An explosive Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) meeting was held last Monday, January 26 at the Zimbabwe College of Music
The latest developments follow controversy surrounding the disposal of Zimura property, which has triggered internal divisions and public exchanges between board members. Three board members who were at the forefront of the meeting were Gift Amuli the sungura artist of Bhora Mberi fame, Dereck Mpofu (Chisikana Changu Zimbabwe) and Joseph Garakara who came into prominence through his Idya Banana song
The other board members Alexio Gwenzi, First Farai, Dhingumuzi Phuti and the two ladies, Evelyn Natsai Moyo and Chiedza Shoniwa were conspicuous by their absence.
On January 21, Zimura's board chaired by Alexio Gwenzi announced that three board members Dereck Mpofu, Joseph Garakara and Gift Amuli, had been dismissed citing what it described as “a series of grave breaches of fiduciary duties and conduct prejudicial to the interests of the Association”.
In a press statement, the board accused the trio of convening an unauthorised press conference on January 19 without board approval, in violation of Zimura's corporate communication protocols.
Dereck Mpofu was appointed the association’s official spokesperson. He was simply carrying out his duty. What approval did he require from the board?
A day earlier, on January 20, the board had announced the appointment of Alexio Gwenzi as chairperson, with Farai Batani named vice-chairperson. The board said the appointments followed “a rigorous selection process conducted in strict accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association”.
“This appointment reflects the Board’s confidence in his capacity to spearhead a transformation,” the statement said, adding that the organisation remained committed to transparency and the protection of intellectual property rights. The above trio disagreed. They appointed Gift Amuli as their chairperson. Then the conflict started. There were two factions now, the Gwenzi faction and the Amuli faction. Gwenzi and his faction dismissed the Amuli faction for reasons they stated above.
However, the dismissed board members rejected both their removal and the new appointments. In a statement issued on 20 January, they dismissed the board meeting that led to the changes as illegitimate and accused those involved of staging what they termed a “phantom election”.
According to the Companies and other Business Entities Act, Chapter 48, issues arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. So how can a board consisting of 3 members decide to fire 3 members without going back to the constituents who voted them in? That is unconstitutional.
The Amuli faction claimed that Gift Amuli remained the duly elected chairperson, having been installed on November 10 2025, and alleged that the appointments were intended to shield certain individuals from investigations related to the sale of Zimura property.
In a further statement on 22 January, the trio alleged collusion between the newly appointed chairperson and Zimura's secretariat, accusing management of abusing organisational resources and attempting to intimidate the media through legal threats using Zimura resources. They also alleged financial impropriety and called on members to unite against this corruption. and what they described as the “capture” of the organisation.
At Zimura it looks like the management or the secretariat do the board’s work. The functions of the board have been overtaken by its secretariat. While day-to-day management of Zimura is delegated to executives, the board retains ultimate responsibility and oversees the performance of the executives, promotes effective decision-making, enhances stakeholder relations, and supports the company’s strategic goals At Zimura it looks like salary increases of its workforce is decided by the excutives. Royalty payments are also in the hands of the executives.
Zimurais an organisation that practically facilitates that composers and authors get paid for their work. When a composer’s music is played publicly, they are entitled to receive money for it. This money is called a royalty. Zimura is supposed to collect these royalties from the people who play the music and then distributes them to its members, the composers. So, being a Zimura member means one can receive money for their music when it’s used in public. The justification for this is that if radio plays one’s music, it can be easily copied by thousands of people on a cassette recorder or by other means. These are the people who are supposed to buy this music. These people therefore find no reason to go and buy that music. The musician loses out. It is for this reason that broadcasters must pay something for the use of music through airplay.
The question to ask is “How does this money get to the ordinary musician? The secretariat, who manage theses finances, have to look after themselves first. This is one reason they feel they should side with the Gwenzi faction as their jobs are on the line. Polisile Ncube and Henry Makombe want to stay within the organisation and will defend Zimura with their hearts and souls as they did with Albert Nyathi, the previous chairman.
The dispute has drawn growing public support from musicians. Sungura artist Romeo Gasa issued a statement disputing the dismissal of the board members and challenging Zimura management’s authority.
“If artists registered with Zimura are not Zimura, then who are they?” Gasa said, rejecting management’s characterisation of dissenting members as external to the organisation. “We elected the current board, including Dereck Mpofu, Gift Amuli and Joseph Garakara. You cannot claim to have fired board members that we elected.”
Gasa also raised concerns over royalty payments, saying he was dissatisfied with compensation for an album that won $700 through the ZBC Top 50 competition sponsored by Glow Petroleum.
“I was paid only US$41 for the same album by Zimura,” he said, adding that artists had the right to demand accountability and transparency.
“The current board is still the one we elected, and we request an immediate Annual General Meeting to get clarity on the issues,” Gasa said. “This is our lives and our music, and we will not be intimidated.”
On 24 January, the group called for a meeting of musicians and stakeholders at the Zimbabwe College of Music on 26 January. Several artists attended the meeting, including Trevor Dongo, Baba Shupi, Chief Hwenje, Ndunge Yuti, Guspy Warrior and Seh Calaz, alongside producers and DJs.
Following the meeting, artists proceeded to Zimura's offices but were denied entry. Zimura executive director Polisile Ncube-Chimhini was not present. Deputy director Henry Makombe met the group outside the premises.
During the visit, Chief Hwenje accused the organisation of underpaying royalties, claiming he had received only US$80 despite extensive airplay of his music.
Speaking to Music In Africa, Dereck Mpofu said the property transaction at the centre of the dispute had not been finalised.
“The transaction has not yet been completed because we, as the board of directors, refused to sign over or do the conveyancing for the property sale to be complete,” Mpofu said. He added that the meeting had resolved to pursue an extraordinary general meeting to remove board members deemed complicit in alleged misconduct.
Alexio Gwenzi a board member who also works for Seeff Zimbabwe, Estate Agents was at the forefront of this sale. He told me that he had already received his commission on this transaction. Zimura could have got two other quotations from other estate agents but settled on the Alexio Gwenzi deal,of $150,000 for two Avondale flats which some critics deem too cheap. “They were sold for a song,” one commentator added.
Mpofu also claimed Zimura staff avoided engagement with artistes during their visits to the offices.
“The individuals involved are acting in a personal capacity,” the statement said, urging members and the public to disregard what it termed “confusing and unauthorised messages”.
Despite all the pressure from artists, Zimura said it remained fully operational and committed to its mandate of collecting and distributing royalties and protecting the rights of music creators, adding that official communication would only be issued through formal letters, verified platforms and recognised contact channels.
This dispute has got to be settled. Give the likes of Mono Mukundu,Victor Kunonga and Mudiwa Hood a chance to be on the board
Out of the 500 members, we only need 50%, that is 250 signatures to fire the present board according to the new Zimura constitution.
Who do we listen to now?
nFeedback : frezindi @gmail.com
(Zimura member since 1986)