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the streets, he has come a long way. He has had his highs and lows and now like the proverbial Phoenix, Pastor Haisa is rising from the ashes. Entertainment Editor Ruth Butaumocho spoke to Pastor Haisa (LH) on his faith and music.
RB: You have been quiet for a long time, what has been happening with you?
LH (laughs heartily): I was not quiet! People often come to me asking where I have been all these years, and I find it very surprising when I read the papers, saying “Haisa returns with a bang after a long silence . . . blah, blah blah. Return from where?
The fact that I now have got eight albums to my name since I started singing is an indication that I have not been quiet, I have been working. Of course, I have not been getting coverage from the media and I don’t know why. If anything, the stories that I have been getting were just negative stories, and I am just praying that this interview that I am having with you will not end up like the previous interviews I had over the years.
RB: How many albums have you released to date?
LH: Like I said earlier, eight albums so far, and I am currently working on a new album, to be released in a few months’ time. I am still in the process of working on three more songs before the project is complete.
I would have finished a long time ago, but I was financially hamstrung and still am. I am still battling to pay some of the money needed. I am grateful, of course, for the assistance I have been receiving from a number of well-wishers that are too numerous to mention including Mono Mkundu of Monolio Studios. Mono has helped quite a lot and for that I am really grateful.
RB: Growing up, as an orphan must have been a nightmare for you. Did that affect you in any way?
LH: It was one of the most traumatising experiences, even up to now. It is by the grace of God that I am still on my two feet. The pain of growing up without parental guidance inspired me to pen the song “Burukai Mwari Baba”. If anything, the song illustrates what I have gone through, the challenges that I faced and those that I am yet to face.
There are distinct characteristics between a child, who grows up without parents and that who had a sheltered childhood because his parents were there. Growing up on your own means that you become your own man, when others are living a sheltered and comfortable life and do not have to worry about where their next meal will come from.
It feels morally right to have both your parents around, even when you are already a parent yourself.
Had my parents been around, they would have fought for me in the Zaoga ex-communication scandal that rocked the media a few years ago. I am convinced they would have talked to the church leaders and possibly highlighted my contributions to the church against my so-called shortcomings. Whenever I think about this, I am greatly pained by the whole episode.
Even now, I can get by on a daily basis without having the basics of life, because I have experienced a life of not having it all, and when that happens to me, I don’t groan and mourn I know such is life.
RB: With such a background, what have you done to assist children who are in similar situations?
LH: Lack of resources has been my biggest challenge. I am yet to get a reasonable amount of money that I can use to start a business that will benefit orphans from my community. But because I feel I can contribute in any way I can, I make it a point to charge very little whenever people approach me for a show, aimed at assisting the less privileged.
RB: Your life has not been without its share of controversy. In 2001 a bank employee allegedly assaulted you after you inquired about an unsettled debt. You were also convicted of assaulting your wife after she found you in bed with another woman. During the same year you defaulted paying maintenance for your child and there has been a host of other controversies. What has kept you going in light in all these adversities?
LH: I continue to read the Bible, pray and communicate with God. He has been my pillar of strength and let me say, I have not wavered in my faith. I am inspired by Deuteronomy 30 verse 15 and whenever challenges take a toll on me, I constantly take my Bible and read that verse.
In life you need to have guiding principles that shape your life and map your destiny, and without those principles, you will certainly perish. Yes temptations and other adversities are there, but when the burden becomes unbearable I communicate with the Creator. I will always be grateful to the man of God my tutor and pastor Dr Jaison M.
RB: You were defrocked in Zaoga some few years ago, do you still harbour ambitions of returning to the altar?
LH: I was never defrocked from Zaoga, but it was the media that defrocked me. Being a pastor is a calling from God. No one has got the power to defrock a man of God who has been ordained to do God’s work. When hype from the media reached alarming levels on the so-called defrocking, I wrote to Zaoga, requesting a dismissal letter, I never got anything. I am yet to receive communication to that effect. The defrocking issue was meant to create the media hype. I was just a victim of church politics and instead of the church playing a pivotal role of moulding my family, they shamelessly destroyed it. Of course, I will forever be grateful for Baba (Ezekiel) Guti’s leadership.
RB: Having grown up in the church and subsequently becoming a pastor, what do you think could be the reason for the formation of new churches?
LH: My heart bleeds when I woke up to news that so and so have formed their church, on a daily basis. Ndinotya Mwari hanzvadzi (I don’t want to be blasphemous) and don’t want to criticise and speak evil against women and men of God. Everyone who is setting up his or her own church will tell you that God has spoken to them. Now we will never know, whom God spoke to and whom he didn’t speak to.
What I know is there is no church that is better than the other, but the most disturbing thing is that most churches are now driven by doctrines and not what God wants. If you go to Johanne Masowe Apostolic sect, you will realise that the followers are more preoccupied with the story of Johanne than what people are expected to do. The same goes for other churches like Mai Chaza – Guta RaJehovha, VaApostori VeAfrica – led by Paul Mwazha and a host of others. People should just focus on the scriptures and what God expects them to do.
RB: I understand that you will be holding shows countryside, can you tell us more about the shows?
LH: I will soon be holding shows around Zimbabwe with a local promoter Benjamin Ganyiwa. He has been instrumental in my decision to embark on shows. This month, I will be holding shows in Chiredzi and Masvingo. During the Easter holiday, I will be ministering and singing at the Glad Tidings Church in Westgate. I have a lot in store for my fans this year.
RB: What does the future have in store for you?
LH: I will continue to minister for the Lord and spread the word of God, like what I have been doing all these years. I know he will certainly remember me for all the work that I have done for him now and in the near future. I know one day He will bless me and give me a house, so that I can have somewhere to live with my family. I have been battling to buy some instruments so that I can hold live shows, but it has not been easy.
My attempts to get a loan from my recording company to buy the instruments have been futile.
Having experienced a lot in life, I just want to urge married couples to seek counsel from genuine leaders within the church. If you carry out a survey in the streets, you will discover that most broken marriages were a result of interference from relatives and friends.
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