TODAY, their most-listened to song, Getu, can only be enjoyed over the internet.
On the radio, maybe it’s played here and there.
It’s only memories that fill one’s mind when they hear it blazing on speakers, with another sad mind reminding the listener that the group behind the 1990s hit song, Wrist Brothers, will never possibly pull another trick and come up with another hit song.
They once lit up farm compounds and rural stages with the fast-paced rhythms of sungura, their guitars echoing through Chegutu’s dusty fields.
Their songs told stories of love, struggle and life in the margins — stories that made people dance and believe.
But today, only two members of the once-vibrant group remain, their lives now a far cry from the applause they once knew.
One now survives by hewing wood, cutting grass and doing other menial jobs in Chegutu’s farms, his calloused hands no longer strumming chords, but hardened by splitting logs and those other difficult tasks.
Their instruments are silent, their names nearly forgotten, yet their journey still echoes with the pain and resilience of fallen stars.
Yesteryear and forgotten group famed Wrist Brothers’ only two surviving members Salim Chikuta (63) and Gordon Ncube (53) have been hit by hard times and are pleading for help to pull themselves from the jaws of poverty.
During a visit to De Rus Farm in Chegutu, Mashonaland West province, where Chikuta stays in a farm compound, NewsDay Weekender Life & Style noticed how life has turned so difficult for him.
“We are kindly looking for a sponsor who may assist us to buy a set of musical instruments and a vehicle to carry us to and from shows so that we can revive our careers.
“Even a Honda Fit or a tricycle may do, especially for my day-to-day tasks,” Chikuta said.
“I live here, but I am surviving from hand to mouth.
I sell firewood, cutting grass and get US$1 from six bundles [of grass] and out of that hard work, I get money to put food on the table.
“Sometimes, I walk for long distances of about 17km to do some menial jobs.”
Source: NewsDay Zimbabwe
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