Mahere Says Gifting Cars To Music Legends Is A "Slap In The Face"
Outspoken former Mt Pleasant MP, Fadzayi Mahere, has criticized the act of gifting cars to music artists, calling it an insult.
She argued that in a properly functioning economy, these artists should be able to afford top-of-the-range vehicles on their own, rather than relying on such gestures of generosity.
Mahere’s comments follow Wicknell Chivayo’s recent gifts of Toyota Fortuners to iconic musicians Mai Charamba, Leonard Zhakata, and Mechanic Manyeruke on Monday.
In a post on X, Mahere opined that if Zimbabwe had a thriving economy, artists would be able to walk into a dealership and purchase luxury cars at their discretion.
She said a Toyota Fortuner is a common vehicle—one that even ordinary citizens might drive—and should not be considered an appropriate gift for the country’s most prominent celebrities. Said Mahere:
The larger point is that the economy is so bad that most of our iconic artists and celebrities are reduced to basket cases who are unable to make enough money out of music that they have to take petty donations.
If Zimbabwe had an economy that worked, an artist would make more than enough not just to survive but also to thrive.
They would stroll into a dealership at leisure and pick a top of the range vehicle many times over.
With respect, a Fortuner is not the car we expect our biggest celebrities to be driving. It is an ordinary vehicle that common citizens like you or I can maybe drive.
Just look at South African artists in the league of ours and ask yourself whether they’d be seen driving a Fortuner, let alone accepting a donation of one?
This moment tells an important story about the state of Zimbabwe’s economy and the health of the arts industry. Both are comatose as a consequence of bad governance.
For heaven’s sake, put some respect on their art!
Mahere said the ruling elite wants to keep Zimbabweans in a state of perpetual poverty, ensuring that people remain dependent on them for handouts and unable to achieve true financial independence. She said:
We can all see what’s happening here. “They” want everyone to be poor so that “they” bail everyone out and ensure everyone is beholden to them for these handouts. It’s not right.
Some of these names have been at the core of the culture for more than a generation. Their hits are embedded in our lives. We know the words. We love their music. And we love them.
Why should they be disrespected like this? Where is the dignity in being an artist if that is what one is eventually reduced to?
Why must an artist be at the mercy of politicians in order to survive? What if they want to be apolitical?
What if they want to sing about a societal issue that may offend the politicians? Will they have the freedom to do so?
What impact does this economic destruction have on artistic freedom which is constitutionally protected?
Why can’t an artist thrive on their art?
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