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Godwin Muzari
At some point in the years gone by, a plastic ball was every boy’s cherished possession.
In the dusty ghetto streets and virgin plains in rural areas, young boys prepared their own imagined soccer fields.
Bricks and stones could easily become dream goal posts on ghetto streets, while in the rural areas, the vast plains made it easy for young boys to erect poles that resembled real goal posts.

It was all about dreams and imaginations.
Every boy dreamt of being a great soccer player.

DJ Stavo (right) with South African artistes DJ Tira (centre) and Naak Musiq

Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo, Beckham; the list for international role models was endless, depending on the generation.
On local terrain, the boys would emulate the likes of George Shaya, Moses Chunga, Shacky Tauro, Stix Mtizwa, Japhet Mparutsa, Mercedes Sibanda, Peter Ndlovu, Bruce Grobbelaar, Makwinji Soma Phiri, Stewart Murisa, among other yesteryear stars.

The young plastic ball players would nickname themselves after the soccer stars.
It was all about imagination. And the most exciting possession those days was the plastic ball. No matter how bad the owner of the plastic ball could be on the field, he would always be part of the team.

Any attempt to substitute him would result in losing the ball. It was a form of power.
Those were exciting yesteryear moments before technology took the young boys from streets to phones and internet cafes.
Among the soccer dreamers of those years was one young player called Steven Sanders. He is now popularly known as DJ Stavo.

Growing up in Kwekwe, DJ Stavo enjoyed playing soccer and had a dream to become a professional star.
He was there on the streets and playing fields with boys of his age. What made him unique was being a white boy in the largely black community. More attention came his way as he displayed his skills on the field.

Everything seemed on course when he joined big teams in his province, Chrome Stars and Midlands Cables.
He had a taste of Division One and Premiership football at the teams and he almost broke onto the international scene when he went for trials with Chesterfield in England.

He remembered the journey as he narrated his story this week.
“I went for trials and all the way I was optimistic my dream would come true,” he said.
“However, I could not make it at the trials and I was so heartbroken. I was 18 years old and they said I should have international football experience to qualify.

“I came back home hoping to impress and make it to the national team and gain more experience, but that was not to be.”
After frustration, DJ Stavo thought of drowning his sorrows in music. It was in 1999 when he started his career as a wheel spinner.

“I always loved music and when I joined the family business I was tasked with running King Solomon’s club at Golden Mile Hotel,” he said.

“I started having slots on turntables and everything went on smoothly thereafter. I also began composing music and I easily found my new profession.”

From the turntables, DJ Stavo collaborated with a number of local and international musicians.
He has done duets with the late Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah, Roki and Gemma Griffiths.
He has also had numerous collaborations with regional musicians and toured many countries with his skill.

DJ Stavo has productions with Zeus and Cibil Nyte, both from Botswana, and from South Africa’s Professor, Mandoza, Lolo and Shota.

He has travelled to counties like United States, Canada, China, Lesotho, Greece, Namibia and Malawi.
DJ Stavo hosted international musicians like DJ Cndo, DJ Waxxy, Red Rat and Turbulence at King Solomon’s, which gave him a repute of being the first person to bring many foreign artistes to Kwekwe.

Because of his work in the Midlands province, he won Best DJ award at Midlands Music Awards in 2014 and was voted Best House DJ at the same awards in 2015.

He also won the Best Music Video award at Zimbabwe Music Awards and scooped the DJ of the Year accolade at Zimbabwe Business Awards.

Although his business and music careers blossomed, DJ Stavo did not easily relinquish his love for football.
He continued playing social soccer and became a darling of many in the boozers’ league in Kwekwe. That passion for playing soccer sadly came to an end when he sustained a knee injury in a match.

DJ Stavo

He waved goodbye to the soccer field, but he still supports the sport in many ways.
His social life now mainly revolves around music and he has been part of big events at venues like Pabloz, Sankayi (now Dreams), Maestro and Wood Sensations.

He has fallen in love with Wood Sensations and has chosen it for his upcoming show set for next Saturday when he will have a party with his friends in the music industry.

The show will feature South African musicians AKA and Destruction Boyz, while the local list will have Winky D, Bryn K, Probeats, Tammy Moyo, and a number of wheel spinners that include Dee Nosh, L-Roy, Ash Stylez and Nivek.

“I decided to have this show where we will meet and mingle with my friends from here and South Africa,” said DJ Stavo.
“I have worked with many musicians and we want to come together for one party. DJ Stavo and Friends will be an annual event that seeks to enhance our network as a music community.

“There will be many surprises at the event and all my friends that are coming to perform have made promises to do their best at the show.”

It will be another chance for DJ Stavo to steal the limelight as he has done at previous events, including his glamorous wedding at Meikles Hotel in Harare last year.

The event became the talk of town after DJ Stavo and his wife of 16 years, Kudzai (nee Alifa), tied the knot in style.
The who-is-who of Harare’s upmarket showbiz and prominent business people attended the classy wedding.
DJ Stavo says he is happily in love and is a proud father.

“I met Kudzai many years ago when she was a regular client at Golden Mile Hotel,” he said. “We fell in love and the rest is history.

DJ Stavo and wife Kudzai at their wedding

“We now have two children Jemi (8) and Skyler (6).
“We are a happy family and they regularly attend my shows when I am playing at functions that accommodate families. All the happiness culminated into a wedding last year and it was a great experience.”

DJ Stavo was born in Kwekwe in 1979 and attended Goldridge Primary School and Midlands Christian College.
He was born in a family of three and stayed in the Midlands mining town for the better part of his youth.
His busy schedule has seen him relocating to Harare where he is now based.

The businesses in Kwekwe mean that he has to travel regularly between the two cities.
He wishes to continue making international synergies that will grow the DJ Stavo and Friends concept into a big network of artistes from different continents.

His story has taken a different path from what he imagined as he played football as a young man.
Still, the memories make him smile when he sees boys playing plastic balls on the streets. It was part of his journey.