Emotional send off for Mutisi, the educator cum community radio activist

Ngoni Dapira

A WAVE of sorrow swept through the Manicaland community radio initiative fraternity, as news of the tragic death of Trevor Mutisi (49), the coordinator of the Mutare based Kumakomo Community Radio Station (KCRS) initiative, spread last week Friday.

He was laid to rest at Dangamvura cemetery in Mutare on Monday.

The late Trevor Mutisi presenting about KCRS during an induction workshop of new board members in April.

Mutisi a high-ranking educator cum community radio activist was very active in the campaigns that led to the establishment of community radio stations throughout the country through the ongoing advocacy campaigns for the licensing of free and independent community radio stations in Zimbabwe.

Despite being a dedicated teacher for the past 26 years, the late Mutisi had recently stepped up to become a school head at Masvaure Primary School in Bocha. On the other hand, because of his active role as an activist for the setting up of community radio stations in Zimbabwe, Mutisi was also popular in the civic society organisations (CSOs) circles in Mutare.

Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed that Mutisi and Portia Dhliwayo, the headmistress of Makunika Primary School in Bocha died on the spot last Friday around 9:30am in a head on collision accident. He said Mutisi was driving his private Mazda B2200 double cab registration number AIE 5593 with Dhliwayo in the front passenger seat and eight other passengers, to Mafararikwa Primary School for the National Association of Primary School Heads (NAPH) Mutare District ball games. At the 47 km peg along the Mafararikwa highway road near Nzvenga Primary School, Mutisi was involved in a head on collision with a NAPH Toyota Hiace registration number AFL 8633, which was being driven by Jabulani Mwenza (53), a teacher from Rowa Primary School in Zimunya, who was traveling alone heading the opposite direction.

“Unfortunately, Mutisi and Dhliwayo were trapped for a while in the car due to the impact of the crash and died on the spot. Mwenza and the eight passengers who were in Mutisi’s vehicle were assisted out and rushed to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for treatment, where they are reportedly recovering well,” said Assnt Insp Chinyoka on Tuesday.

Children from Masvaure Primary School in Bocha came to bid farewell to their headmaster.

During the burial service of Mutisi on Monday held at St Joseph Parish in Sakubva, scores of people from the education sector, community radio initiatives frat, CSOs, Masvaure village, Roman Catholic Church (where he fellowshipped) and Sakubva community, which is where he grew up, all came to pay their last respect in their numbers.

Givemore Chipere the information secretary in the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations (ZACRAS) board said the late Mutisi was an asset that was dedicated to the ongoing advocacy for the establishment of free and independent community radio stations in Zimbabwe.

“He was passionate and dedicated about seeing through the establishment of free and independent community radio’s in Zimbabwe. As ZACRAS we have lost a vital arm of our association that has been very vocal and instrumental in our campaigns to ensure Zimbabwe has free and independent community radio stations. We worked well with Trevor which is why we saw it fit to drive from Harare and bid him farewell and salute him for his dedication towards our mission and vision as ZACRAS,” said Chipere.

ZACRAS is a membership based non-profit making association established in 2003 to promote community radio interests in Zimbabwe. It was formed after Government enacted the Broadcasting Service Act (BSA) in 2001, which introduced a three tier system comprising of public, commercial and community broadcasting. ZACRAS was then formed to provide a unified national advocacy platform for community radio initiatives and activists.

In a telephone interview with Chengetai Murimwa, a founding member of the KCRS initiative, who is now the station manager of the Gweru based privately owned provincial commercial radio station, 98.4 FM Midlands, said the community radio movement started in the year 2000, and community radio initiatives countrywide played a critical role in pressurizing government to implement what was set out in the BSA. He said he was glad to have passed on the button the Mutisi who also made strides with his secretariat to push forward the agenda of establishing community radio stations, which is slowly now being implemented by Government since 2018 in the second Republic, and now also open to private media investors.

Some of the KCRS initiative founding trustees, Chengetai Murimwa (checked shirt) and Sydney Saize (top right), and the KCRS board chairman Patrick Matsanga.

“MISA Zimbabwe (Media Institute of Southern Africa) started the community radio initiatives then ZACRAS was later formed in 2003. In Manicaland the KCRS initiative was formed by local journalists and the founding trustees were myself, Kelvin Jakachira, Sydney Saize and the late Farai Makotsi. We incorporated upright community members as board members and the founding board members were Patrick Matsanga, Mike Tembo, Charles Chikwama and Catherine Maupa,” said Murimwa, as he gave the background of the KCRS initiative up to when Mutisi took over as the first secretariat after they stepped down as trustees.

The KCRS initiative was registered as a Trust in 2006. Mutisi started serving as a volunteer from around 2010 and rose to become the coordinator in 2013, a position he held up-to-date. One of the pioneering volunteers who joined in 2006, Evidence Chenjerai, who is currently the KCRS initiative station manager and ZACRAS board secretary said Mutisi was instrumental in further developing the KCRS initiative and integrating community involvement, especially in urban high density suburbs, as well as involving CSOs in their campaigns.

“Mutisi at some point also served two terms as ZACRAS board treasurer, which is a national position where one is elected to serve. We will forever cherish his dedication to the organization,” said Chenjerai.

Matsanga who is the KCRS initiative board chairperson added that Mutisi’s shoes would be hard to fill, but encouraged the secretariat left to soldier on and ensure that KCRS gets licensed along with other community radio stations under ZACRAS, so that the efforts of the late Mutisi and others before him do not end as a wild goose chase.

Mutare District schools inspector Tracy Mademutsa said still waters run deep, speaking about Mutisi’s illustrious 26-years of service in the education sector. She said he was never called for a disciplinary hearing at any point, which is a distinction of an upright teacher.

The national representative from the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) Braid Nhubu said Mutisi’s love for sports development in schools was beyond reproach.  “He was part of the development through sport programme when we started it in schools. Trevor was known up to national level in the school’s sports circles. His character was unquestionable,” said Nhubu.

Even the representative from the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) Manicaland, in which Mutisi was the Manicaland chairperson, also spoke glowingly about his illustrious career as an educator par excellence that was cut short.

(L-R)The wife of the late Mutisi, Mentiline, his youngest son Trevis and first born daughter Tasha during the burial service at St Joseph Parish.

Mutisi is survived by his wife Mentiline and their three children Tasha, Trevor (Jnr) and Trevis respectively.