can speak Shona, Ndebele, English, Lingala, Tonga, Nambia, a little bit of Kalanga and I am learning Chinese.” After overcoming many hurdles in a path that was filled with thorns and pitfalls — Skywalker says he will not let haters and people filled with the PHD (pull him down) syndrome derail him.
He confesses though, that his latest divorce pained him: “This wife of mine, Tendai, I really loved her. It is sad what happened but I’m the one who made a mistake.” The DJ says after realising that continued interaction with his estranged baby mama, Gertrude, would put him on a collision course with his wife, Tendai, he decided let the two get acquainted.
“I did not want to continue talking to Gertrude, so I let her deal with my wife. All I was trying to do was to avoid any suspicions and to ensure that it becomes easy to deal with issues about my son, like spend time with him.
“Unfortunately they became friends and Tendai, my wife, was hoodwinked by Gertrude. She was fed with false information and she left me after dragging me through the mud.
“Gertrude wanted to get rid of Tendai so that she could come back and be my wife, but Tendai did not realise that.”
Skywalker says he intends to quit bachelorhood soon. “Soon I will have a wife. Someone I want to keep. Even if she beats me up, I won’t say anything.”
