Zimbabwean dancehall star, Tawanda Mumanyi, popularly known as Seh Calaz, may spend a month in jail if he fails to pay a $100 fine imposed on him by a court in Harare for recording a song deemed as obscene and indecent.
Magistrate Ms Josephine Sande on Thursday convicted him of contravening the country’s Censorship and Entertainment Control Act with his song “Kurova Hohwa”, local media The Herald reports.
Mumanyi, in his plea in mitigation, said when he recorded the song, he did two versions, one for the public and another for private use.
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He, however, suspects that someone with ulterior motives could have leaked the offensive version, which contains sexually suggestive lyrics.
African countries have recently been cracking the whip on indecent lyrics and decadent behaviour in music videos.
Last month, one of Africa’s top musicians, Diamond Platnumz, was questioned by Tanzanian police after posting a video clip of himself playfully kissing a woman on Instagram.
Diamond Platnumz
Authorities described the video as indecent and the hip-hop star subsequently apologized after being released on bail.
The arrest came in weeks after the singer threatened to leave Tanzania because the country had banned some of his songs for allegedly being sexual.
