Veteran actor William “Gweshegweshe” Matenga is due to be laid to rest at Warren Hills Cemetery in Harare today, after a provincial hero honour settled a family disagreement over whether he should be buried in the capital or at the family’s rural home in Buhera.
The decision came on Tuesday, when the late performer was declared a provincial hero. His body had been taken to his Zengeza 5 home in Chitungwiza the previous day, where relatives, neighbours, friends and fellow actors gathered to pay their respects ahead of the funeral.
For Matenga’s relatives, the question of where to bury him had become a pressing part of funeral preparations. Some wanted him returned to the family’s Buhera home, while others favoured Harare. The award of hero status provided the basis for settling on Warren Hills, where he is to be buried alongside fellow comrades.
A close relative, Tarisai Nyikayaramba, said the family was grateful that Matenga’s wishes had been honoured.
“We can’t thank the party enough for honouring Gweshegweshe’s wish to be buried alongside fellow comrades, as that was his wish.”He touched the hearts of millions with his acting prowess, which will remain engraved in the minds of many.”We will miss all the humour and the legacy he left behind,” said Nyikayaramba.
The announcement places Matenga’s political service alongside the screen role that made him familiar to viewers across Zimbabwe. He was best known as Gweshegweshe in the television comedy series Gringo, where his character became part of a much-loved group of local television personalities.
ZANU PF Harare provincial political commissar Voyage Dambuza said Matenga had contributed both to the party and to national development. He said the recognition reflected activity dating back to the liberation struggle, as well as the actor’s later involvement in party and veterans’ affairs.
“Gweshegweshe has been declared a provincial hero today, taking into account his contribution to the party and the development of the nation.”He was not only an actor but was also actively involved in party and War Veterans Association activities,” said Dambuza.
Dambuza said Matenga had remained active in party work and continued to serve in different roles. He pointed to the actor’s appearance as master of ceremonies at a recent War Veterans Association meeting in Epworth.
“Gweshegweshe was a dedicated cadre in the party who served the party with distinction.”By the way, he was the MC (master of ceremonies) at the recent War Veterans Association meeting in Epworth.”He was dedicated to his work and serving the party with distinction.”
Matenga’s acting career began in 1984 and spanned television and radio productions. His association with Gringo endured well beyond the series’ original run. In 2013, he appeared in Gringo The Troublemaker, returning to a character that audiences had come to identify with him.
The name Gweshegweshe itself began as a writing idea before it became a familiar name in homes around the country. Filmmaker and writer Enock Chihombori has recalled that he adapted the name for a character in the Gringo scripts. The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation commissioned the series in 1998, and Matenga was cast in the role. The character stayed with him throughout his career, becoming his best-known screen identity.
In the series, Matenga shared the screen with the late Lazarus “Gringo” Boora, Fanuel “Firimoni” Tonganayi and Stembeni Makawa, known to viewers as Mai Gweshegweshe. The comic exchanges between the characters helped make the programme a fixture for audiences watching ZTV. Matenga’s expressions, timing and commanding presence gave his character a distinct place in the ensemble.
Boora, who played the mischievous Gringo, died in 2020. Matenga’s death has therefore brought renewed attention to the performers who helped shape the programme and to the memories their work left with viewers. For many people, the characters were more than names on a television screen: they were recurring figures in family viewing and a recognisable part of local entertainment.
Matenga died at the weekend after suffering hypertension. News of his death drew mourners to the family home in Zengeza 5, Chitungwiza. By sunset on Monday, people had gathered to remember him, while fellow actors and friends joined neighbours in paying their final respects. The funeral preparations then turned to the disagreement over his final resting place and the pursuit of provincial hero status.
His recognition also links him to other entertainers who received provincial or national honours. Among the performers named alongside him are musician Simon “Chopper” Chimbetu, dancehall artist Soul Jah Love, whose name was Soul Muzavazi, and musician Dickson Chingaira Makoni, known as Cde Chinx. Soul Jah Love was buried at Warren Hills after receiving liberation hero status.
Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi received national hero status for his contribution to music and his role as an ambassador for Zimbabwe through his work. Unlike Matenga, he was buried at his rural home in Madziva, Mashonaland Central, in keeping with his family’s wishes. Their different funeral arrangements reflect the individual choices families make, even when artists receive honours from the state or political institutions.
For Matenga’s family, the decision now allows the funeral to proceed in Harare. The actor who became known to millions through a comic character will be laid to rest at Warren Hills, while the honour recognises the political activity that Dambuza said formed another part of his life. His relatives say the laughter and the legacy he left through his performances will remain with the audiences who watched him.