Online Reporter
LAST week we ran a heartbreaking article about veteran actor Gibson Nhema, popularly known as Arinestho, who has fallen on hard times.
The actor starred in a number of local drama series which were screened on ZTV.
He rose to fame at the turn of the millennium when he featured in a ZBC Production, Chitsidzo.
It was followed by an appearance in Maimbodei, Fools Day, Maoko Matema, Gamuchirai, Nhapitai, Size Yakanaka, Idya Cheziva, Checkmate and Newspaper, among others.
He is now living in a one room and battling to even get a meal and struggling to walk because of an illness which has affected his legs.
He is now 68 and is grappling with movement challenges which are limiting his ability to pursue opportunities to earn a living.
Poverty has also hit him hard and he has now resorted to selling some small items at a small market in Glen Norah, where he stays.
He is a frustrated man who bemoans how the industry has sidelined him in his hour of need when it was celebrating him as a star when he was acting in all those drama series.
His legs are swollen and painful.
The veteran actor said he is still undergoing some medical tests and this requires a lot of money.
The good thing, though, is that Arinestho has a very supportive wife.
Without her support, his plight would have been far worse.
He is not the first actor or musician to find himself or herself in such a situation.
We have also seen similar cases in other countries around the continent and across the world.
A message on our feedback platform also addresses these cases where entertainers, who were high-fliers during their hey days, find themselves battling a lot of challenges.
The writer, Luke Mbano, suggested that these artists should come up with an association which will put every artist in their database.
Mbano said this association should work with corporates to support their fund-raising efforts.
These funds should then help to cater for those who would have fallen on hard times.
These funds will also be used in mourning those who would have died as well giving them a decent burial.
Mbano said what we are witnessing is a failure to look into the welfare of these artists.
He said these artists should know that they don’t need to wait for someone to look after their lives.
He said they should plan for their future, for that rainy day when the money stops flowing into their bank accounts and the crowds move to the next star.
He said we all want to see improvements from the artists’ side and, crucially, an investment into their future so that they will not find themselves having to beg for survival.
They all know that tomorrow will be different and a day will come when they are no longer able to be the stars of the shows.
But, somehow, they just fail to plan for that day and end up in the situation that Arinestho faces today.
