HARARE – Businessman Energy Mutodi has confessed that his experimental music venture has not yet yielded any fruits and that it is not earning him a cent.
Mutodi, who started experimenting with a rhumba outfit, Real Sounds of Africa and later tried his luck with sungura band Mutodi Express, said his music was yet to generate income for him.
He made the revelations at the Harare Civil Court during his maintenance battle with his wife Tariro Mavis Chirenda who is claiming US$ 1850. Simbi YaM’dara as Mutodi calls himself said his band constitutes part of his expenses since all the money was being consumed by band members.
Asked by magistrate Tatenda Manhanzva to reveal his earnings from the musical band and outlining his expenses, Mutodi said:
“I don’t get anything from music. Music is actually an expense to me since the band members consume all the proceeds. It was an experimental venture that is yet to generate income,” he said.
He also told the court that he was looking after his 80 year-old father, who is staying in his rural home. He further submitted that he has two other children attending school at Heritage College.
“I have two other children, aged 8 and 10. Although their fees are paid by my employer, I am responsible for paying other school related expenses.
“I am also looking after my 80 year-old father, my sister, brother and uncle who are also in the rural areas and I send them US$200 per month. I also pay for their medical bills and my children,” he said.
Mutodi also said that he needs US$300 on food for the family including the applicant (Tariro). Speaking through her defence lawyer, Tariro told the court that she wanted decent accommodation for the children.
She suggested that Mutodi must allow her to stay at any of the cottages at one of his lavish houses. “He has recently completed a 30-roomed house and he has another house in Greendale and all of them have cottages.
“It is better that he let the applicant stay in a cottage at one of the houses. The applicant said she could not continue staying with her mother along with the children.
“Also to note is the fact that Mutodi has been very vocal saying that he was afraid that his children might catch cholera or typhoid if they continue staying in Mabvuku,” she said.
Tariro also raised eyebrows over Mutodi’s bank statement that narrates his earnings saying it was not authentic arguing that it did not bear his name.
In a counter effort to convince the court that Mutodi was in a position to pay the US$1850 that she was claiming, Tariro produced her own bank statement. Her bank statement shows that Mutodi once deposited US$5000 into her account to cater for their October 2013 upkeep.
