The Carol Chivengwa-Mujokoro & Ivy Kombo-Kasi Egea puzzle

I have always wondered why Egea Gospel Train super brands, Ivy Kombo-Kasi and Carol Chivengwa-Mujokoro, rarely acknowledge each other's contribution to their careers.

I interviewed Carol via written questions some time in 2006 and the Ivy Kombo-Kasi part does not come out. I also spent a day with Ivy and Kasi some years back, the name Carol did not come out. 

All what Kasi said when I asked him why there were rumours about an affair between Ivy and him was that there were some gosple musicians who wanted to be like Ivy spreading rumours.

It appears as if there is some discomfort when they talk about the Pastor Kasi-led Egea Gospel Train because most often it's mentioned in passing.

Maybe it could be true that it was Carol who spilled the beans of the Ivy/ Kasi affair.

I still wonder . . .  

I could not meet gospel musician Carol Chivengwa- Mujokoro when I asked for an interview.

Instead, I was asked to send questions which were then responded to. In stating how she rose to prominence, Carol does not mention Ivy Kombo’s name.

That too is the same with Ivy - she does not mention Carol as a former partner. Maybe it's not important that they acknowledge each other's contribution to their success or they were well rounded musicians when they sang together at Egea.

That was around 2006/ 7 long after Carol had left the Ezekiel Guti Evangelistic Association (Egea) Gospel Train to pursue a solo career.

Egea, formed and led by Pastor Admire Kasingakore (Kasi) who was then a top pastor in Ezekiel Guti’s Zaoga, groomed some of Zimbabwe’s biggest names in gospel music.

Apart from Carol, there is Ivy Kombo who is now Kasi’s wife but was his adopted daughter. Then there was the late Jackie Madondo.

Carol’s facebook page says the gospel diva was born in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe and grew up in Chitungwiza.

She then started singing before crowds at a tender age of eight before becoming a member of her church's Praise and Worship Team where she was the leader of the Praise and Worship.

Together with her sisters, Carol formed a family band which was known as The Blessed Sisters which was invited to minister at many church conferences and this encouraged Carol to do even better.

At the age of 16, Carol recorded her first work with Egea Gospel Train - the album Mufudzi Wangu and three others - Ndinokudai Jesu, Vimba NaJehova and Kutenda.

Carol had Ivy Kombo, Mono Mkundu and Annie Kombo among others in the band.

By 1996, Egea was no more and Carol pursued a first solo which her releasing the album, Ropa RaJesu.

Between 1999 and 2011, Carol had released seven albums. To date, she has released 12 albums.

She is to date the only Zimbabwean gospel musician to record a live album, Carol Mujokoro in the Holy Land, in Israel in 2003.

She has also won several awards among them the 2000, Tinotenda Siyabonga Annual Music Award (TSAMA) for Best female artist as well as the 2012, ZimPraise legendary award in recognition of her contribution to Zimbabwe gospel music since 1992.

She graduated from the Africa Multination for Christ College (AMFCC) as a pastor and is in full time pastoral ministry.

But there is one thing that Carol does not seem to mention in her profiles – that she shared the stage with Ivy Kombo at Egea and that they sang as a team in most of the songs released by Egea.

Although Egea died when Kasi left Zaoga, some people say the actual reason why he left was his involvement with Ivy and that it was Carol who first spilled the beans.

There was a time when rumour circulated about Kasi’s romantic eye roving over Carol but was turned down.

The same rumour further claims that this resulted in Carol leaving to record her album elsewhere and the subsequent death of Egea.