HARARE - Turf wars in Mutare between prominent music promoter Esau Mupfumi’s Pick ‘n’ Save and Murapa Tavern owned by Zimbabwe and Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande, have sucked in musicians Alick Macheso and
Suluman Chimbetu.
Murapa Tavern, hosts National Arts Merit Award (Nama) winner Chimbetu tonight, and claims Mupfumi is hell-bent on snuffing out the competition posed by their entertainment joint.
Mutare’s newest drinking hole has been irked by Mupfumi’s decision to line up a performance by the immensely popular Macheso at Pick ‘n’ Save tonight.
“Murapa Tavern is a new place and every time we have brought a big artiste our competitors have tirelessly thrown spanners in the works,” Edgar Munyoro of Murapa Tavern told the Daily News yesterday.
“Mutare is a small city hence it is not viable to have two big events clashing on the same date.
“As music promoters we have to give each other a chance.”
Munyoro added that after concluding a deal with Chimbetu they were shocked to hear that their competitors had “broken the bank to hire Macheso to perform on the same night we are hosting Chimbetu.”
But Mupfumi, who also runs a bus company, attributed tonight’s clash between Macheso and Chimbetu to lack of communication between him and his competitors.
“In any case, this show belongs to Macheso. He is taking all the gate takings. I am not promoting his show at all,” said the famous promoter.
“In order to avoid clashes in future my fellow promoters in Mutare should communicate with me in advance so that I can also inform them of my plans. But then we are doing business; we are both in it for the money,” said the veteran music promoter.
The Macheso camp also denied that tonight’s show in Mutare clash was deliberate.
William Tsandukwa, the Orchestra Mberikwazvo band manager, said it was just mere coincidence.
“When we booked Pick n Save for Saturday’s show, we were told that the venue was available. We were not aware that Sulu would be performing in Mutare on the same day,” said Tsandukwa.
Joe Nyamungoma, Orchestra Dendera Kings spokesperson, was unprepared to dwell on the supposed clash.
“We have two events in Mutare today so everything is ok. Apart from the concert, we will also perform at a wedding function during the day,” said Nyamungoma.
This is not the first time Mupfumi’s Pick ‘n’ Save and the Katsande-owned Murapa Tavern have clashed after lining up performances by big artistes on the same night.
Last month the two entertainment joints were involved in an angry spat after Mupfumi brought Macheso to perform at Pick ‘n’ Save on the same day Extra Kwazvose was performing at Murapa Tavern.