ZimLegends: Zimbabwe’s First And Largest National Legends Database

A Brief On ZimLegends Website And Its Origins      

By Joel Masuka – ZimLegends Founder and Executive Director

WALKING DOWN THE MEMORY LANE – LEST WE FORGET

Zimbabwe Legends or ZimLegends, in short, is the brainchild of its Founder and Executive Director, Mr Joel Masuka. I have a solid background in Information Technology, having done my college studies in Computer Information Systems, at the College of West Virginia   ( later renamed Mountain State University).  I majored in Software Development, then popularly known as Computer Programming and I graduated in June 1998. At the moment I am a Senior IT Consultant, who is now based in Toronto, Canada. Before I moved to Canada, I had spent, slightly over 10 years in Boston, Massachusetts USA, working as an Senior IT Analyst/Administrator for several Fortune 500 Companies, as well as running my two Computer sales, repairs and services businesses.

It was during my last 5 years in Massachusetts, USA, that I owned and operated two Computer Sales, Repair and Services shops around Boston, namely Dracut Computer Services and Lowell Computer Services, in the cities of Dracut and Lowell respectively. My over, 25 years of experience in USA and Canada’s IT industry, have seen me working for huge Retail, Financial and IT companies, including but not limited to Best Buy, Staples, IBM, Unisys, Dell and HP, as well as for the five major Banks of Canada, namely, Bank Of Montreal (BMO), CIBC , RBC , Scotia Bank and TD Bank, where I am currently employed as a Senior IT Business Analyst. Primarily, it is this strong IT background that I possess, besides other social factors too, which inspired and motivated me to come up with this idea of building, a first of its kind, comprehensive legends’ digital database, which I affectionately refer to as Zimbabwe’s Digital Wall Of Fame.

My burning desire to formally document, most of the monumental achievements of my Zimbabwean contemporaries and those of older generations before me, as well as for the current younger generations, was triggered by the fact that, I had discovered  that  in Zimbabwe, there was no structured online Database, which comprehensively and digitally captures as well as document, in a one-stop-shop style, the achievements of Zimbabwe’s Legends, from all walks of life. This is what gave birth to ZimLegends and led me to establish the ZimLegends website, as well as to start writing the legend stories which make up today’s huge Database of more than 160 legend stories.

Besides my childhood background and exposure in youth and social work, I also derived some great inspiration and motivation to establish this ZimLegends website, from my extensive 14 years of experience, working with sports, youth and cultural organizations, during the time that I worked in the then Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture being a Provincial Youth Officer for Matabeleland North Province.

It is in this Ministry that I also found myself working with an old friend, the late James Chimombe, who is one of Zimbabwe’s most revered, musician and songwriter.  It is from these types of social backgrounds, coupled with my immense IT wealth of experience, which drove me, to come up with a comprehensive digital National Database, that would encompass and interlace, all Zimbabwean Legends’ outstanding achievements, spanning back from the generations of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s 80’s 90’s up to the present day.

My other source of inspiration, which greatly contributed to my desire in creating this kind of project was the fact that, numerous people whom I grew up with in Mbare ( Formely National/ Harare ) had extremely excelled in whatever they were doing in life. The monumental achievements by my neighbourhood contemporaries also played a huge  factor that prompted me into, formally documenting their achievements, as well as achievements by all other Legends from across the nation of Zimbabwe.

From my early childhood years, growing up in the then “township” of Mbare, I was fortunate to have rubbed shoulders with the likes of some of Zimbabwe’s most revered and renowned Legends. Those legends included but are not limited to Manu Kambani, (one of the greatest guitarists our nation ever produced ) he was in the Jimi Hendrix Class of guitarists). The other legends who were brought up in the same neighbourhood are George Shaya, Jethro Shasha, Thomas Mapfumo, Hilton Mambo, Safirio Madzikatire, Hilton Mambo, Nicholas Kambani, Susan Chenjerai (Mai Rwizi), Jane Esau, Mbuya Chirambakusakara, Shaw Handriade, Peter Handriade, Moses Chunga, Charles Mabika, Webster Shamu, Japhet Muparutsa, Friday Phiri, Gypsy Caravan Band members, Four Aces Band members, Freddy Mukwesha,   Sounds Effects Band members, Mohammed Tar Baby – Kilimanjaro, Zaremba, Brighton Matewere, Thomas Mapfumo, Elijah Madzikatire, David Muchineripi, Chowas, Johnny Pappas, Stanley “Stix” Mtizwa, Gideon Neganje, Pied Pipers Band members, Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa,Misheck Chidzambwa, to mention but just a few.

To create and continually maintain the ZimLegends database,  I fully understand that it is a mammoth task, which is not to be accomplished within a period of day, a week, a month or not even in a single year but its going to be “work-in-progress”, its an ongoing and recurrent Project which shall immensely help, not only the present but future generations, to learn, embrace, comprehend, appreciate what our Zimbabwean legends, have achieved, both individually and collectively, as teams, Bands, etc.  I regard this Project to be my token of appreciation to my childhood community, city and my country, which I so dearly love, the country into which I was born, groomed nurtured and sacrificed my life for.

As I incessantly work on this Project, hours and hours on end every day of my life, at this juncture, I take this opportunity to acknowledge my wife Josephine, all my children, brothers and sisters and my whole extended family, including but not limited to my nieces, nephews and cousins for their unflinching support, advice and encouragement to me on this Project. I dedicate tons of gratitude to my beloved Visionary, late elder brother, Crispen Chamunorwa Masuka who was my main source of inspiration, support and advice on this ZimLegends project, right from its very inception. I personally borrowed a lot from his own experience, when he worked as a Social Worker, of the then Greater Salisbury Municipality. He had the opportunity to work at Chinembiri, Stodart and Mai Musodzi youth clubs, as well as in Mufakose area C and E, Mabvuku and Higfield.

Lastly I would like to acknowledge and thank my friends, relatives and contacts for the invaluable contributions they made, in terms of advice, information and nominations of ZimLegends personalities which constitute this database. Such individuals include but are not limited to the following,  Kennedy Makore, a close friend and Comrade – Southerton Zimbabwe, Allen Masunda – a friend and Comrade in Toronto Canada, Darlington Choto – Toronto Canada, Charles “CNN” Mabika Harare Zimbabwe, Philip Furusa – Toronto Canada, Charles Zulu – Toronto Canada,Malosa “DJ Losa” Kanama – Visual/Graphic Artist – Toronto Canada, Ms Fabbie Musasa – Ontario, Dr Francis (Munangi) Mpindu – Ontario Canada,Tapfuma Machakaire – Bulawayo Zimbabwe, Lionel Kuvheya – Montreal Canada,Martin Mungate – Massachusetts USA, Ndinga Mvere – Newcastle United Kingdom, Prince Makumbe – London, United Kingdom,Ladislous Munaki – Toronto Canada, Kenneth Gwena – Ontario Canada, Mai Malele – Toronto Canada, Pastor Stanley Malele – Toronto Canada, Elliot Mutsikamahwe – Toronto Canada,Tani Mutyambizi – Toronto Canada, Richard Kuzviwanza– Toronto Canada, David Makuto – Toronto Canada, Ronald Goredema – Ontario Canada, Martin Chawanda – Toronto Canada, Farai Chifamba – Harare Zimbabwe, Audrey Nyikadzino, Kudzi Chifamba – Harare Zimbabwe.

Websites: www.1zimlegends.com  www.zimlegends.co.zw   www.1zimbabweclassifieds.co.zw    www.zimfocus.co.zw/  www.1africafocus.com/

Joel Masuka – email: masukajm@yahoo.com 

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/joel.masuka/

Joel Masuka’s Linked In Profile     https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-masuka-85187b2b/

My Business Networking & Marketing Linked Group:  Global Network Of Zimbabwean Professionals ( GNOZP ) – More than 11000 members  Worldwide –  Link:  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8559476/

Book Title:      Who Is Who On Zimbabwe Digital Wall Of Fame.

Available On Amazon       

WALKING DOWN THE MEMORY LANE – LEST WE FORGET