Lucrative Zanu jingles

Mahendere is the producer of a 10-track album titled Nyatsoteerera, which was done by an all-female outfit, Mbare Chimurenga Choir, and was released and recorded at Gramma Records.

The album has jingles which reiterate that President Robert Mugabe and his two deputies, John Nkomo and Joyce Mujuru are the ones running the country.

Highly placed sources at Zanu (PF) headquarters and the state controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, said Mahendere was given an Isuzu KB twin cab and a Toyota Mark 11 as part of his reward for the production of the propaganda jingles.

“Amos Mahendere is now also seen here (Zanu (PF) headquarters) on a daily basis and has been promised a top job in the information department by Webster Shamu,” said the sources.

The group got some of the footage they used to produce a video Nyatsoterera unzwe kutonga (Listen carefully who is running this country) from the ZBC library, among other videos which are yet to be produced from the same album.

The band leader, Elizabeth Madzimure Bwanya, was quoted by the Zimbabwe Government online saying, “Comrade Webster Shamu heard us a couple of times at congresses and conferences and we were introduced to Amos Mahendere who patiently worked with us until the release of the album last week.

When contacted for comment Amos Mahendere said he was not employed by the revolutionary party, neither did he receive anything from Zanu (PF) for the production of the propaganda jingles.

“I am a music producer, and I did the job as a professional. I charged the group normal business charges of US$15 per hour. In fact I got nothing from that project. I did not receive the said Isuzu, you can even come to my house and see for yourself. That Toyota Mark 11 you are talking about is my car I bought some years back, and I am not employed by Zanu (PF), he said in a telephone interview on Monday.