Tongai Moyo

Tongai Moyo (12 March 1968 – 15 October 2011) was a contemporary Zimbabwean musician, often referred to as Dhewa.

Moyo was born on the 12th of March in 1968 in Kwekwe.

The talented musician started his career in 1988 in his home-town Kwekwe.

To honor his craft, the 'Muchinamuhombe' singer, played in numerous bands and eventually joined Shirichena Jazz Band as a session musician, and helped the band to release two albums and a single.

Born and raised in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe, Dhewa rose to fame in the late 1990s as a solo artist and with the band Utakataka Express.

Highly successful singles including "Samanyemba", "Naye", and "Muchina Muhombe" led to his national, regional and international fame; he produced 14 albums in a career of over twenty years.

Moyo became popular in the early 1990s after releasing smash hits such as 'Samanyemba' and 'Mudzimu weshiri' with his band Utakataka Express.

The most popular was "Ndoita Zvangu Ndega" which was released in 1991 Moyo was virtually known by then.

He went on to create his own band the Utakataka Express after which he released his first solo album, 'Vimbo' in 1996.

The album earned Moyo a name in the music industry, which was dominated by the likes of Nicholas Zakaria and Alick Macheso who sang the same genre.

Since then, he never looked back and went on to release 14 albums to his credit.

The album "Naye" saw Dhewa hogging the limelight with his chart topper "Nemumvura Mese" which earned him two Zimbabwe Music Awards (ZIMA).

The album was released while he was being treated for cancer, which had been diagnosed in 2008.

The song "Ndinobvuma" was especially dedicated to his fight against the disease.

Tongai Moyo was an award winning popular legendary Sungura icon, who was best known for his flamboyant lifestyle.

His 14th and final album, Toita Basa, was released on 25 November 2010 by record label Gramma Records.

The third wife, Barbara Muchengeti, died in 2010 when she committed suicide, in yet unknown circumstances as she did not leave a suicide note.

Even Dhewa died without knowing why his wife had taken her life.

He died on 15 October 2011.

He was married to Miniehle Mukweli and had six children namely Natasha, Nicole, Obert (Tongai Jnr), Tanaka and Nyasha and Peter Moyo.

He was also known to be short-tempered.

There are many backstage incidents in which he would get angry but his fans never got to know.

His smile would conceal everything when he went on stage.

“He hated indiscipline in the band and talked tough when he was upset.

At one time he actually beat up our drummer when he misbehaved during our tour of South Africa.

“The drummer, Guyson Sixpence got drunk before the show and failed to perform.

We had left another drummer back home to cut costs and Guyson had promised to be a good guy.

At the time of his death, Moyo had just released his 14th album 'Toita Basa'.

During the peak of his music career, there was a debate among sungura fans over superiority between Tongai Moyo and Alick Macheso.

The two competed for the number one spot on Radio Zimbabwe every season.

Tongai Moyo's fans believe that the sungura scene would have been a lot better if he was still alive and sungura genre also breathed its last the moment Dhewa breathed last.

His fierce battle with Alick Macheso led Tongai Moyo to look for ways to bolster his music in a bid to overcome the competition between him and 'Extra basso'.

Alick Macheso and Dhewa’s relationship is also rumoured to have broken down irretrievably when the two music giants clashed over the same woman on two different occasions.

He was married to Miniehle Mukweli and had six children namely Natasha, Nicole, Obert (Tongai Jnr), Tanaka and Nyasha and Peter Moyo.

Tongai Moyo was known to have seven wives in his lifetime.

His known formal wives are Maud Chirwa (Peter’s mother), mother to Nyasha Brenda Moyo (whose name we could not establish), the late Barbara Muchengeti and his surviving wife Miniehle Mukweli.

Nothing much has been documented about his first wife Maud as she only came to the public forum after Dhewa was in his last days.

Her claim to fame is by virtue of having given birth to the heir-apparent to the throne, the young Igwe, Peter.

It is widely said that Maud and Dhewa divorced before Peter could even utter a single word.

His second wife was mother to Nyasha Brenda, whose real name we could not establish as she is reported to be staying in South Africa.