Hosiah Chipanga sues ZBC over album ban

By Esther Gomo

Controversial Mutare based musician Hosiah Chipanga has threatened to sue the state owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) for banning his new album ‘Hero Shoko’.

His lawyer Panganai Hare has already written to ZBC arguing that the ban was an infringement of his client’s freedom of expression and impacted negatively on the artist’s ability to market his album and make it accessible to his fans.

“You will note that as a public broadcaster with a virtual monopoly in broadcasting you do not yield an unfettered discretion on whose music and the content thereof you play,” Hare wrote.

“What Mr. Chipanga has sought from yourselves is an explanation as to why you are denying him the right to express himself through music by means of a public broadcaster as yourselves. This you have refused to do,” he added.

ZBC secretary, Norman Mahori, said he would examine the album before responding. “Before we furnish you with a comprehensive response, we need to have a close examination of the contents of the album. As a public broadcaster, we are to observe certain moral and ethical issues which may arise from works of artists,” he said.