After a dedicated and ardent 20 years of service, Zimbabwe’s radio legend Tinashe Chikuse has announced his resignation from his duties at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in a heartfelt letter to his fans. The letter entitled “The End” was shared on Facebook by Tinashe himself and has since stirred up emotions from his loyal listeners.
Tinashe, who started his journey in journalism as a reporter at The Sunday Mail, expressed his gratitude for the chance he was given by the national broadcaster to start his career in broadcasting. “I find myself lost in thoughts, recollecting on past experiences,” Tinashe wrote. “I must put it on record that I am forever grateful for the chance that I was accorded by the national broadcaster, ZBC. They took a chance with a young me, and that was to be the beginning of a journey that we celebrate today as the brand Tinashe Chikuse.”
Tinashe’s journey in broadcasting continued as a production assistant in the current affairs department before he became the host on the breakfast show at SFM, which is now known as Classic 263. It was there that he bagged his first accolade after winning the NJAMA Best Radio DJ of the Year in 2006. His journey on radio continued with Power FM, where he hosted the Champions League Breakfast show with his brother Pathisani Sibanda, which went viral in a short amount of time.
Tinashe’s highlights on radio were many, but he holds one so dearly, which he will never forget. “I will never forget calling the President of Zimbabwe, His Excellence President Emmerson Mnangagwa live on air, the first in the history of radio, just to wish him happy birthday in 2021. I still wonder how we pulled it off,” Tinashe wrote.
Tinashe acknowledges that his journey on radio had been filled with a million thrills, but life might never be the same again. “I have had many highlights on radio, too many to mention, but I hold one so dearly. I will never forget calling the President of Zimbabwe, His Excellence President Emmerson Mnangagwa live on air the first in the history of radio just to wish him happy birthday in 2021. I still wonder how we pulled it off. I will also never forget how viral the Champions League Breakfast show hosted by me and my brother Pathisani Sibanda went in a short space of time, but little did I know; it was the beginning of the END. The more I reflect on these memories, the more my heart sinks. I shiver and wonder what life will be without radio and all my fans; indeed, a huge part of me is gone. Life might never be the same again!”
Tinashe’s letter marks the end of an era, and although he is sad to leave, he is also looking forward to new opportunities. “It’s not that I couldn’t [continue], but I find myself in an awkward position,” Tinashe wrote. “I never imagined the end because something in me so believed that our journey would last till eternity, but I guess the myth is true after all, ‘people indeed meet to part,’ and in the same measure, it’s my impassioned supplication that just as the myth goes, as we now part, hopefully, we meet again.”
