Tony: The low points are when
a child is sick. As a parent you
also feel your child’s pain and
wish you could take it away.
The high points are disciplining
your child. My child needs to be
taught, if you do what daddy
doesn’t like, there will be
consequences; otherwise she’s a
good child. Another high point
is spending time with your
child and seeing the good
values being passed on. It’s fun
to watch them play and grow.
GM.: How do you rate yourself
as a dad? (On a scale of 1 to 10).
GM.: How do you balance
your career and fatherhood?
Tony: I hope that my daughter
finds purpose, that she can be
someone purposeful in the
community. I hope that she
meets Christ, that she
understands God. And that she
gets married to the right guy, one
who knows God. A guy like me,
I’m a nice guy.
Tony: It is hard to balance. I
have got a busy job at the
station. I work from 7 a.m. up
till 7 p.m. I’m also a single dad
you know, so that’s challenging
too. My daughter waits for me
to come home and do
homework with her but I make
time. But I see a lot of God in
kids. They are so innocent. My
daughter enjoys giving,
whenever I get her something,
she wants the same for her
friends. It is very encouraging. I
learn a lot from my child. You
know kids have simple
perceptions; they are so loving
and so forgiving unlike adults.
Life is simple for them.
GM.: What impact has your
‘famous’ status had on your
child/children?
Tony: She isn’t affected much.
She doesn’t understand fame.
She just knows that daddy
works for a radio station and
that he’s on radio.
16
Tony: 8/10.I still need to learn
consistency in discipline and
keeping promises. Because of
work at times I’m not able to
fulfil promises that I would have
made like if I say that we are
going somewhere and I’m unable
to take her. But I’m working on
it; it’s a matter of time.
GM.: What wishes and hopes
do you have for your children?
GM.: What advice would you
give other dads out there?
Tony: I would advise fathers to
fill their children’s minds with
beautiful things, because if they
don’t, someone else will, and it
might be negative. I tell my
daughter every morning that she
is a beautiful, child of God and
that she can do anything. Fathers
must also take time with their
children.
Ben Mahaka
(Actor/Director of
Mahaka Media)
We have seen him act in
different productions including
famous local soap opera, Studio
263 and movie ‘Tanyaradzwa’,
amongst other productions. Not
only is acting his passion, but
making great productions and
that is why he is the director of a
media production company, but
he is also a father and to him that
cannot be scripted.
GM.: How did you react to the
news that you were going to be a
father for the first time?
Ben: Well, I was not married so it
was a bit frightening (laughs), when
the news first came out. But then
when my first born was born, I was
there in the delivery room and I was
pushing just as hard as the mum;
and I almost fainted. (Laughs again)
GM.: What do you remember
about the day your child was
born? Son or daughter?
Ben: Son. Yeah. It was, you know, it
is like one of those movie scenes
where everybody is running around
and it was sort of in the middle of
the night going to Belvedere
Maternity Clinic. And my mum was
there, her mum was there, I was
there and she was panicking. So, it
was a lot of activity and a lot of
waiting. (Laughs) It was stressful
but fulfilling in the end.
GM.: What have been the
challenges or difficulties of being
a dad?
Ben: Phew, I think my challenges
are a bit more than others, you
know I have children by different
mothers and I think when it’s like
that, it’s difficult to be present, to be
equal you know what I mean, so
that’s the difficult part.