The Sunday Mail
Munyaradzi Huni
SISTER Judith Makwanya has gone to sleep. A deep and restful sleep. Someone once said, “sleep just isn’t sleep anymore, its an escape.” Maybe Sister Judy has escaped into the world yonder. She just had to escape. She was so misunderstood and to make matters worse, she never made it easy for people to understand her. Many people knew Sister Judy, but very few understood her. As they say understanding is deeper than knowledge.
Sleep well my good sister! But hey, the escape was just too sudden Sister Judy.
Poor me and I am sure many others had to take comfort from the Holy Book. Thessalonians 4 vs 13-14 brought some comfort: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
“For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Till we meet again Sister Judy! Tiwonane kana Mwari achida!
Sister Judy is not the type that should just sleep. I can’t let Sister Judy sleep just like that. Whenever we met before she passed on, I always threw one or two jabs and in her trademark piercing voice she would jokingly protest “iwe Huni, ita mushe. Ungadaro sister yako!” We would all laugh. And so this is my last jab Sister Judy. Ko muchagondidii?
First let me try to describe the Sister Judy that I knew. And I know if she were around she would protest, “Munya, ita mushe.” But she can’t protest anymore and so here I go.
The best I can describe Sister Judy is to borrow the following statement. “She was never on the same page as the people around her. Sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, always in a different chapter, sometimes even in a completely different book.” This aptly describes Sister Judy. Even as I write this, I know I am not on the same page with her.
Many people interacted with Sister Judy and almost all of them confess that she was a difficult cocktail to understand. Despite it all, she was a hardworking good lady who minded her own business. She was a workaholic who believed in the wise words by Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs who said:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Sister Judy loved her job and as she sleeps I am sure she is satisfied that she played her part in this male-dominated jungle called journalism. When people like Supa Mandiwanzira, Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa and Fadzai Mahere confess that they were inspired by Sister Judy, then you should know this wasn’t your ordinary or average journalist.
Let me leave the philosophies of Sister Judy because that venture is an exercise in futility. Let me try to unpack Sister Judy the veteran broadcaster right in the field of operation. This is where I met her most of the time but I have to confess this is also not an easy task. That bundle of energy, that Sister Judy was, is difficult to unpack.
Those who worked with her will tell you that she was one hyperactive journalist who, once she set her mind on getting a story, would go all out to make sure she gets the story. They tell me that in the process of getting her story, some of her juniors at ZBC News “vakatsikwa konzi vakati baba.” But that was Sister Judy. You just had to understand her and give her space. Otherwise “Cyclone Judy” would sweep you away.
I remember a few years back when we travelled together to Windhoek, Namibia as part of the presidential delegation. We got to the airport and as the Namibian security details were still sorting the security formalities, Sister Judy was already at work.
“President Mugabe has arrived at Hosea Kutako International Airport here in Windhoek, Namibia,” she beamed in her usual loud voice. One of the security details from Namibia, tried to stop her from recording this arrival story but Sister Judy was always ready for such people.
“Can you please let me do my job? I am not on holiday. I came here to work,” she said to this imposing security guy who looked stunned. From then on, she ignored this security guy as if he never existed. That was Sister Judy for you.
Those who travelled with Sister Judy during presidential assignments will tell you that they just had to accommodate the “Judy way of doing things.” For example, when we arrived in a foreign country, the procedure was that we would go to the hotel where the former President was staying. At the hotel, we would then be informed if former President had any official engagements that day. If he did not have official engagements, we would be told to go and rest at our hotel. In many cases, this meant getting into a kombi reserved for the media and being driven to the hotel where we would be booked.
But then as always, Sister Judy would go against the flow. “Vamwe tiri vekubroadcasting. Our stories can’t wait. We can’t go to the hotel now. I need to talk to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I need a story to file back home.”
On many occasions this meant a lot of waiting as Sister Judy went hunting for the minister. Some of the journalists would get impatient and angry. With some of the journalists already dozing in the kombi, Sister Judy would suddenly appear. “Zvaita ndataura navo Minister.”
The journalists would look at her with those eyes that said “we really don’t care, we are tired” but she would not care a hoot. Her job came first. This irritated quite a number of journalists but that was the Judy way of doing things.
I remember the late presidential cameraman Artwell Karuru (May his soul rest in peace) would really be pissed off. “Vana Judy munaziva kuti mune vamwe vanhu. We can’t wait for one person for almost an hour,” he would complain.
“Mabasa anosiyana vaKaruru,” Sister Judy would respond nonchalantly.
The combative Karuru would fire back, “be considerate Judy, be considerate!” It would take the presidential photographer, Joseph Nyadzayo to calm the situation down. “Hey, hey Sekuru Karuru, siyanai nemudzimai wangu. She is here let’s go.”
Nyadzayo enjoyed calling Judy “mukadzi wangu,” because he always teased her saying “kusvika wandiratidza mukomana wako, uri mukadzi wangu.” Sometimes Judy would protest, but she knew this was a waste of time. Nyadzayo really enjoyed poking fun at Sister Judy. Even as Sister Judy drifted to the other world, the naughty Nyadzayo continued the joke. When I texted him that Sister Judy had passed on, Nyadzayo replied: “I will miss my professional wife. Mokurumidza kunditsvagira chimutsa mapfihwa muindustry.” They call it taking the joke right to the grave.
Then came Sister Judy’s tussle with the ZBC TV cameramen. That sister of mine had perfected the art of nagging. As a hyperactive workaholic, Sister Judy always kept the cameramen on their feet. Most of them complained, but in the end they always obliged to Sister Judy’s demands. I remember a few years ago when we travelled together to Uganda for some inauguration ceremony. It was scotching hot and it had been quite a hassle to get into the stadium where the ceremony was to be held. Naturally, when we eventually got into the stadium, we were all exhausted. To make matters worse, the ceremony, which was supposed to start around 9am, had not started by 11am.
As journalists, we decided to sit on the terraces waiting for the function to start. ZBC TV cameraman, Taona Jonhera popularly known as “Johnz” joined us on the terraces after setting up his camera close to the podium where the ceremony was to take place. As soon as the clearly tired Johnz sat down, Sister Judy pounced. “Johnz! Johnz! Come down tisanoita mamwe mainterview. Dzika Johnz! Dzika!” She was calling from quite some distance and at first Johnz ignored her. Sister Judy was a relentless person. “Iwe Johnz, dzika tiite basa!” She kept on calling until we all advised Johnz to just go down and do what the good sister wanted.
That was the workaholic Judy. Always restless before getting her story. Sometimes you wondered where she got the energy.
She would not spare even the ministers. “Minister I know you are tired but chingotipaiwo just a sound bite. Vakatomirira story kumba,” she would say in her persuasive voice.
Very few ministers would say “no” to the persistent Judy. She had a way of always getting what she wanted which is one of the traits of a good journalist.
When we were put on the European and US sanctions list, Sister Judy took it in her stride. “I am not worried at all Munya. All the journalists on that list should not worry. It shows we are doing something good for our country.”
The journalists on the sanctions list included myself, Sister Judy, Reuben Barwe, Pikirayi Deketeke, Ceasar Zvayi and Happison Muchechetere. One thing about Sister Judy – she was a patriot to the bone. She loved her country and defended it in her own small broadcasting way. There was a time when the easiest thing was to dump the ZBC job. There was a time when people like Sister Judy became the laughing stock due to their unwavering service to the country. Despite it all, Sister Judy remained in the trenches openly defending her beloved Zimbabwe. What else could one ask for?
The character that Sister Judy was, was always bound to be misunderstood. I heard of stories that Sister Judy bossed and tossed people around at the ZBC. Its very possible she did that. It was her nature, especially when she wanted the job done.
If you stood in her way, Sister Judy was always going to run you over. She compensated it all by showing that she never did anything out of malice.
Despite her cyclone character, many enjoyed working with Sister Judy. The hundreds of people who thronged Warren Hills cemetery last Thursday to bid her farewell told the story of a legend in the broadcasting industry.
You worked for a cause and not applause Sister Judy. You lived to express and not to impress. You never strived to make your presence noticed, but as you sleep, we will feel your absence.
Do they have broadcasting stations ikoko nhai Sister Judy? You went in such a hurry – do they really need diplomatic correspondents ikoko? How about beaming one last time from beyond the grave, seeing that you didn’t say goodbye?
“This is Judith Makwanya reporting from the world yonder!”
Gone too soon! Gone too sudden!
Rest in eternal peace Sister Judy!
Tichazowonana kana Mwari achida!
