adminTawanda Marwizi Arts Correspondent
The family of the late musician Daiton Somanje are reportedly fighting to stop the musician’s second wife Esther Musango from collecting royalties it has emerged. Sources close to the family said Daiton’s brother Josphat Somanje, who is also a musician together with other family members are in a process of trying to find a legal route to stop the “Tsaona” hit-maker’s second wife Musango from taking royalties.
The Herald Entertainment understands that Musango currently has access to all the benefits Daiton would have been entitled to from Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) and different recording companies the musician worked with.
Though the family members were not willing to divulge information to this publication, it is understood that some of the family members have on several occasions visited Zimura and Gramma records asking about royalties.
“Josphat, Faheem and their brother who lives in Chitungwiza are the ones who are at the fore front and they may soon be filing papers to bar Musango from taking the money,” revealed the source.
Ironically Josphat and Daiton had a long running dispute which the two brothers claimed to have resolved before the latter’s death. At Daiton’s funeral the family showed that they did not have much truck with the second wife after most relatives applauded a nephew who had publicly stated that the first wife was the only bonafide one.
Though Josphat confirmed that there are issues pertaining his brother’s family but he was at pains to show that he is not interested in personally benefiting from the estate. “We are doing it for the benefit of his family and children. Isusu hatina mari yekuvachengeta vese saka tiri kuzviitira vana vake (We have no money to take care of his children so we are trying to ensure that his estate caters for them),” he said.
The “Haulume” hit-maker also denied intentions of suing Musango saying the family were just consulting on the way forward.
“We are just consulting people including lawyers on how we can handle the matter, not that will go to courts as you are saying,” he said.
This appeared to be a direct contradiction of the situation on the ground after Gramma records director Emmanuel Vhori would not be drawn into discussing the wrangle saying that it had gone beyond him. “I cannot comment on the matter. I understand they have already taken the legal route,” said Vhori.
Musango said she was not aware of any such pending developments. “I have not been feeling well since my husband died,” she said. However she admitted that she has once visited a local recording company about royalties.
Diamond Studios arts manager John Muroyi also refused to comment: “I understand there are issues concerning that but I am not in a position to comment on the matter,” he said.
Under Zimbabwean inheritance laws surviving spouses and dependant children are meant to all benefit from the estate of the deceased as long as they can prove their claims.
The matter of late musicians’ royalties becoming bones of contention has long dogged the industry with the estates of James Chimombe and Cephas Mashakada having been fought over.
Allan Chimbetu is currently embroiled in a tussle with his niece over the possession and occupation of his late brother Simon Chimbetu’s house.
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