A TOMBSTONE unveiling ceremony for the late South Africa-based Zimbabwean music promoter and businessman Rodger Muzawazi, who died last year in August, was held in Boksburg on Saturday.
Muzawazi died following a long battle with diabetes.
Colleagues and relatives of Muzawazi gathered at the late philanthropist’s house in Farrapark, Boksburg for the ceremony, which was held under strict observation of COVID-19 regulations.
A church service was held at the St Dominic’s Catholic Church before close friends and relatives delivered speeches.
The tombstone unveiling was later held at the Van Dyk Park where Muzawazi was interred.
Muzawazi’s close friend and arts promoter, also based in South Africa, Tongai Mbidzo said speakers touched on the legacy of love that Muzawazi left.
“Brother Rodger was a man of the people. From the deliberations that we had at the unveiling ceremony, one could tell that he was a genuine philanthropist,” he said.
Mbidzo described Muzawazi as one of a handful of Zimbabweans based in South Africa who had his country’s music at heart.
“He was a rare breed of a music promoter, who wanted to promote Zimbabwean music in South Africa.
“He brought big and small artistes to his Ekurhuleni Boksburg Hotel,” he said.
Muzawazi, an electrical engineer by profession, had turned Ekurhuleni Boksburg Hotel into the preferred rendezvous for Zimbabwean music.
The hotel, formerly Transvaal Hotel, had been undergoing transformation at the time of Muzawazi’s death with the hope of hosting as many Zimbabwean music acts as possible.
In 2019, Muzawazi brought Thomas Mapfumo for two concerts at the hotel.
His wife Bongi has vowed to keep her late husband’s legacy alive.-iharare
