“The Time for Silence Is Over”: ZIMURA Board Members Break Ranks

Harare, January 19, 2026 — Three members of the six-person board of the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) on Monday publicly accused the organisation’s leadership and secretariat of deep-seated governance failures, conflicts of interest and financial mismanagement, calling for urgent intervention and an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).

By Earground Team

Addressing a press conference in Harare, ZIMURA board spokesperson Mr Dereck Mpofu, flanked by fellow board members Gift Amuli and Joseph Garakara, said their concerns stem from what they described as a “total constitutional collapse” within the collective management organisation, which represents nearly 6,000 music creators.

Mpofu alleged that the previous board’s decision to sell ZIMURA’s long-standing Avondale property at 80 Mendel Road was conducted without proper consultation and was riddled with conflict of interest. He claimed that one board member who approved the sale was employed by the estate agency that facilitated the transaction, a move he described as a “gross violation of corporate governance”. The building, he said, held historical and symbolic value for musicians despite its modest condition.

The trio further questioned the legitimacy of ZIMURA’s current executive leadership, singling out Executive Director Polisile Ncube-Chimhini. Mpofu alleged that Ncube-Chimhini was convicted of fraud in 2025 and argued that her continued tenure violates acceptable governance standards. He also cited High Court case HH 438-25, which he said ruled that the position of “Executive Director” does not exist in ZIMURA’s Articles of Association, rendering her role and decisions legally invalid. These claims could not be independently verified at the time of publication.

The board members said attempts to resolve the issues internally had failed despite attending more than seven board meetings.

They alleged a pattern of “board capture” by the secretariat, accusing it of manipulating leadership elections through illegal voting, quorum breaches, unauthorised online voting and outsourcing of election processes without proper board resolutions.

Financial management was also heavily criticised. Mpofu alleged that ZIMURA operates a “predatory financial model” in which management salaries are prioritised over royalty distributions to artists. He claimed administrative fees are calculated on projected rather than collected revenue, leaving musicians to absorb shortfalls when broadcasters and users fail to pay in full.

According to the trio, the human cost of the system is evident in the poverty faced by many veteran musicians, with ZIMURA allegedly offering little support beyond funeral assistance.

They announced that a report has been submitted to the Companies and Intellectual Property of Zimbabwe and demanded an immediate freeze on financial transactions, a forensic audit covering two decades, and clarification on the legally binding Articles of Association. They also called for an EGM within 21 days, the suspension of Ncube-Chimhini pending investigation, and the appointment of a judicial manager.

ZIMURA management had not responded to the allegations by the time of going to press.