Daiton Somanje
Daiton Somanje was a Zimbabwean Sungura musician, guitarist and song writer who founded the Pengaudzoke Band together with his young brother Josphat Somanje. The ‘Tsaona’ hitmaker died on Tuesday 7 April 2015 at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals after suffering from meningitis. Daiton Somnaje was born on the 14th of February in 1964 to Ali Somanje and Roda Kauzira. He was married to Annah Kezias. Somanje was blessed with children including a son Faheem Somanje. He was brother to Josphat Somanje, a fellow musician in the Sungura circles. After a fall out with his wife and family, he would later form a relationship with Esther Musango to whom he would be with until the time of his death. Daiton bagan his music career in the 1990s when he formed Pengaudzoke Band with the help of his younger brother and fellow musician Josphat. The two made waves with their Pengaudzoke musical band and making hit songs like Seiko Kuonda and Zvibate Pamhaka and later Tsaona before splitting, apparently out of greed and starting solo careers that unfortunately proved unsuccessful. In 2010, there was a fall-out between Daiton and his brother Josphat which resulted in the two going solo. The fall-out was as a result of allegations which included among other things witchcraft. The two, who, during their period of acrimony made a battery of accusations against each other in 2010, attempted to rejoin each other but it could have been too little too late as the reunion did not work as they apparently had lost their fan base. The group was a force to reckon with during Zimbabwe’s golden age of sungura, the 1990s, when they toured growth points, rural and farm business centres to play their danceable music, which, despite not creating serious competition against sungura’s big forces of the day like Leonard Dembo, Leonard Zhakata, Simon Chimbetu, still made an impact alongside Khiama Boys, Ngwenya Brothers, Zimbabwe Cha Cha Cha Kings, Aaron Chinamira Chakanyuka and Dendende Express among others.
Sungura
