Return of Tich Mataz

Radio and television personality Tich Mataz makes a welcome return to Power FM's drive time radio show. The veteran broadcaster who is arguably one of the finest voices on radio will add verve and spark to what is already an enthralling line up of disc jockeys on the station in the likes of Kudzi Marudza, Scott Mutengambiri, Tonderai Katsande, Bridget Gavanga and Witness Matema.Sivukile Simango, the public relations head of Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, confirmed Mataz's grand return. "He applied and we decided to hire him on a part-time basis. The thing is you and I know that he is a talented presenter and since he started his career here we thought it would be good to give him a chance just like we did with others like TK, Witness and Marudza. Tich is our son," Simango said.

Asked if the move was in light of the perceived competition that's coming with the new radio stations, Simango said Mataz would add value to the station. "Like I said, he applied but we were waiting for the courts to clear him and now that the legal battles are over he's back to add value to the station," Simango said. Since his return Mataz will host lunchtime listening slots every Wednesdays and Fridays between 12pm and 3pm.

An elated Mataz born Tichafa Matambanadzo confirmed his return to radio saying he felt like something had been taken from him during his long absence. "Well, yes I'm back on radio. It's always my first love. I felt it was something that was removed from me."I've what I call star time where we celebrate Zimbabwean stars. I believe that as Zimbabweans we should be the first to celebrate the successes of our own people and not let the neighbours do that for us.

"So on that programme we feature stars not just in entertainment but also sport, business and other spheres," Mataz said. He said another programme to look forward to was "The Legend" where he gets to play music by music legends. "We feature local and international interviews all packaged in one because if we are saying Bob Marley is a legend and Thomas Mapfumo is our legend, then the two are on the same level.

"We are also going to have what we call news makers, looking at the people who are shaping the history of our country as well as international news scene things like the brutal murder of Gaddafi. "Last but not least, there is aprogramme on Friday which basically identifies with who I am, that's mabrandada (new hits), rare grooves to break the monotony," he said. 

Of late, Mataz has been in and out of court stemming from a case in which the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe accused him of defrauding it of ZW$150 140. He was, however, removed from remand after the State failed to prosecute him within a reasonable time. (Herald)