Peter Moyo is the man of the moment

Man of the moment - Young Igwe - Peter Moyo

It was Peter Moyo’s first time in Zvishavane last Friday — as again it was his first time in Beitbridge the following day. Incidentally, he had a brief stopover at Ngundu, where he held a brief free show.

Expectedly, the huge turnout at both shows was to find out the stuff that Peter Moyo is made of. First things first. For all those who doubted his pedigree, it was the Zvishavane show at Sparkles Nightclub that left many without doubt that Peter Moyo is the man of the moment. It was at this show that saw, as fate would have it, Shiga Shiga and Spencer Khumulani having a breakdown near Chatsworth turn-off along the Masvingo highway, on their way to Zvishavane. For them to be rescued by an advance team that was already in Zvishavane meant that task took them to about after midnight.

With murmurs in the background that the duo were due to leave Utakataka any time, it was little surprise that Peter Moyo left the stage in dismay when Shiga Shiga got on. It was only natural that Peter saw the “breakdown” as sabotage. But to those who did not know the politics behind the scenes, most of them could have been easily convinced that Yamathele, real name Tendai Chapatarongo, who was holding forte instead of Shiga Shiga, could have been Shiga Shiga.

Even the stand-in bass guitarist, Savious Karikodzi, could have fooled many that he was, indeed, Spencer Khumulani. It was only sad that Peter, because of the suddenness of the departure of Shiga Shiga and Spencer, at times inadvertently called on them during song, when they were not there. If doubting Thomases could have dismissed Yamathele’s performance on the basis that the Zvishavane crowd could have been influenced by Dutch courage, it was the day-time audience at Ngundu that proved the young man is the new face of Utakataka. He roused a sober audience, around mid-day, into song and dance.

But it must have been the full house at Beitbridge’s Terry Hall that proved that Peter Moyo is actually the heir apparent. Peter Moyo is the spitting-image of Tongai Moyo, just minus the flesh. If he adds on a few kilos, and that missing tooth, then he would be his father incarnate. The onus that falls on Peter’s shoulders now is that next time he goes back to Zvishavane and Beitbridge, his fans will be eager to see what he will be bringing in fresh, different from his last show. He needs to re-invent his father’s work, he needs to produce new material, either as dance or song, as soon as possible.

The Officer routine is still popular, but it needs something extra. Sooner, rather than later. As for Spencer, his absence on both the Zvishavane and Beitbridge legs was hardly felt. (SundayMail)