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Kumbirayi Shoniwa Entertainment Reporter
The Music and Visual Anti-Piracy Organisation of Zimbabwe and the police on Tuesday confiscated
20 000 pirated CDs and DVDs during a raid at a building commonly known as the Whitehouse along Albion Street in Harare.
The discs worth an estimated US$25 000 also included some pornographic material which were confiscated and destroyed. MVAOZ operations manager Dickson Nhema said the joint operation was targeted at the illegal production of the discs.

“The local and international film and music industries are suffering from rampant piracy which has gone on for too long as the vendors openly sell the merchandise on the streets. The big pirates use handicapped street vendors who sell the discs and then remit the money to those who own the laptops and the printing machines,” he said.

Musicians have suffered the most with some of their discs available in the streets soon after release. Recently, popular comedian David Mubayiwa of the “Sabhuku Vharazipi” fame took matters into his own hands and apprehended vendors who were illegally selling pirated DVDs of the film.

Nhema warned against bogus anti-piracy officers who were working in cahoots with illegal vendors.
“They pretend to be MVAOZ officials but in reality they are conmen who end up selling or giving the pirated CDs to vendors for resale. Disabled vendors should refuse to be used by these people as the long arm of the law will catch up with all perpetrators of crime no matter their physical disabilities,” he said.

The anti-piracy body has teamed up with local artistes and music distributors that offer original discs for as little as US$1 to ensure revenue was remitted to the rightful people.