ZIMURA Plays Out of Tune in Royalties Row

Zimbabwe’s music industry erupts as Edith blasts ZIMURA over fraud, royalties, and board scandals, sparking calls for audits and government intervention (image source)

If you ever needed proof that Zimbabwe’s music industry is more dramatic than a sungura guitar riff, look no further than Edith’s Facebook post this week. The fiery musician didn’t just drop a status update — she detonated a grenade at the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) board. And judging by the smoke rising from Bulawayo to Harare, it’s safe to say the fallout is only beginning.

Her post? Equal parts fury, sarcasm, and heartbreak. Edith shared a letter that ZIMURA allegedly fired off in such a blind panic they forgot the small detail of addressing it to her. Yes, they had her email, but no — apparently attaching her name was too advanced a skill. “All efforts to shut me up are being put to action. Ndonyarara here?” she asked.

The Courtroom Elephant in the Room

Behind the snark lies a serious charge. Edith points to a criminal conviction against a ZIMURA executive, Polisile, for fraudulent actions. The courts, she stresses, already ruled. Yet instead of sweeping out the rot, the board seems to be clinging to it like a favorite old LP. This, Edith argues, is less about governance and more about protecting “one of their own.”

For artists scraping by in an economy where royalties are lifelines, that’s no minor issue. Every misallocated cent matters when live gigs are scarce, record sales are dead, and streaming payouts wouldn’t even buy a plate of sadza.

Enter the Choir: Artists Respond

Edith’s post was the chorus starter; the comments section turned into a full band session.

• “Albert Nyathi of all people? He should be on the side of artists.” – Tafadzwa Jengwa

• “Senzenina tatadzeiko… I hope some cool heads prevail.” – Stanley Kwenda

• “I think it’s time even the Government intervened… Now that’s crazy.” – Umntwana WeNgwenya

• “And this letter is addressed to who?” – Lovex Kimbini Itai (ouch).

The reactions range from disbelief to outright calls for state oversight. And yes, the irony of a poet like Albert Nyathi, ZIMURA’s chair, being accused of silencing voices wasn’t lost on anyone.

Old School vs. New School

Here’s the thing: ZIMURA isn’t just fighting Edith; it’s fighting time itself. Older board members cut their teeth in the Leonard Dembo and John Chibadura days, when royalties were pocket money and gigs paid the bills. Today’s musicians, however, are hustling in a digital, cash-starved world. Every cent of IP revenue counts — and they’re savvy enough to demand accountability.

So when Edith and others question why Polisile still parades around as “director” despite a court saying the role isn’t even in the constitution, it’s more than just shade. It’s a fair question: whose interests is the board serving? Musicians? Or itself?

Smoke, Mirrors, and Goodchild’s Office Hours

The rumors don’t help. Word is that board member Goodchild spends suspiciously long hours at ZIMURA HQ. Since when do board members clock in like staffers? Add in whispers of forged documents and mysteriously blocked forensic audits, and you’ve got a recipe that smells less like governance and more like a badly-burnt stew.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Musicians Union has already sounded the alarm, demanding an independent audit. They’re not convinced “official channels” work anymore — and judging by Edith’s ghost-addressed letter, neither are we.

The Bigger Picture

This saga isn’t just about one musician’s Facebook rant. It’s about a collective management organization entrusted with safeguarding artists’ intellectual property — failing to convince its own members that it can be trusted. In the absence of transparency, members resort to hashtags, press conferences, and public rants. That’s not democracy at work; that’s a system in breakdown.

What Next?

The next two weeks will tell us whether ZIMURA doubles down on damage control or caves to pressure for a forensic audit. The National Arts Council may be forced off the bench. Civil suits over royalties are not off the table.

But the question that haunts this melodrama remains: why protect someone the courts already convicted? Unless, of course, silence serves more than one master.

For now, Edith’s voice echoes louder than the board’s carefully scripted statements:

“All efforts to shut me up are being put to action. Ndonyarara here?”

And if the comments are anything to go by, Zimbabwe’s musicians have no plans to keep quiet either.