By Liberty Dube
MUTARE – Popular Zim dancehall chanter, Soul Jah Love (real name Soul Musaka Muzavazi) who has of late been hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons was on Wednesday evening arrested for alleged fraud.
The controversial artiste who spent the better part of Wednesday night at Mutare Central Police Station and was still in police custody yesterday allegedly defrauded show promoter, Isau Mupfumi of $750 after collecting the money and failing to perform.
The Ndini uya uya hitmaker was paid an initial deposit of $750 by Mupfumi and was scheduled to perform at Pick and Save on February 7 before he would receive the balance of $750 after performing.
He failed to appear on stage after he allegedly took one too many and returned to Harare. Soul Jah Love who had agreed to stage another show on February 21 dubbed: “Apology Show” as compensation for the no-show failed to show up again, a development that prompted Mupfumi to report the chanter for fraud at Mutare Central Police Station.
On the second occasion, it later turned out that he had a double booking, one in Mutare and the other one 585km from The Platinum venue in the border town of Beitbridge.
He subsequently left hundreds of fans who thronged Pick and Save in a quandary.
He was expected to appear in court on Wednesday morning although Mupfumi was, however, contemplating forgiving him if he apologised.
Mupfumi said he wanted justice done and recover his dues after two failed shows. “We feel we were defrauded, so we’ve opted to let justice take its course. I filed a police report because I paid him $750 to perform at my joint, but he breached the contract.
“He breached the contract twice. We realised that he entered into an agreement with someone else yet he had a binding contract with us. He was greedy and inconsiderate. That’s unprofessionalism.
“I don’t hate him, but I hate what he did. This is a lesson to all up-and-coming artistes. Contracts should be honoured,” Mupfumi said.
Soul Jah Love who was scheduled to perform in South Africa this weekend apologised to Mupfumi.
“I’m really sorry and I’ll never do it again. I’ll not let Mupfumi or any promoter down. No one manages me. It’s only God who’s my manager. I’m sorry,” he said.
On the night he failed to perform at Pick and Save, the musician is said to have soiled himself while in a drunken stupor in Mutare. Manica Post
