THE Zimbabwe Council of Copyright Owners (Zicco) has won a Supreme Court appeal against the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura), with the upper court setting aside key portions of a High Court ruling that had effectively barred the organisation from issuing music licences.
In a consent order handed down on February 19, 2026, the Supreme Court overturned paragraph 1 of the November 7, 2025 High Court judgment in case HCHC 794/24, which had granted an interdict restraining Zicco from issuing licences authorising the public performance of copyrighted music.
The court also overturned paragraph 3, which had ordered Zicco to pay costs following the ruling in favour of Zimura.
“The appeal against part of the judgment of the court a quo succeeds. The judgment of the court a quo be and is hereby set aside in respect of paragraphs 1 and 3,” the court ruled.
“The matter be and is hereby remitted to the court a quo for a determination of the application for a declaratory order placed before it in HCH794/24.
The cross appeal be and is hereby struck off the roll. Each party shall bear its own costs.”
Keep Reading
- Jeys Marabini blasts Zimura, NACZ
- Zimura project in false start
- Bindura artistes attend copyrights lecture
- Zimura spells out music, cultural centre vision
The dispute arose after Simbisa Brands Zimbabwe (Private) Limited switched its music licensing from Zimura to
Zicco in late 2023.
Zimura challenged Zicco’s authority to issue licences for the public performance of copyrighted works, triggering a high-profile legal battle over the powers of registered collecting societies under the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act.
In its appeal, Zicco argued that the High Court had misdirected itself by failing to determine key preliminary issues, including whether Zimura had produced a valid board resolution authorising the proceedings, whether domestic remedies under section 111 of the Act had been exhausted and whether the Registrar of Copyrights ought to have been joined to the case.
Zicco further contended that the lower court had granted interdictory relief that was neither sought nor pleaded and had improperly restricted its statutory mandate as a registered collecting society.
Founded in February 2023, Zicco says it has grown to more than 2 200 registered members and has positioned itself as an alternative collective management organisation in Zimbabwe’s copyright sector.
The organisation has introduced reduced licence fees and a flat-rate royalty distribution model and says it distributes royalties twice annually.
The Supreme Court’s order is expected to stabilise the music licensing environment, which has faced uncertainty since 2023 amid overlapping claims of authority between collecting societies.