In the Groove: Lameckising Mapunzure's death

By Fred Zindi | Nov. 19, 2023

Garry’s breakthrough came as a result of the track titled Wapunza, which was well received in Zimbabwe and in most parts of the world.

Don’t be confused by the word Lameckising. It’s completely made-up. You won’t find it in any dictionary either. I will explain the meaning behind that word and its origins later on in this article.

Garry Mapanzure (real name: Gerry Garikai Munashe Mapanzure) was born on 18 June, 1998 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

He died last month on the 13th October along with three others and he was laid to rest at Lawn Cemetery in Masvingo after succumbing to injuries sustained in a horrific road traffic accident in Clipsham Heights suburb along the Beitbridge Highway.

There were five passengers in the car which killed Garry. Great Zimbabwe University Law student and Mapanzure’s friend Langton Madima (27) who was driving the Mazda Demio, which was involved in the accident died on the spot.

Mapanzure’s sister Margaret Zigomo, was admitted at Masvingo Provincial Hospital alongside her friend, Respina Machokoto. Zigomo’s child died at the scene of the accident.

I met the late Garry Mapanzure for the first time in April this year when he had come to Harare for a radio interview and I congratulated him on his successful music journey, which resulted in him winning the Afrima Award in the best Afro/Beats Award category. Donned in a Sushi baseball cap and washed denim jacket, he seemed like he was firmly in control of his destiny and in his flashy attire, he had a swagger and a flamboyance that would make anyone pay attention to him.

Garry Mapanzure was at the height of making waves in Zimbabwe and the rest of the world when he died. Mapanzure is known for tracks such as Wapunza, Rigiyoni Takawanda, Kudeepisa, Nditaurireyi, Kumafaro, Zvinoita, TV room, Aida, Slow, and Pindirai among others.

Although born in Harare, Gerry Garikai Munashe Mapanzure was raised in Masvingo where his parents were pastors at a church. He released his first single titled Wapunza in 2017 on the 22nd of August which became a national hit . The song’s video has been aired on national television countless times as well as being played on Trace Africa.

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He went on to release his second single entitled Moyo Muti on the 14th of February 2018, which became another hit. His first song Wapunza featuring his brother Victor Mapanzure was also well received nationwide.

Garry realised that he had a gift of singing when he was 11 years old. He sang in the church choir from an early age. He performed in the Masvingo theatre multiple times during his school days which resulted in him catching the eyes of many. However because of his young age he was not allowed to venture into music at the time.

After his secondary education in Zimbabwe, he went to North China’s University of Technology in Beijing where he continued to pursue his music career before moving to the United Kingdom where he signed with Runabeat Music, a company with which he released an EP entitled Sushi Season.

Garry’s breakthrough came as a result of the track titled Wapunza, which was well received in Zimbabwe and in most parts of the world. This was followed by Moyo Muti, which was released in February 2018. Garry went further to release Truth Or Dare, which brought him to the attention of many. He was also then selected as the first Zimbabwean artist for Mr Eazi’s EMPAWA100 programme under which he released the track Slow. Garry also did a featured track with Hilzy titled TV Room, which got the attention of many and won an AFRIMA Award for the best Group/ Duo in African RnB.

In July 2019, Garry released Your Man, a track which hit the number one spot on Trace Africa’s Playlist Top 30.

Now let me explain what I mean by the word Lameckising. It came from the uniqueness of the behaviour, which was showed by Lameck Makwiramiti a resident of Mabvuku, Harare at his neighbour’s funeral in 2017 after his daughter had been impregnated by this neighbour’s son.

One musician, Pablo Nakappa asked me: “ I am from Mabvuku, but I don’t know this story, which has set Mabvuku abuzz with rumours. What is this I hear about Lameck from Mabvuku?”

I told him that I was not from Mabvuku, but would try and explain what went on as far as I knew the story. I said: In Zimbabwean culture there are certain situations, which are considered to be sacred or taboo. For instance, getting married in the month of November is considered taboo. Incest is also taboo. Likewise when someone dies, social custom prohibits the mentioning of all the evil things that he did when he was still alive. In the Shona culture, there is a saying: "Wafa anaka". That means that anyone who has died becomes a good person.

Lameck who was simmering with anger had gone against tradition at his neighbour’s funeral by lambasting a dead person. Lameck’s daughter had been impregnated by the neighbour’s son. Lameck’s daughter went to the boyfriend’s home and the boyfriend’s mother who hated this union made her to sleep outside and threw urine at her. The mother hated the idea of her son getting married to Lameck’s daughter, so she chased her away from her home. Lameck then accommodated his daughter with her boyfriend at his house. The boy’s mother eventually died after a short illness. However, Lameck was incensed by the eulogies that everyone who spoke at the funeral, including the priest's. They all spoke about the mother being a virtuous person.

It is that mask of goodness, which was said at the graveside that Lameck decided to tear off by his outburst at the funeral. This unmasking of the false veil of goodness and exposure of what Lameck perceived to be the true nature of the deceased is what the late Rosemary Moyana and I called Lameckising The Dead. Lameck’s blatant disregard for the taboo criticising the dead has brought about the coined term, Lameckising. Now you know where the word Lameckising is coming from.

The same was experienced at Garry Mapanzure’s funeral, hence the title of this article: Lameckising Garry Mapanzure’s Death.

At his funeral one emotional mourner burst out: “Garry was foolish to come to Zimbabwe at this time. Why did Garry not just continue with his studies in the UK? Why did he want to pursue this stupid music business, a career for vagrants? This is what killed him because he had come here to promote his new album and to show off!”

Whatever Garry’s reason for coming to Zimbabwe in October, according to Shona culture, we don’t condemn it, especially after the death of the person. This emotional mourner, like Lameck, gave a critical funeral oration instead of the expected eulogy where only nice things are supposed to be said about the dead person. However, at the grave side in Lawnside, Masvingo where Garry was buried, Lameckising also took place. It came from this one emotional mourner.

That aside, following the tragic accident which killed Garry Mapanzure, the spotlight has fallen once again on Zimbabwe’s healthcare services, after it emerged that Mapanzure died as he waited for an ambulance from Harare after air medical services failed to attend to him owing to power faults at a Masvingo helipad.

Posting a video on social media, in which Mapanzure’s grieving wife led mourners as they sang Makananaka Jesu, prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono revealed that Mapanzure had waited 12 hours to get access to services that may have saved his life. Gosh! The man was in pain for twelve hours waiting for medical services before he died. Zimbabwe recently spent $320 million of the taxpayer’s money to acquire 32 Kazan Ansat helicopters from Russia. What are those helicopters for? Only one was needed to airlift Garry to a hospital in Harare.

Prominent figures have highlighted the fact the musician’s life could have been saved if the emergency services had reacted sooner.

May Garry’s dear soul rest in eternal peace!