By Trust Khosa
Suluman Chimbetu says his band members won’t starve during the 21-day lockdown which began today.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered a three-week lockdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) which has claimed many lives.
And Sulu being one of the top artistes with many band members looking up to him, he said all was well in his camp.
The 37-year-old H-Metro his band members have other projects which sustain them other than music.
“They have Plan B and I don’t see them starving,” said the outspoken Orchestra Dendera Kings boss.
“Of course one or two might not have other sources of income but I can safely say the majority are okay.
“The majority of them have side projects which are sustaining them and I am happy that they are prepared when such natural disasters strike.”
Asked what nature of ‘side projects’ his band members were undertaking, he said:
“Well , I can’t go further into that but just know that the majority if not all of them are entrepreneurs.
“When we realise that one of us is struggling, we will be up chip in and assist in the best way we can.”
Like most artistes in the mainstream, Sulu said some of his projects were also stalled.
“To be honest I was also affected by the Covid-19 because we wanted to launch our album at the end of April.
“There is a big sponsor who is helping us and we are simply monitoring the situation and see how it ends.
“We will continue working from home but at the moment we are simply taking precautions and following what we are getting from our health experts.”
Quizzed whether 21 days were enough to monitor the situation, Sulu added:
“If it means saving lives, I think the President has done a good job and we can’t afford to take a gamble because it’s now a matter of life and death.
“Surely, we can’t afford to take a risk because Coronavirus is real and claiming lives.”
Sulu is among top performers in Zimbabwe who have been affected by the Covid-19 and has vowed to resume shows once the situation is monitored.
Other artistes who have been affected are Jah Prayzah who was due to launch his latest album Hokoyo on April 3 at Alex Park.
After realising that he could not proceed with the launch following a Government directive bar public gathering of more than 50 people, Jah Prayzah opted for a livestreaming launch on April 31.
However the livestream launch was cancelled after realising that all the attention was not Covid-19, which happens to be a global issue.
Jah Prayzah will announce the new dates once the Covid-19 situation recedes. H Metro
