Copyright nehandaradio
BULAWAYO – It was a bittersweet moment in Bulawayo on Friday as family, clients, and industry friends of radio personality Babongile Sikhonjwa shared their most memorable moments of him at his memorial service. Known to many as Bulawayo Rock Star, it’s no doubt that everyone had something good to say about Sikhonjwa, who passed away last week Sunday at the age of 49. Family, clients, industry colleagues, and friends from all walks of life gathered to celebrate the life of Sikhonjwa at the Amphitheatre, and they all shared similar experiences with him. Everyone said Sikhonjwa was their friend. True to that, Sikhonjwa’s father Nicolas Moyo attested that the former had so many friends and no one would talk him out of making more friends. “Babo would bring a lot of friends at home. Sometimes I got annoyed by it but I later got used to it. I would see new faces every now and then. “Everytime I tried cautioning him about the type of friends he brought home he would say, ‘these are the people I live with, please don’t judge them just see them as they are’” said Moyo is his speech. Young and old artistes also testified to this as gospel truth as they all sang praises of Sikhonjwa saying he created opportunities for them and some saying he always showed up for them whenever it mattered. Musician Noluntu J remembered Sikhonjwa as more than a friend but as someone who treated her like family. “Mr Sikhonjwa was so dear to me. He opened so many doors for me to walk in. He would play my music on air just to make sure my talent gets heard all over the country. “I remember this other time he even played one song which I had not given him, I was shocked as to how he got the song, but well that’s Sikhonjwa for you. He would go to lengths to make sure he puts Bulawayo talent out there,” said Noluntu. Nyengeterai, a former colleague of Sikhonjwa at Star FM, could not hold back tears from falling down her cheeks as she relived the moments she shared with the Bulawayo Rockstar who made work easy for her. “He was a joy to work with. He never made work feel like work. “Whenever he would come in studio in Harare we would share jokes and laughs even when we did the cross over to Bulawayo you could feel his presence in studio as if he’s here with us physically, he was such a great soul,” Nyenge shared her memories of Babo. While others remembered him as a friend, some remembered him as a party person, one who would lighten up any given crowd. Sipho Mercent Nyathi, a comedian, had his own way of paying last respects to Sikhonjwa with laughs and jokes. “I know for a fact, Sikhonjwa would like to see us happy and making jokes on his funeral. He is one person who loved laughing. I don’t think he would be happy if he saw us crying,” said the comedian. After the service at amphitheatre, Sikhonjwa’s body was taken to his rural home for burial in Mlowezi, Gwanda.
