Benhura drags fellow sculptor to court

Court Reporter

Sculptor Dominic Benhura has made a criminal complaint against artist Clever Muzvondiwa Monera for copying his four pieces of work and exhibiting them at Tsindi Gallery along Joshua Nkomo Road in Hatfield, Harare.

Benhura took Monera to the police complaining that he had infringed his copyrights when he copied the pieces titled “Leap Frog”, “Wheelbarrow”, “Exercising” and “Having Fun,” which he was exhibiting at Tsindi Gallery where he was working from.

Monera has since appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts facing four counts of contravening the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act.

The 42-year-old denied the charges when he appeared before magistrate Mrs Vongai Guriro, who remanded him to July 7 on $500 bail.

Circumstances leading to his arrest are that earlier this month, Benhura was driving along Joshua Nkomo Road when he saw sculptures resembling his pieces of art.

Upon investigations, Benhura is said to have noted that the pieces were signed by Monera claiming their ownership.

Accusations are that Monera copied the pieces from Benhura’s gallery, Dominic Studio, located in Glendale when he was on apprentice in the early 2000s.

It was during the same time that Benhura had already made the sculptures and claimed rights to the pieces of art.