Why do musicians in Zimbabwe receive gifts from Wicknell Chivayo?: The Economy, Stupid!

When former United States President William Jefferson Clinton, who is famously known as Bill Clinton, launched his bid for the US presidency in 1992, he used a strikingly funny but powerful slogan during his campaign.

“The Economy, Stupid!”, was the slogan which brought both Bill Clinton and his running mate Al Gore into power.

Every election has many important issues but Clinton, then a youthful, exuberant lawyer and governor from Arkansas, simply reminded the American people that when they entered the voting booth in November 1992, the main thing that they were supposed to remember was the economy.

Most Americans had borne the brunt of President George Bush Sr’s disastrous policies which had really ruined the economy. The import of Clinton’s slogan to the American people was – You people, you may list all your problems but all of them boil down to the economy.

If the economy is stupid, even your life becomes stupid. But above all, please remember that this economy did not just become stupid on its own, some people made it stupid.

When those people come again looking for votes, simply tell them that you are tired of the currently disastrous status of the economy.

Now in Zimbabwe, 2024 saw different categories of people, including famous artists, receive cars from one Wicknell Chivayo, who claims to be a” businessman”.

Those widely acclaimed musicians like Jah Prayzah, Nicholas Zachariah, Aleck Macheso, Leonard Zhakata, Mai Olivia Charamba and others have received cars but they also were at the receiving end of a barrage of criticism from many citizens who profoundly feel it’s wrong for great people like them to be captured by a man of questionable character like Wicknell.

Wicknell is a fanatic of the ruling party Zanu PF and it’s not wrong for anybody to suspect that there’s an invisible hand which is using Wicknell as a pawn in the broader political chess game.

“Since musicians have tremendous influence in society, maybe they are being captured for greater political shenanigans”, spectators do suspect.

In a normal society, great, talented and highly accomplished musicians are supposed to be rich people who do not survive on handouts from anybody.

As Advocate Fadzayi Mahere puts it, a Toyota Fortuner is a car that anyone with middle class income in a normal society must afford , musicians must be able to afford top of the range vehicles. But here in Zimbabwe, most of our musicians cannot afford to buy cheap things.

So maybe before we insult those poor musicians, let’s sit down and ponder about it. Why have our consummate musicians been reduced to beggars?

I personally will answer this question by quoting Bill Clinton’s words verbatim, “The Economy, Stupid!” These musicians, regardless of the fact that they cooked some of the best hit songs, are simply poor like church mice. Reader, the economy, stupid!

A closer look at developed countries like the US will show that most famous musicians are multi-millionaires and some of them are billionaires.

Reader, think about Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Kelly Rowland, Taylor Swift, 50 Cent, etc. Try to imagine those big musicians receiving cars from some questionable “businessman” in the United States.

Maybe l have used grand examples but you can think about Makhadzi, Nasty C, DJ Maphorisa, the Mafikizolo Group, Freddy Gwala, Kelly Khumalo, etc from our neighbouring South Africa and Davido, Burna Boy, etc, from Nigeria.

Just compare the life of those musicians and the life of Zimbabwean musicians. Do you think those great musicians can be reduced into beggars by some controversial business people?

Reader, had Wicknell been giving our top musicians like Jah Prayzah, Zhakata and Mai Charamba, aeroplanes, maybe l would understand since owning an aeroplane is luxury. I would understand that musicians also need luxury after fulfilling their basic needs.

But Wicknell is buying these top musicians middle class cars which teachers, nurses and other civil servants afford to drive in functional economies.

Here, the reason why some Zanu PF people are giving Wicknell money to buy those musicians cars is because our musicians have been reduced into paupers by a disastrously managed economy. Great and talented musicians, who are supposed to be rich people, are paradoxically poor.

What infuriates most Zimbabweans is that Wicknell was awarded a tender by the Zimbabwean government more than 5 years ago to do a solar project which was supposed to contribute to the national electricity grid but he has done nothing up to now.

A curious mind would ask, “If he were awarded a tender to do the Gwanda Solar Project more than 5 years ago and he has done absolutely nothing upto now, why is he currently on an unbridled spending spree?”

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing it’s most horrendous load shedding, businesses and families are reeling from the cataclysmic effects of terrible power cuts, but musicians are receiving free cars from someone who was given money to resolve the power crisis but simply did nothing.

Surely, the citizens have every right to be angry but those musicians sometimes have no choice because they are struggling to make ends meet, the economy stupid! Reader, you will be surprised if you get close to some of those musicians. They are poorer than you can imagine.

I have mentioned great musicians from the United States of America, South Africa and Nigeria. A closer look at those countries shows that intellectual property law is respected.

Musicians can release hit songs, sell their music and become multi-millionaires in a few years. But here, there is a lot of piracy as a result of rampant corruption and poverty.

Musicians release songs but after 30 minutes, almost everybody has the song in their phone or computer. How many of us ordinary Zimbabweans are really willing to buy music legally when the economy is screwing us?

Ordinary citizens do not have spare income to buy music, so they choose to get it illegally. Even those who practice piracy are also trying to make ends meet. In as much as what they do is unlawful and corrupt, at the end of the day, they are trying to put bread on the table in such a biting economy.

Zanu PF, which sponsors Wicknell Chivayo, is the reason why this economy is dead. If you look at great authors in normal countries led by normal governments, writers are multi-millionaires.

You just write one great book and it’s all over The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc and in less than 3 months, you are now a multi-millionaire. But here, who will buy a book when they can’t afford medical aid?

And where will they get the energy to read a big book when they are hungry? Zanu PF destroyed the economy in order to make Zimbabweans beggars who depend on it for small handouts and it’s their power retention tactic.

A person who depends on you for survival will always run to you even when you urinate upon their head everyday.

Never think that musicians are spared from the humongous problems that most citizens are facing. The country is simply “The House of Hunger”, that’s why hungry musicians can brook being treated like street kids who survive on handouts.

Some would think those are gifts but those are not gifts at all. If our musicians were being given those cars by credible business people like Strive Masiyiwa, Tinashe Mutarisi, etc, l would definitely call them gifts.

Reader, look at the rise of fly by night millionaires in this country. You see people who are called millionaires but you can’t even point out any single credible business or company that they own.

We just know that they have money but their source of money is a total enigma. Reader, do you know any credible company owned by Wicknell Chivayo?

Those people go around showing off their ill-gotten wealth in a country where more than half of the population lives in extreme, l mean extreme poverty. Because of extreme poverty, many citizens go around begging for money from those people.

You see a lot of people on Facebook begging for money from Wicknell and Passion Java. And those so-called businessmen then go around appearing to be generous givers yet they are robbers, snakes beneath the flower.

They rob the taxpayers’ money and they come spitting saliva in the faces of the same taxpayers.

In other countries where there is a strong working middle class and where corrupt activities culminate in severe punishments, it’s rare to find people blowing their own trumpets at a time when they are facing serious corruption allegations.

Sadly, there are many young people who do not really understand these shady characters and they end up looking at them as role models.

What’s fascinating about stealing from the people and then you come back showing off your loot whilst masquerading as a businessman? In Zimbabwe, people who should be in jail for corruption are found posing for pictures with the national leaders. Cry my beloved Zimbabwe.

Recently, the United Kingdom based Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono posted his Massarati on Facebook and quite a number of people were tremendously surprised that a journalist drives such a luxury car.

It means that most Zimbabweans are now used to poverty to the extent that they think it’s impossible for such a famous journalist to drive a luxury car.

Hopewell told Zimbabweans that where he stays, it’s normal to see teachers and nurses driving Fortuners, etc, yet here, a teacher would be so lucky to afford to buy a motorbike.

Our powerful musicians are supposed to be far richer than journalists but look, Hopewell is far much richer than them.

Hopewell got an opportunity to live and work in decent countries like South Africa, Britain and the United States of America, that’s why he has managed to build thriving businesses and he’s rich, despite being a journalist.

Now, think about the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation journalists. Do you think half of them even have one quarter of Hopewell’s net worth? The Economy, Stupid!

Zanu PF has unashamedly destroyed this country to the extent that people’s audacity to dream big and think big has been killed and buried.

One day, l was reading about the most beautiful cities in Africa and the world and l began to soliloquize, “How many Zimbabweans can dream about travelling to Cape Town, Cairo, Madrid, London, New York City, etc, for holiday when they do not have money for their next meal?”

Reader, l have heard numerous stories being told by some people, including men of the cloth, “prophets” like Passion Java and others that there is money in Zimbabwe and most Zimbabweans are just lazy to think about how to survive.

Is that an honest assessment of the situation? We live in a disastrous economy but you hear some prominent pastors and “prophets” who dine with Zanu PF blame citizens for Zanu PF failures. What a shame!

If those “prophets” are so brave and intelligent as they claim to be, why don’t they stop lying and tell the truth that Zanu PF has failed?

Those “prophets” have a right to dine and wine with the devil, it’s their choice, but why don’t they just eat in silence?

After being kissed by the devil, they then blame citizens for being poor but we never hear any single word from them calling Zanu PF out for destroying the economy, what a disgrace!

I would rather respect people who kiss the devil and they just eat in silence without blaming the victims of the devil’s evil and disastrous acts.

Citizens must work very hard and find ways to bring food on their tables, yes l agree. But to blame the victims whilst protecting the perpetrator is hypocrisy of the highest order.

I expect better from some preachers who seek to blame the citizens whilst shielding Zanu PF. I greatly respect pastors who encourage citizens to use all the legal avenues available to fight against a devilish and demonic government.

At the same time, l have no problem with the “prophets” who dine with the devil and simply keep quiet. But those who try to convince us that Zanu PF is good just because it’s giving them crumbs, those are the ones that l have not even a modicum of respect for.

They are definitely the false prophets which the Bible talks about. Forgive me reader if you think l am being harsh on those “prophets” but l am merely expressing my opinion.

Zanu PF has killed many young people’s audacity to dream, many young people’s dreams and aspirations remain untouchable because of Zanu PF’s misgovernance and corruption.

I tell you reader, if Zanu PF is removed from power, half our problems in Zimbabwe would have been solved. Young people must exhaust all legal remedies available to fight against Zanu PF.

Many Zimbabweans are leaving this country, looking for greener pastures, why? Is it because they are crazy? Many people who follow Wicknell on social media are actually very poor people.

If Wicknell and his Zanu PF friends had any conscience, they would cease their drama and focus on growing the economy, creating jobs and creating an enabling environment for those who want to build businesses to do so.

In a normal economy, Jah Prayzah, Mai Charamba and Zhakata must be thriving entrepreneurs who do not need to receive questionable gifts from dubious characters. But what do you expect them to do when the economy is in such a deplorable state?

And remember, those are just musicians who never swore to be loyal to the citizens. If they were public office bearers, we would question their decency.

Yes l know that even though those musicians are not supposed to be loyal to anybody, they must have conscience but reader, sometimes hunger and poverty make people go against their conscience because they want to survive.

But l really salute the United States based musician Thomas Mapfumo who told Wicknell to go to hell after he tried to give him a car. Had Mapfumo chosen to side with Zanu PF since the 1990s, he would be driving posh cars but he really chose to stand with the citizens to the extent that he ended up being forced to run away to America fearing for his life.

Mapfumo is a great hero of our time and he really deserves to be saluted. Heroes must be saluted because they are very very few, especially in a country where Zanu PF and its proxies like Wicknell Chivayo, Passion Java openly declare that anyone who doesn’t support Zanu PF corrupt activities will not make it.

But surely, yes the citizens’ chagrin towards those who received cars from Wicknell is understandable and justifiable but those musicians are also struggling to live decently. Why? The Economy, Stupid!

Clayton Gonese is a 23 year old young man who writes in his own personal capacity.