The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe
Diehard reggae fans, holding on because of their love for the genre and unavailability of a viable option, have kept the band afloat, barely.
Amid all the chaos bedeviling the once revered band, the death of founding member, Munyaradzi Nyemba, back in March last year, saw the band take a nosedive. Before the band could recover, Mannex, a lead vocalist, left to start his own group in January this year. Recently, Mannex’s replacement, J Farai, together with band manager, Professor Fred Zindi, abandoned ship, in what appeared to be a final nail to the coffin.
Though history books are littered with numerous of the band’s achievements, current affairs paint an extremely opposite picture. Reduced to a mere cover band, going from one joint to the other belting popular tracks by mostly Jamaican reggae stars, Transit Crew has slowly lost its status on the local music scene.
However, the new team in charge of the band led by Taonga Mafundikwa, who was Zindi’s deputy, believes they can steer the ship in a whole new direction and change the current perception of the band by music fans.
“There was an impasse regarding the direction the band was taking and this almost caused the breaking up of the band,” Mafundikwa, who is new Transit Crew band manager said, adding, “The band asked me to continue with organising shows and I’m doing exactly that. Lately, we have attracted the attention of so many clubs and I want to put it on record that we are now very busy and the boys seem to be enjoying that.”
He also revealed that they have since recruited new vocalists to cover the gap left by the departure of J Farai.
“We have recruited new voices to take care of our vocal department and let me be quick to point out that we have a winning team, which is not only disciplined but is also very hardworking.
“The changes have seen the return of Cello Culture, who will be working with female vocalist Ashlee as well as Logun and Clive. We are unleashing the new setup this weekend at the second edition of Craft and Food Fair at Machikichori Gardens in Newlands,” he revealed.
Mafundikwa said that the days of Transit Crew being labelled a cover band will soon be over as they are working on new music. There is also the possibility of a European tour in 2018.
“We have always been regarded as a cover band but I want to put it on record that we are concentrating more on original material now. We are going to be in the studio in August to record another album and all I can promise is sweet home grown reggae music.
“We are currently in talks with some people in Europe and there is a huge possibility for a European tour next year. After all has been said and done, my plea to our multitude of followers is to support the brand and encourage the youngsters,” he highlighted.
“However, there is nothing wrong with doing covers here and there during shows as it is an internationally accepted thing. If you look at some of the hottest Jamaican acts at the moment you will realise that they used covers as a platform to gain popularity. Transit Crew is a huge institution that will not just fold overnight. The future looks bright especially with the inclusion of the youngsters who have come on board and are willing to learn.”
Meanwhile, Professor Zindi says he has not left Transit Crew but has merely stepped aside.
“I never left Transit Crew, I can’t leave it. I am one of the founding members and leaving it would mean a part of history would have been lost,” said Zindi.
He added: “The correct information is that I stepped aside because I have a project that I am working on, which is demanding a lot of my time. So seeing I could not juggle the two, I decided to step aside for a season from my active role with Transit Crew but I will definitely be back in the near future.”
