Latest News Editor's Choice


Opinion / Columnist

The Good Days

09 Oct 2015 at 16:25hrs | Views
If you remember what I'm about to say then all I can say is you are old now ugugile wakwegura. Today I have just decided to remind people of the good old days in the then Zimbabwe, our country which had and still has vast potential but has been reduced to nothing by the Zanu Pf Government . Today I won't be talking about the social and economic ills bedeviling our people eg unemployment, corruption and how my people have been reduced to cashless vendors who are surviving on $1 a day. Today I have decided to bring back the past so that people can at least put a smile on their sad faces because the Zimbabwe of today is certainly not the Zimbabwe some of us lived. I'm sorry to my Ndebele brothers I will be using Shona and English in my poem or article( whatever you may call it) below ,if you can get a Ndebele brother who is good in Shona I'm sure he will assist you in translating as well.

The most delicious food ever, yellow bun kana rock bun, the dirtiest song ever, it was even banned on Zbc push it baby. The most memorable songs, you caught my eye by Judy Boucher. If you are my age, remember these shoes Sparks ne ma North star, not forgetting a good sneaker which they called Pros port seriously they was a time when all my friends had Pros port but only myself didn't have.

How about the sale of the year yekwa Power Sales. Ko that programme on radio 2, which told you that you were late for School, the Jarzin man show, Muina Admire Taderera, murume wamadhora,
J.A.R.Z I.N........ "Yakatarisana nembhazi pacharge office". The first thing I did when i went to Town that is Harare for the first time was to look for Jarzin.

Ko that programme ... itai sendi sendi iniwo ndatambura,..... Va Paul Mukondo (Nyanzvi yezvemari) vanoti Upenyu hwako idambudziko remwoyo wangu ... Kwaziso....Ukubingelelana ndobva ndakwira bhazi ndakananga kuMasvingo kunaSekuru vangu... Ndakabata Post card ra Muchaneta anobva ku dangamvura anomhoresa ma Form 4 ese apa Dangamvura High egore ra 1993 achiti kwaziwai ………… nziyo mondotsvagirawo pane idzi, Remember me by Lucky Dube, Mudiwa janet by John Chibadura kana mugarandega by Thomas Mapfumo... remember how we Used to sing ...corrupt it, huya tiite zvinoita vamwe

Who did not like the A team, MacGyver, WWF Hulk Hogan, Ko macartoons acho Pink Panther on Saturday, Voltron, Defender of the universe, Skippy, Captain Planet, TV payaitanga na 3 O'clock.
This one will shock the born frees, we used to have milk dropped by the gate by the milkman, you just left your empties and coupons there and in the morning you will find milk.

How about our soccer matches were we would play, sticken, four box, Gopes, what was that? Hands?? Over Bar when there were no bars, you just had to jump. Shuti, sign, ichipera, Raka Rakaa??? Do you remember these words??The most popular guys in the neighborhood, ours was Norman & George, coz they were genius in making wire cars. Oh Man man. Hitman kelvin soul supreme, Miss DJ Eunice Goto, PJ. And that reggae programme which use to be introduced by the song Push come to
Shove. Soccer commentaries on Radio One, Evans Mambara ..." over over...to you..... Charlie"

Do you remember Joseph Madhimba vachiverenga news with his voice paTV and how we as kids ran to see him speak without even making sense out of the news. Christmas will never be the same, families are now all scattered, kurasika chaiko.Ko the public transport back then, the Peugeot 504 yataigara kuboot takaita 4- 4 makumbo akatarisana nemusoro wemumwe Good Lord!!!!!! and the drinks remember tarino who didn't love tarino ukabvunzwa dhirinki rawaida.

The years of agricultural show with the packed lunches from home ataidya kuma grounds manyatsowaridza mazambia, and with a bottle of coke ine straw, and u'd keep the straw for the whole year.Imagine kunakidza kwazvaiita. Ko kuvasikana hembe dzemalace kanjani.


Ko masiya matevelevision movies sei? Remember pablack and white, we could just laugh paisekwa in a commedy pasina chatanzwa I remember,alo alo, mukadota family,v series,baonic woman, kung fu,mvenge mvenge,sounds on saturday, knight rider we used to call it Micheal Knight etc and the
adverts angaakapenga, I liked ye sun jam Ngwerewere by the Rusike brothers vaine perm etc Ko did u collect 50 coca cola bottle tops then u get a water glass from coca cola ,sherbet yechimuti .oh how i miss
the old days.


Ko imwe stayera yanga yakapenga manje, Iyeiye yekuti blaz vaipfeka shirt ye viscorse ine ma colour akawanda,trousers re purple ,ne mateki(Sneakers) e red.Vobva vaisa radio pamashoulders vave kuenda zvavo kuno taimira kkkkkkkk dhiiii Haaya ndiwo ainzi ma one manje iwawo.!!!!!!Yesteryear Fashion!!

This is to all my friends who were still growing up between the 80s and early 90s. I thought I would rekindle those childhood memories and make you laugh. Remember the yesteryear fashion: Georgette dresses for the sisters and Adidas shorts for the brothers. Ohh and half the time the shorts would be too big that it would still reveal what was supposed to be covered. Remember the butterfly Belts..i mean the elastic stretch ones with a butterfly buckle. They would come in all colors to match hey..ko how about the big shirts and knicker bockers, then u add your butterfly belt on top, if you didn't have a normal big shirt u would just fold mashort sleeves eshirt and make the collar stand zvonzi ahh muhard chaiye....asikana ko madrop waist paye matching with your glass shoe or sandak.

To those who went to a Boarding School pawaitengerwa hembe hombe zvonzi unokura nadzo ,woona murume kuchikoro  aine zimugomo re short aaa yhaa vabereki so ,but let's thank them for that.


Ko Vaskana remember the days dzemaperm mumusoro..your money would count for you to choose either straight perm, curly perm or kana zvakapresser waito stretcher hako musoro (and you had to do it ne margarine in order to bring out the shine) mabrothers ndopaaipenga ne punky, dhino,bhibho you name it...for the fancy brothers these hairdos would have to go with baggy trousers or stone wash jeans kugumbo kuine robot shoe (I mean the pointed men's shoe) .

Ko kanjani masong books kuchikoro nemabiography books. Tichiti "boyfriend for me to know and u to find out - apa sister havana zvavo kana boyfriend yacho favorite food rice and chicken, favorite songs – everyone would write ye Boys II Men , Mariah Carey, All4 One, Tupac.

Now i look at the present teens and wonder what's making them tick Ko mahumbwe kuseri kwemba tichishandisa magaba ebeef, sweetie, pada, fish fish and all sorts of games. Ko manigger asinakuputirwa ataimhedurirana mukanwa. I miss those days. Manje yainge yakapenga yakanga iri yembwire mbwire (if you were at a High Density Primary School) ko wakanganwa here zvigodo (frozen raspberry and water in a plastic bag) zvataidemburirana kuti tikwane tese what about zvikendikeke? and the supremacy that was given kuvana vemaTicha (look at teachers now – wallowing in abject poverty). What about the exhilaration one got on getting a star mubhuku, more still akazoita two - vaibata denga.Ko ukaona mubook manzi na teacher SEE ME kukwata kwawaiita varume maticha airova hameno izvozvi.  We used to call them Parents Day, but now, they are Prize Giving Days and ain't as exciting! as before. Ko kuzonogeza (apa wagezera musink) wobva wazorerwa margarine pachingwa, wonomira pamushana (kuroad futi)uchidya chingwa chisina kana drink...


Do these modern kids know what a BMX is, or maybe, I should be talking BMW.If I could turn back the hands of time - What about buying madumbwizi (known to the born frees as Apricots) when we would eat the outside and save the inside until later...you can say that again. Something that you would never forget kana nguva yekudya yakwana 1 plate of sadza and 1 plate yenyama muri hobho paitoda akasvinura zvekuti waiti ukaita hope waizoona nyama musisina yaitwazvekusevewa nesadza nevakangwara

Cry my beloved country, one day it will be well and the Zimbabwe which we all grew up knowing will surely come back to us.


Source - Thandekile Zikhali
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.