ZIMURA at War With Itself: Who Is Really in Charge?

ZIMURA faces a deepening governance crisis as board members are locked out of official platforms, asset sale questions mount, and musicians demand transparency, accountability and leadership clarity (image source)

Since the fallout at Zimura, three senior figures Dereck Mpofu, Gift Amuli and Joseph Garakara have publicly distanced themselves from the turmoil engulfing the musicians’ union. For that stance, they say they have been locked out of all official Zimura social media platforms.

The irony is hard to ignore. Mpofu is the chair of communications, Garakara his deputy. Yet both are now unable to perform the very mandate artists elected them to carry out. Who made that decision and under whose authority? These are not rhetorical questions. They go to the heart of governance at an institution meant to safeguard artists’ rights. Reports suggest that Zimura deputy director Makumbe allegedly went as far as infiltrating a new WhatsApp group formed by the sidelined board members after locking them out of the original one. If true, this is not just petty infighting. It signals a collapse of basic professional standards and raises serious concerns about the culture inside the secretariat.

Musicians, meanwhile, appear to be siding with the dissenting board members. Many artists have openly called for the arrest of Polisile, the director critics accuse of masquerading as an executive director, along with members of her executive team, including Makumbe. These are grave allegations that demand independent scrutiny, not dismissal as factional noise.

At the centre of the storm is the alleged sale of Zimura’s offices. Questions continue to mount over the involvement of board member Alexio Gwenzi, who is employed by Seef Real Estate Agency. Why was a board member with direct ties to a property firm involved in a transaction concerning union property? Why were musicians not consulted? And why do the figures being cited for the sale fail to reconcile? When collective property is disposed of without transparent consultation, the process begins to smell of impropriety at best and fraud at worst. Equally troubling are claims that the same board member is refusing to hand over communications tools to the newly constituted board. Who benefits from controlling the union’s voice? Who profits when information is restricted and accountability muted?

Then there is the question of salaries. Musicians complain that secretariat remuneration packages are excessive when compared with the paltry payouts artists receive. How can a musicians’ union justify administrative salaries that far exceed members’ earnings? Who approved them, and on what basis? The new board members argue that Zimura needs urgent house-cleaning. Their critics brand them rebels. But labels are irrelevant. What matters is transparency. Zimura’s future hinges on accountability. Artists must demand answers now before trust is irreparably broken.

(image source)