Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Simba Musiyiwa
27 October 2008
Harare — CHIMURENGA musician Pio Farai Macheka committed suicide and did not die after a short illness as earlier reported, his relatives said.
The artiste is said to have committed suicide by drinking a pesticide, roga, and died on admission at Chitungwiza Central Hospital.
However, both the police and hospital officials could not disclose the actual cause of Macheka's death.
The chief executive officer of the hospital Dr Obadiah Moyo said when Macheka was brought to the hospital for treatment, he was already dead.
"We assisted with the provision of mortuary services for Pio as he was brought here already dead."
Police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Memory Pamire said he was also not aware that Macheka had committed suicide.
However Anna Macheka (44), his elder sister and the artiste's wife Eusebia Garisayi (24) said Macheka committed suicide.
"Pio was complaining that the royalties he was receiving for his music were a pittance as compared to the effort and resources he had invested.
"He was always complaining that his type of music, Chimurenga, was not receiving enough airplay on national radio and also that music promoters were shunning him.
"This made him bitter, though we did not think that his disenchantment with the state of the entertainment industry would lead him to commit suicide," said Anna.
Macheka's wife said: "He often complained about the current radio's fixation with sungura music saying that this was killing the music industry as other types of music were being sidelined, but we never expected him to take his life over that."
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