The Sunday Mail
‘’SOCIALITE Ginimbi dies in horror crash”, “Ginimbi dies as Rolls Royce crashes, burns”, “Ginimbi death: The details”, “Ginimbi’s father speaks”, “Ginimbi family to burn mansion”, “All-white funeral for Ginimbi,” “Bitter Moana’s father speaks”, “Ginimbi’s last moments”, “Imported casket for Ginimbi” and “Gringo succumbs to cancer” screamed headlines of various newspapers from Monday.
Many others are still cooking in the oven.
Social media, from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp — you name it, has been abuzz since Ginimbi and Gringo’s demise.
Journalists and people from all walks of life are battling to come up with the juiciest stories about the death of the colourful duo.
But who can blame them?
After all, human beings are social animals with an inborn desire to know what is happening around them.
Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure was a popular Harare businessman and socialite, who was well-known for his love for the finer things in life.
The 36-year-old met his fate while travelling home following a night of partying at his night club in the capital.
He was involved in a head-on collision along Liberation Legacy Way (Borrowdale Road) in Harare.
The accident, which occurred at around 4.45am on Sunday, involved his Rolls Royce and a Honda Fit.
The youthful entrepreneur died in the company of three friends — Michelle “Moana” Amuli, Elisha from Mozambique and controversial Malawi businessman Limumba Karim, who was on his country’s police wanted list.
They had travelled to Zimbabwe for Moana’s birthday party.
In this case, death, though painful because it is normally associated with an irrecoverable loss, has proved to be a money-spinning phenomenon if events that took place this week are anything to go by.
Newspapers, network service providers and filling stations, among many other businesses, have been feasting on these recent tragedies like nobody’s business.
The way people have been buying data bundles to keep up with the latest on the pair’s death is unprecedented.
It is not unusual to walk into the office to find someone surfing the internet to get the latest information on the death of the self-made millionaire, Ginimbi.
“Mudhara, I cannot afford to miss this one. I have to read this information over and over again because this is the talking point countrywide. In kombis, restaurants, homes and even at other funerals, the talk is largely about Ginimbi.
“He has grabbed headlines and showed his power even in death because people are talking about him. Whether he had juju or not is not my concern; I want to know what happened until the day he is buried.
“Even after burial, I still want to know who came, who did what, what happened to his cars and so forth,” said one gentleman called Simbarashe.
Most cooks are burning their meals for spending inordinately long periods camped on social media.
As I write this, gentle reader, tailors are ant-like working round the clock sewing costumes and special face masks for sale to mourners.
“I have never worked the way I am this week.
“We are not resting at all because people are coming with special material for clothes they want to wear at the burial of Ginimbi. People want to look chic at the burial and this is what is keeping us awake,” said one tailor who operates in downtown Harare.
Bottlestore owners have not been left out.
They are enjoying brisk business as imbibers huddle together sharing information they have about Ginimbi over a pint of beer or opaque beer.
The situation is even worse in Domboshava where Ginimbi lived.
Newspapers have set up camp there and so have rumour-mongers and even thieves who intend to make the most of the self-made millionaire’s death.
Death is not a pleasant subject, but the death of Ginimbi has failed to silence him as he continues to make the last hurrah even after death.
Death, be not proud.
Inotambika mughetto.
