Not long ago,exiled music icon, Thomas Mapfumo was demanding from the Zimbabwe government the return of his five vehicles seized by police .
Speaking from his United States base, Mapfumo alleged that the 2000 accusations of buying stolen BMWs were unfounded.
The veteran musician claims that continued government’s Mafia style persecution over this incident led him to flee the country for the United States in 2004.
Thomas Mapfumo at first refused to come back to Zimbabwe to do a performance after Sir Wicknell Chivayo had offered him a car of his choice worth US$200,000 and a house worth US$300,000, on condition he apologised for criticising the Zimbabwe government and come back home,
Mapfumo laughed it off and categorically stated:, ”I am not that type who is induced with a dangling toy like a child. You simply have to know my history. I am not a member of any political party. Why can’t you channel that money to hospitals? Our roads are in bad state and the people are living in poverty. Wouldn’t that be better use of your money?”
Psychological warfare between the two began here. “Should I say yes or should I say no “were the words ringin in Thomas’s head while “Make him a bigger offer until he succumbs” were the words ringing out of Sir Wicknells head. Someone had to give in
Without the government announcing that they are now wiiling to compensate Mapfumo for his losses in Zimbabwe, they gave him this irresistible offer
The latter won:. US$1,5 million which is a lot of money. That kind of money could have attracted bigger artistes like Lionel Richie or Stevie Wonder but there must have been good reason to focus on Mapfumo.
- Chamisa’s US$120k jackpot jolts govt
- Penchant for luxury in midst of abject poverty
- Chamisa’s US$120k jackpot jolts govt
- Penchant for luxury in midst of abject poverty
Keep Reading
Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder do not feel that they are owed anything by the Zimbabwe government. Thomas Mapfumo does.
We owe him compensation for everything he lost in Zimbabwe: A house, cars and freedom to perform at will in his home country.
Kurai Makore (Thomas’s nephew) and Blessing Vava including many advisors have urged Thomas to accept this once in a lifetime offer.
They justify it by saying that this is work for Thomas, not bribery, and he could do many things with that kind of money. Money, especially lots of it is a great temptation even to those who claim to be principled. who know what is right or wrong by acting morally Thomas Mapfumo has accepted that offer.
He has agreed to perform at Jah Prayzah’s wedding for US$500,000 and at Wicknell Chivayo’s birthday celebrations for a further US$1,000,000 making a total of US$1,500,000.
However, Violet Makunike, (aka Viomak), a Zimbabwean charity worker-based in the United Kingdom, has come out with guns blazing. She is asking the USA government to investigate the source of that money given Zimbabwe’s prolonged economic challenges.
She, together with others have written to United States government including Internal Revenue Service and Department of Justice to challenge persistent allegations of corruption involving public resources.
She and other Zimbabweans want authorities to investigate whether such transactions comply with applicable U.S. laws including income tax, money laundering and other financial reporting requirements for any large payments received by a U.S. resident from foreign sources.
Perhaps the truest measure of creative inspiration is a willingness to pursue a vision even at the risk of failure. Chivayo has indeed won after the second trial. By this measure, misses are just as important as hits—and maybe an even more revealing measure of aesthetic boldness.
That’s because we never really discover our true potential unless we push it to the breaking point. We go “all in” as they say in poker—even when the odds are against us.. The old saying goes:: money talks.
.At first we thought that Sir Wicknell had failed. Failure is an everyday experience for a business man. We pitch projects, and watch the rejections come back to us. But we can’t give up—we need to pay the bills. Even more important, we need to keep our reputation and dreams alive.
So every rejection must be followed by a new attempt. Maybe if we’re fortunate, we eventually reach a stage where we can boast about our greatest hits. But that’s late in the game.
It takes a lifetime of misses to create those hits (if they come at all). And those misses tell the real story of our passion, our resilience, our willingness to push our talent to the limit.
.A lot of people I interviewed regarding Thomas’s acceptance of that offer have agreed that he should take it. Some say that he should spend some of that money on a charity organisation of his choice to show his appreciation to his followers.That is the way the cookie crumbles.
We still have to wait and see whether Mukanya is coming to fulfil this commitment. Catch me later.
*Feedback; [email protected]
