The chickens have come home to roost at Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura). Past mistakes, wrongdoings, or negative actions have returned to cause problems for the persons who committed them. It signifies facing the repercussions of one›s past, emphasising accountability for earlier poor decisions. .
The Zimura board was disbanded as government stepped in to restore sanity and order in the sector.
The board’s poor financial transparency and lack of fiduciary responsibility were cited as some of the reasons leading to the dissolution of the board, which was previously chaired by Albert Nyathi and recently by Alexio Gwenzi.
Zimura acting director Henry Makombe confirmed the development and said management is now waiting for the new board. In an interview he stated that “The future of Zimura is determined by its members, not the government.. As the secretariat, we are waiting for the interim administrator to be appointed by the ministry (of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs) and ultimately the establishment of the new board,” he said
I sat down with academic, poet, musician, writer, actor, music producer and Zimura’s ex-chairman Albert Nyathi, he told me that “At this point the government should appoint a strong board made up of people like yourself. Derreck Mpofu and Alexio Gwenzi do not see eye to eye. Those two have got too much testosterone and cannot work together.
I don’t mind being on Zimura's advisory board if such a platform is created,’’ he added..
When I asked Alexio Gwenzi what he thought the future of Zimura will be, he simply said “It’s bleak. Zimura will probably shut down if the government continues to meddle in its internal matters just like what transpired in Kenya and Nigeria.”
Derreck Mpofu preferred not to respond to this question.
- Zimura takes copyright awareness to Masvingo
- Zimura takes copyright awareness to Masvingo
- Jeys Marabini blasts Zimura, NACZ
- Zimura project in false start
Keep Reading
One Zimura member who decided to answer the question on condition of anonymity had this to say: “The government was right in shutting Zimura down. Zimura is a bunch of thieves. The selected board was composed of people with criminal past and who have been convicted of fraud and a deregistered lawyer. What do you expect from those people when they see millions of dollars? Some have travelled to Europe on private business using Zimura funds a case which Phillip Chipfumbu tried to bring to court, but failed. Let the government take over the running of Zimura.”
The issues currently at stake are:
- 73% of royalties collected were used for ‘’expenses” by management and own staff. Out of a million plus dollars paid to Zimura, last year, only US$475,650 went to the 5000 members who are the artistes creating this money management even had salary increments
- The Zimura office buildings in Avondale were sold for a song amid allegations of conflict of interest without consultation with members who are the rightful owners of such property.
The constitution was changed to make this exercise convenient.
- The board is said to have been captured by management and led by a self-appointed chairman, Alexio Gwenzi.
- Where is the P.A. system that was donated to Zimura in 2008? Who sold it and where did the money go? Convicted administrator, Polisile Ncube-Dhlamini has got a lot to answer for.
5.Who authorised the purchase of land in Bulawayo? It is believed that the people at the forefront of this purchase are Albert Nyathi and Polisile Ncube. If that is the case, these two are no longer in office. So what happens to that land? That is one issue the government needs to solve.
Impressive copyright estimations amounting to millions of dollars could push governments to implement more supportive laws in favour of music professionals. Performance rights organisations Zimura have a long history of inaccurate data and inconsistent distribution, issues that the Zimbabwe Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs whose mission is to uphold the rights of every individual, promote justice and empower our communities through a fair and effective legal system should look into.
There is a serious crisis in the music industry at the moment. Major record companies have shut down. People no longer buy CDs. The majority of artistes survive on live performances and income from such performances depends on how popular the artiste is.
With the right regulation, perhaps such broken systems could be repaired.
At Zimura, parties should then commit to resolving outstanding issues through dialogue, with a new date to be announced.
*Feedback: [email protected]
