HARARE- Gospel musician Mercy Mutsvene-Nheta has paid tribute to Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe by releasing a colourful video titled Happy Birthday VaMugabe for this year’s 21st February Movement.
The song, which is accompanied by a colourful video shot in Harare, is a celebration of the life of the man whose regime was behind the Gukurahundi Massacres in 1980’s, Operation Murambatsvina (2006) and the Operation Mavhotera Papi (2008) were thousands were killed, maimed or displaced.
Mercy composed the 21st February birthday song with a number of musicians who included producer, Norman Tapambwa. She claimed Mugabe’s good spirit and leadership role in safeguarding the goals of the liberation struggle must be embraced by every artist regardless of religion or political affiliation.
“We are happy as artists because President Mugabe is our leader and he has done great contributions in giving us the freedom that we enjoy today,” Mutsvene said. Mutsvene shot to prominence with her hit album Tiregerere in 2005 before she produced another scorcher titled Handingabvume in 2006.
Mutsvene is not new to controversy. In 2008 while Mugabe’s security forces were busy killing opposition supporters, she married a bishop from an Apostolic Sect following her controversial divorce from Simba Ngwenya.
Mutsvene successfully filed for divorce from Ngwenya before she reportedly went to stay with a Zambian man prior to her relationship with the bishop. A year went past with her parents claiming they were still in the dark about her new life.
Mutsvene’s father a pastor with the Apostolic Faith Mission said they had not received any lobola for the musician since she parted ways with her ex-husband suggesting she was staying with her new husband without their consent.
In October 2009 Mutsvene gave birth to a baby girl at a private hospital in Harare. The baby — named Tanyaradzwa — was the musician’s third child with as many men but she was adamant there was nothing wrong with this.
South African gospel sensation Rebecca Malope has in the past accused Mutsvene of pirating her songs. During a visit to Zimbabwe Malope revealed that she did not know Mutsvene, contrary to the latter’s claim that they had been working together.
Mutsvene had been on record saying Malope gave her the green light to do Shona translations of her songs but the SA diva denied the claims.
