The family of John Chibadura, has reportedly approached the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) seeking legal advice on the alleged illegal use of the late Sungura ace’s hit song as a soundtrack for the FIFA World Cup.
Mr Chitungwiza, as Chibadura was affectionately known in the music circles, died aged 42 in 1999 after a stellar career which saw him become one of the greatest musicians ever produced in Zimbabwe.
Lifestyle tabloid H-Metro reports that Chibadura’s hit song Mudiwa Janet, from the album Reggae Hits released in 1989, is being used by SuperSport TV, one of the official broadcasters of the World Cup in Qatar, without the family’s consent.
Chibadura’s son, Simba, who has revived the late icon’s band Tembo Brothers, confirmed to the publication that the family has approached ZIMURA over the issue, because it was neither engaged or paid for the song.
“We have listened to the sound with other family members and we were really shocked at how it ended up being used without our knowledge,” he said.
“WE took the matter seriously after receiving a call from ZIMURA officials that our father’s song was being used as a sound track and we were in the dark.
“Our elder sister, Isabel is the one handling the issue and she has since written a formal complaint to ZIMURA but is yet to submit it,” Simba added.
