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Crime Reporter

The Economic Empowerment Group (EEG) has warned Zimdancehall artiste Wallace Chirumiko popularly known as Winky D, to desist from singing songs meant to tarnish the country’s image and causing alarm and despondency among the people.

EEG says if Winky D wants to join politics he must do so openly and not to hide behind his music to sing political songs which do not unite the people or build the country.

This follows the lyrics contained in most of his songs of an album that he launched on New Year’s Eve in Harare.

Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, EEG secretary general Mr Clifford Hlupeko said this was not the first time that Winky D sang such songs and as a lobby group they were concerned.

“We have noted with great concern the lyrics in Wallace Chirumiko aka Winky D’s recent album launch which is full of derogatory staff. Musicians should sing lyrics that unite and build the nation and not to be retrogressive.

“So this is of great concern to us as proponents of economic development. Most of the contents are meant to sow seeds of despondency and anarchy mostly to the youth population. We don’t welcome that and we don’t encourage it.

“So he should be very clear if he has traded his artistic jacket for politics because we don’t know now because we always think that Winky D is into music and we used to follow him and a lot of people followed him and now he is leading us into politics. If he is now into politics, we then need to know because most of the stuff he is singing is political jargon,” he said.

Mr Hlupeko said when people listen to some of his songs, they will in turn revolt against the government and leadership.

“It is in light of this that the responsible authority which includes National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and the National Censorship Board should clear songs before they go public otherwise we will continue to have problems and begin to have people who sing derogatory stuff which undermines their country.

He said denigrating the country using music must not be allowed.

“And if you listen to the music, the Hutus and the Tutsis, the wars that were happening in Rwanda there, he is trying to promote anarchy by bringing all that stuff and causing uprising which we as peace loving Zimbabweans we don’t like and we will not allow that. This is a very peaceful country in Africa and if not in the world,” Mr Hlupeko said.

Meanwhile, Mr Hlupeko acknowledged the achievements that the Second Republic had done saying it had done tremendous work through various projects in agriculture and mining and infrastructural development.

He said President Mnangagwa has done a lot in transforming the country’s economy especially when it had been regarded to be at the bottom end worldwide.