adminBruce Ndlovu
LAST month, one Pridemore Madzudzu appeared before the Wellingborough Magistrates Court in the UK.
Twenty nine-year-old Madzudzu was in the dock being accused of having used, towards another person threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause that person to believe immediate unlawful violence would be used against him by any person, or to provoke the immediate use of unlawful violence by him whereby that person was likely to believe such violence would be used, or it was likely that such violence would be provoked.
The charge in itself would not have been shocking as Zimbabweans, in the multiracial and multicultural UK have found themselves, like all nationalities, in the wrong side of the law.
However, on closer inspection, arts lovers would have noticed that the man in the dock is a former drummer for contemporary musician Jah Prayzah. He desertedthe band while on a tour to the UK in 2012.
Five years have passed since that infamous incident, but sadly not much has changed in the local arts scene when it comes to the conduct of band members during overseas tours.
On Sunday, our sister paper the Sunday Mail revealed that other former Jah Prayzah band members Generator and Rachael Maketa had disappeared in the UK after a tour in the UK with gospel star Fungisai Zvakavapano.
a�?Their visas expire on the 10th (of May). I dona��t know a�� maybe they decided to extend their stay to fully utilise their visas. Hopefully they will come back before the visas expire,a�? said Fungisai, adding, a�?Otherwise I would have to report them to the British Embassy because they did not report for departure and I have not heard from them since,a�? Fungisai said.
One of Generatora��s friends who spoke anonymously poured cold water on suggestions that she will ever resurface, saying that she had planned her escape prior to going for the tour.
a�?When she was going for rehearsals we were actually laughing. We knew she would not be coming back with the band, Generator is troublesome, everyone knows that,a�? said the friend.
While the showbiz scene is abuzz with news of the disappearance of the two, it is not the first time that band members have abandoned ship while a tour was ongoing in the UK.
Last year before another sojourn overseas, Macheso issued a stern warning to some who may have been considering desertion after Samuel Mugege, Rodgers Fatiya and Thomson Chauke chose to remain in the land of the queen after a tour.
In 2012, three Siyaya dancers Cleopatra Mugadza, Consolatta Ngwenya and Nyarai Marufu reportedly sneaked away from the group while it was on its way to the airport, staying behind in hope of greener pastures in a land often wrongly perceived to be dripping milk and honey.
A year later, there were reports that two more dancers from the group had disappeared shortly before departure from London last week after complaining of poor remuneration.
The bug of desertion seems to have bit artistes from across genres, with Charles Charamba and Albert Nyathi, Simon Chimbetu and Tongai Moyo all having lost members while touring in the UK.
For the artistes, the disappearances have serious consequences, as it affects their chances of decreases their chances of getting visas and thus makes touring in the UK again unlikely.
a�?If they dona��t return that would be really sad because you never know how it may affect our future tours. I can only trust others with my life, but I have no control over what they do in return,a�? Fungisai said.
The repeated disappearances mean that Zimbabwean artistes and their bands are viewed with suspicion whenever they try to cash in on lucrative tours in the UK.
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Online Reporter