The Government says United States-based Chimurenga superstar Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo is free to come and perform in Zimbabwe.
This comes after Mapfumo repeatedly stated that he would not stage one of his final performances in Zimbabwe saying he fears arrest if he sets his foot in the country.
However, the Zimbabwe government spokesperson Ndavaningi “Nick” Mangwana has assured Mapfumo that he has nothing to fear and that if he wants to hold his swansong in Zimbabwe, he is free to do so. Mangwana posted on X:
We have had conversations with Mr Thomas Mapfumo’s handlers, including Mukanya himself on the phone.
He wants to hold his swan song in Zimbabwe but he is scared that he will be arrested. For what?
Nobody is interested in him. At the culmination of the Second Republic, President ED did not declare a single Zimbabwean a persona non grata (PNG).
On the contrary, he asserted every Zimbabwean’s cardinal right to come home (including during COVID-19 lockdowns).
Mr Mapfumo and many other Zimbabweans did come home without any restrictions. Some continued their activities within and without the country afterwards.
We are a democratic State and we don’t arrest people for free speech that doesn’t break our laws. Mr Mapfumo is a soon-to-be octogenarian, and we wish him well in his remaining years. He has a lot of fans and detractors. That’s life. See you in Zimbabwe Mukanya.
Mapfumo, who has been an ardent critic of the ZANU PF government, left the country during former President Robert Mugabe’s years in office.
Mukanya has continued to criticise the incumbent, Emmerson Mnangagwa, for his poor human rights record and maladministration.
He last performed in Zimbabwe in April 2018 at a show called the ‘Homecoming Bira.’
