THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (Nacz) has reaffirmed the crucial role played by the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) in the country’s music ecosystem, emphasising hopes for growth and stability.
Nacz Chief Executive Officer spoke at the inaugural Zimura Top 100 Intellectual Property Owners and Royalty Earners Forum, a stakeholder engagement event held at the Harare International Conference Centre in Harare.
“We hope for certain things to see them evolve in Zimura, such as growth of the music industry and upper middle-income industry for the benefit of musicians, composers and rights holders. There should be clarity of CMOs knowing which rights they collect. A split in the Zimura board is a thorn in the flesh of the music industry. We want the dust to settle and disputes resolved,” he said.
The forum attracted leading figures in the Zimbabwean music scene, including Minister Michael Mahendere, the Charambas, Baba Manyeruke, Pastor G, Janet Manyowa, Fungisai Zvakavapano Mashavave, Trevor Dongo and Victor Kunonga.
Officials from the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association (Capasso), a South African collecting management organisation (CMO), as well as representatives from the Ministry of Justice and other government ministries, were also in attendance.
Zimura chairman Alexio Gwenzi acknowledged the sensitivity of the music rights sector but expressed optimism about unity and progress.
“Negative publicity acts like a bad song on repeat, it gives our clients an excuse to hesitate when it’s time to pay for licences or royalties. A few individuals, some of whom are not even members, have been busy diluting or, should I say, ‘remixing’ the truth to sensationalise issues and incite revolt against a legitimately elected board,” Gwenzi said.
“Despite this sponsored noise, we as the board have remained steadfast. Our mission is simple: to save this organisation and forge ahead to ensure we collect and distribute royalties that actually reflect musicians’ hard work. Some of the loudest voices on social media are musicians whose work isn’t being played anywhere, yet they expect Zimura to perform financial miracles.
“A royalty system is much like a bank account — if no one makes a deposit, you cannot expect a withdrawal of cash. In other words, if your work is not being widely used, surely you cannot expect Zimura to just pay you by virtue of being a member. You can’t harvest where you haven’t planted.”
Gwenzi noted a widespread lack of technical knowledge about royalty systems as a major challenge for Zimura. To address this, the organisation has authored a guidebook, Zimura: A Legacy of Protecting Music Copyright in Zimbabwe, which is set for official launch in the coming weeks.
“The book contains everything you need to know about the royalty ecosystem and the specific inner workings of Zimura,” he said.
He also highlighted operational challenges beyond Zimura’s control, including business closures, multiple licensing requirements, load shedding, and low consumer purchasing power, the establishment of rival CMOs, tariff undercutting, operational costs, delayed payments and debt evasion.
To improve efficiency, Zimura is partnering with Deputy Minister of ICT Dingumuzi Phuti to develop a mobile app that will allow musicians to upload music, track usage, and receive royalties via EcoCash, One Money, or bank transfer without visiting the office.
Barbara Mabuyaye, widow of System Tazvida, praised the forum, describing it as a critical platform for transparency and insight.
“We get to learn and have insight on how Zimura is operating, collecting our money till they distribute it to us,” she said.
Ashley Moyo
SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER