Zororo Makamba

Education

St John’s College, Harare Zimbabwe – 2008. Makamba has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Michigan State University and graduated in 2017 with a Master of Fine Arts in Producing (Honours) from New York Film Academy.

Career

Makamba has worked for the following companies in various capacities:

• Ibbamo Foundation - Intern
• Aircel India - Intern
• Telecel Zimbabwe - Public Relations, Digital Media, Sponsorship Executive
• My Own Boss TV Show
• ZiFM Stereo - Producer and Current Affairs Host February 2013 – April 2015
• Political Lemonade Spoof September 2016 – November 2016
• United Talent Agency- News and Broadcasting Assistant in New York March 2017
• Point of View with Zororo Makamba – Host and Executive Producer
• Eleven Dogs Inc- Director and Co-Founder

In 2015, Zororo launched his show Tonight with Zororo in which he interviews various people in society from musicians to politicians discussing various issues.^[1]

Makamba was known mostly for hosting several radio shows on ZiFM Stereo which include Impact and the Telecel Chit Chat show. Makamba was also a judge, alongside business mogul Philip Chiyangwa, on a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation television programme called My Own Boss.^[2]

Accomplishments

• 2016 - Winner “Outstanding Screen Production” National Arts Merits Awards (Zimbabwe’s Emmys)
• 2016 -“100 Most Influential under 40” (ranked 33) Gorindemabwe Trust on African leadership
• 2015 - “100 Most Influential under 40” (ranked 37) Gorindemabwe Trust on African leadership
• 2015 - Winner “Best Male Achiever” Zimbabwe Youth Achievers Awards
• 2014 - “100 Most Influential under 40” (ranked 39) Gorindemabwe Trust on African leadership
• 2012 - Winner “MVP award” at the National Team Selling Competition
• 2012 - 2nd place World Collegiate Sales Competition

Videos

Death

On 22 March 2020, rumour spread online that Zororo Makamba was the second confirmed case of Coronavirus in Zimbabwe and that he was admitted at Wilkins Hospital.

On the morning of 23 March, Health Minister, Obadiah Moyo denied that Makamba was one of the Coronavirus confirmed patients in the country, referring to the rumour as fake news.^[3] Later that day, news Makamba was confirmed to have been admitted at Wilkins Hospital and to have died.^[4]

Makamba's death was the first known fatal case of Coronavirus in Zimbabwe.

Allegations of neglect

A day after his death, his family revealed that the Government had neglected to provide minimum support at Wilkins Hospital to save his life. The family said listed a number of things that they said the government had failed to do:

• Failed to test him for Coronavirus for several hours apparently because the Hospital was waiting for samples from other hospitals before testing Zororo Makamba's sample. Results were only available 15 hours after submission of sample, despite the hospital promising 6 hours.
• Wilkins Hospital failed to admit him into the hospital on time claiming that they were not ready to receive any Coronavirus patients. He was eventually admitted about 9 hours later.
• Wilkins Hospital did not have a ventilator available for Zororo to use. The family managed to source a private portable ventilator but that the hospital refused to let them use it.
• The Hospital would run out of oxygen which Zororo needed, and they would have to source more from City of Harare.
• Government refused that the family take him to a private ICU even though Zororo was not getting the required support at Wilkins.
• The Minister of Health and Child Care, Obadiah Moyo, attempted to make the family build an ICU unit at the hospital at a $120,000 in a bid to save Zororo
• Nurses would only attend to Zororo after about 2 hours and at one point told the family that they were feeling bothered by reminders to check on him.
• The minister lied to the family that ICU equipment would be made available for Zororo but none was made available until he died.
• That Wilkins Hospital didn't have running water in its taps

The government has not yet commented on the claims of neglect by the family.^[5]

References