A Zim Story - Sins Of the Father’s
By Kumbie Shoniwa
CHAPTER 1.
THE WEDDING
Cape Town, South Africa – August 2014
It was a warm and sunny day as the invited guests took their
seats on the well-manicured lawns of the posh Cape Town
beachfront hotel. Behind them and also facing the vast ocean
stood the majestic Table Mountain – forming a natural and
picturesque backdrop to the union between two lovebirds on
such a wonderful Saturday afternoon.
The seating arrangement was meant to distinguish between
the relatives of the bride to the left-hand side of the aisle and
those of the groom to the right side. Ushers were busy leading
people to their seats as they arrived at the venue. After a few
minutes it became apparent to any casual observer that the
union was going to be an interracial one.
The bride’s side of the aisle was exclusively taken up by
elegantly dressed people of African descent – the attire
ranging from eye-catchingly colouful Afro-centred outfits to
the latest trending designer-wear straight from the world’s top
fashion houses – whilst the other side, reserved for the
groom’s family, was occupied by mostly white guests, who
mostly wore white or blue suits for the men and matching
outfits for the ladies.
The colour code of for the wedding was sky-blue and white,
artistically incorporated into the elaborately designed décor
comprising of exotic flower arrangements on lovely blue and
white seating and table adornments. White rose petals were
strewn along the walkway leading to the garden all the way up
to the high table, and the sweet scent from the crushed
flowers filled the air.
Occasional bursts of laughter erupted from the guests as they
patiently waited for the proceedings to begin. A who’s who of
mobile gadgets was on show, with outstretched hands
frequently raised to take ‘selfie’ photos and videos, faces
pouting or smiling as they posed for posterity. The discerning
observer would also note the conspicuous absence of children
at the event.
Presently, a tall, strikingly beautiful woman accompanied by a
man wearing a black tuxedo and white bowtie approached the
podium and began to address the gathering. He was Stan
Gordon, a well-known television sports presenter and she was
Cindy Khumalo, a former Miss South Africa. Stan and Cindy
introduced themselves as the days’ MC’s and began to recite
the full program for the occasion. It was certainly going to be
an exciting affair, with fireworks at dusk followed by an
onboard after-party on a chartered cruise ship till dawn.
At exactly three o’clock the hired band began to strum an
obscure tune as the bridegroom strode up the aisle
accompanied by his best man. Ian Greene was tall and his
light-blue suit sat well on a body obviously well-used to
hanging out in a gym. Beside him, Brendan Taylor, also looking
dapper in a pinstriped dark blue Armani suit, matched the step
of his best friend.
As they passed by several heavily built young men sitting next
to their beautiful partners on the right side of the aisle, they
received raucous applause accompanied by one or two
catcalls prompting Ian to give them a discreet thumbs-up sign.
Any South African rugby fan worth his – or her – salt could
easily point out several star players among the assembled
group, all gathered for the wedding of one of their own.
An elderly Catholic priest already stood on the dais and
welcomed the groom and his best man, indicating the place
where they were to stand as they awaited the arrival of the
bridal party. Several photographers had stepped forward and
were taking shots of the three men from different angles of
the elevated platform.
In the meantime more guests were arriving and eventually
most, if not all of the available seats were occupied. Several
minutes later the band began playing the popular bridal-
welcome melody and the restive assembly rose and turned
towards the rear straining to catch a glimpse of the lucky
bride.
The cameramen nearly trampled on each other as they jostled
to capture each moment as the wedding began to get
underway. Not to be outdone, outstretched hands emerged
from the guests’ section as they endeavoured to capture their
own photographs by themselves. Overhead, a couple of
indistinct birds circled high up in the coastal sky – swooping
and gliding in tandem, engaged in a love ritual all of their own.
A serious-looking black gentleman in a dark blue suit stepped
up the aisle holding the hand of the bride-to-be. His face
showed that he was probably in his fifties, but he was in great
physical shape judging by the way he walked with a
pronounced swagger. The pair seemed to be unfazed by the
flashing cameras and general bedlam around them, moving at
a steady pace in alignment with the music. As they neared the
front he turned to the bride and smiled encouragingly.
She wore an enormous white lace veil which completely hid
her face from view. Behind her trailed the rest of her wedding
dress, majestically sweeping the rose-petal strewn ground as
she walked up the aisle. Moving slowly, they proceeded up the
steps of the podium where the priest and two young men had
been joined in the meantime by the sole bridesmaid.
Ian’s face lit up when his father-in-law placed his future wife’s
hand in his own and she turned towards him so he could lift
up her veil. There was a murmur of appreciation from the
crowd as her face was revealed, radiating a splendor which
took their collective breath away. She looked both
sophisticated and virginal – worldly yet innocent; she created
a strikingly captivating picture easily eligible to grace any
tabloid or magazine front cover.
Her name was Tendai Makasa and she had the stunning
beauty which always had people stopping and turning to take
another look at her. A high forehead, large doe-like brown eyes
and a small pointed nose were accompanied by outstanding
cheekbones and a pair of dimples which dramatically indented
when she smiled or frowned in concentration.
She had flawless caramel skin and pouting lips which now
glistened scarlet as she broke into a smile for her intended
husband. A small gap in the middle of her uniformly shaped
upper row of teeth only served to enhance her enchanting
photogenic features. It was this face that regarded people
from billboards, televisions, print publications or online media -
representing all manners of products from clothes, cars, and
perfume to chocolates – and viewing her in the flesh only
served to multiply her attractiveness.
The wedding between one of Zimbabwe’s top female models
and a prominent South African rugby player had been making
headlines since its announcement weeks before. Although the
ceremony was private and attended by only a handful of
strictly invited guests, as soon as the news was leaked to the
public there had been an almost insatiable interest in the
wedding from all corners of the world. The circumstances
involving the couple and their respective backgrounds would
have everybody talking for many months, if not years, to come.
That Tendai Makasa was a gorgeous black African woman and
Ian Greene was white was only the beginning of the tantalizing
story between these two love-struck celebrities. Add to this
the fact that their respective father’s had grown up together –
and there were rumours that they had nearly killed each other
in the process – that gripped the imagination of the media and
the general public alike. It was a tale made for a movie
production rather than a real life God-script scenario.
From Johannesburg to Harare, Wales to Melbourne, the news
headlines for that day had been dominated by the wedding,
with captions like “Mugabe Aide’s Daughter To Marry Banished
White Farmer’s Son”, “S.A Rugby Star Weds Zim Top Model”
and “African Romeo & Juliet Defy Family Feuds”. Interestingly, bridesmaid wears in sky blue for wedding party
even though people were obviously keen on the glitzy wedding
between two famous people, all they really ended up talking
about was the tale of the father’s. Was it really conceivable
that a former white Zim farmer would let his son marry the
daughter of the man who kicked him off his own farm? It was
too tantalizing a story not to be discussed and analyzed by
anyone who knew anything.
Retired Major-General Moses Makasa, MP, stepped down the
dais after delivering his daughter’s hand in marriage to the son
of his once sworn life enemy and took a seat beside his wife in
the front row of the gathering. He maintained a cool
composure as the cameras were continuously poked in his
face, managing to keep his irritation hidden from view, whilst
inwardly praying for the day to be over.
On the opposite side of the aisle, Ian’s father, Cecil - chairman
of the Greencroft Motor Corporation - stirred involuntarily as
his wife Winnie gripped his hand whilst she also struggled to
maintain her own outlook in front of the world’s glaring eyes.
Beside them sat Ian’s two sisters and his brother-in-law,
smiling up at the flashing cameras and obviously basking in
the unaccustomed attention.
The Reverend Paul Edwards SJ cleared his throat and began
the ceremony, welcoming everyone present and blessing the
couple on their momentous occasion. As some local news
presenter had suggested, only God knew the wedding would
never have taken place if the two powerful men seated
directly in from of them had had their way. The important
thing, however, was that the young man and woman who were
tying the knot today had defied all odds and managed to bring
a decades’ old feud closer to resolution than ever before.