Thomas “Mukanya” Mapfumo is facing a US$50,000 High Court claim after his former publicist accused him and band manager Cuthbert Chiromo of making defamatory statements that portrayed him as a witch, thief and manipulator.
The court action emerged as businessman Wicknell Chivayo used a lavish US$108,000 gift package to bring musician Selmor Mtukudzi together with her estranged stepmother, Daisy Mtukudzi, in a separate family dispute that has played out publicly for years.
The two stories have placed some of Zimbabwe’s best-known music families and personalities at the centre of renewed debate over reputations, personal grievances and the power of public intervention.
Blessing Vava, the former publicist for Mapfumo’s Blacks Unlimited, filed the claim at the High Court of Zimbabwe. Mapfumo is named as the first defendant and Chiromo as the second defendant. Vava is represented by Tavenhave Machingauta, while Charles Warara represents Mapfumo and Chiromo.
The case, registered under number HCH 4496/26, follows statements linked to an interview Mapfumo gave and comments made during a podcast carried on YouTube. Vava’s lawyers say the statements were published to local and international audiences and caused serious damage to his name and professional standing.
According to the summons, Mapfumo allegedly caused or permitted statements about Vava to be published on or about 11 August 2026. The claim says Mapfumo identified Vava as one of the people allegedly influencing Kurai Makore against him.
“In their natural and ordinary meaning, alternatively by implication, the statements meant that the plaintiff was improperly interfering in the relationship between the first defendant and Makore,” the summons reads.
The court papers also refer to a second broadcast carried on YouTube. Vava’s legal team says the podcast repeated the claim that he had improperly influenced or manipulated Makore against Mapfumo.
“During the podcast, which was listened to by local and international audiences, the allegation that the plaintiff improperly influenced and/or manipulated Kurai Makore against the first defendant was repeated,” the summons states.
“The second defendant further described and/or referred to the plaintiff as a ‘witch’ and further alleged that he once attended the funeral of the late Lancelot Mapfumo, where he purportedly presented himself as a representative of the first defendant without the first defendant’s knowledge, authority or consent, and as a person possessing and/or actuated by a ‘spirit of witchcraft’.”
Chiromo is also accused in the summons of claiming that Vava operated or controlled several social media accounts in an effort to turn Mapfumo against his fans and supporters. Vava’s lawyers say the statements conveyed that their client was dishonest, criminally inclined, deceitful and untrustworthy.
“In their natural and ordinary meaning, alternatively by implication, the statements were understood to mean that the plaintiff is dishonest and criminally inclined; is deceitful and untrustworthy; manipulates others for selfish purposes; maliciously interferes in the affairs of others; lacks integrity and moral standing; and is unworthy of personal and professional trust,” the summons says.
“The allegation that the plaintiff is a ‘thief’ directly imputes criminality and dishonesty.”
Vava’s lawyers reject the claims made about him. The summons states: “The plaintiff is not a thief, does not improperly manipulate Mr Makore or the first defendant, and does not operate covert social media accounts for the purposes alleged.”
The claim seeks US$50,000 in damages. Vava’s lawyers say the seriousness of the words used, particularly the alleged references to theft, dishonesty and witchcraft, increased the harm caused to his reputation. They also say the damage was worsened by the failure of Mapfumo and Chiromo to retract the statements by 21 August 2026.
A notice of appearance to defend has been filed, setting the stage for the defendants to respond in court.
The dispute involving Mapfumo comes at a time when the veteran musician has already been under intense public scrutiny over his relationship with Chivayo. In July, Mapfumo addressed criticism after accepting a gift from the businessman. Some fans accused him of abandoning the principles associated with his Chimurenga music and long record of speaking about injustice.
Mapfumo rejected that criticism and said accepting a gift had not changed his beliefs.
“My name is Thomas ‘Mukanya’ Mapfumo, the Lion of Zimbabwe. I felt I should address the people of Zimbabwe after so much protest and ‘noise’ about the gift,” he said.
“First, I am, and will always remain, a human rights activist. Accepting a gift from a fan does not mean that I have abandoned my cause or betrayed my people or my music.”
He added: “My beliefs remain unchanged, and my conscience is clear.”
The controversy over the gift placed Chivayo’s highly publicised generosity at the centre of a national conversation about musicians, influence and public loyalty. Chivayo has handed cars and cash to a range of musicians, religious leaders, footballers and other prominent figures. His intervention in the Mtukudzi family dispute has now taken that role further, moving from financial gifts to an explicit demand for reconciliation.
Selmor was promised a new 2026 Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 valued at US$68,000, together with US$20,000 for fuel. Chivayo separately promised Daisy US$20,000 for her personal upkeep. The total value of the package was US$108,000.
But Selmor was told to bring Daisy when she went to collect the vehicle and the cash. Chivayo said the two women should meet Madzibaba Chipaga together before receiving the gifts.
“Please call and ask Mama Daisy to accompany you to see Madzibaba Chipaga together next week on Monday and collect your 2026 brand-new Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 that has now been fully paid for and is ready for collection, together with US$20,000 cash for fuel,” he said.
“Mama Daisy will also get her 20 thousand USD for her personal upkeep.”
The condition led to Selmor and Daisy appearing together at Enterprise Car Sales, where they collected the gifts. Videos from the dealership showed the pair standing together after years of strained relations and public disagreement over the Mtukudzi family and the legacy of the late national hero Oliver Mtukudzi.
“Life is too short to hate one another and hold generational grudges,” Chivayo said when announcing the gift package.
Selmor thanked the businessman for bringing her and Daisy together and linked the reunion to her late father’s wishes.
“Thank you for uniting us with mom (Daisy), something that many people failed to do for years; this was my late father Oliver Mtukudzi’s wish,” she said.
The relationship between Selmor, her sister Sandra and Daisy has been troubled since Oliver Mtukudzi’s death in January 2019. Tensions became especially visible during the Oliver Mtukudzi International Festival of the Arts in September 2024, when Selmor was initially left out of the line-up at Pakare Paye Arts Centre and later added after public pressure.
Selmor became emotional during her performance and spoke about the pain of returning to the venue after her father’s death. The dispute then widened into public discussions about family events, the management of Oliver’s musical legacy and the treatment of his children from his earlier marriage to Melody Murape.
“His situation was difficult because of Mama (Daisy) who didn’t want us to be close to him,” Selmor said.
She also described the distress of arriving at Pakare Paye for the first time since her father’s death and finding his office locked.
“It was my first time performing at the Pakare Paye stage after the death of my father. I became emotional when we arrived only to see my father’s office locked. When I appeared on stage, I was touched by the people who showed me love,” she said.
Sandra said Oliver had urged his daughters to remain united and organise family events together.
“Before our father died, he sat down with all his daughters, including Samantha, and advised us to unite. He advised us to plan family events together. To my shock, she appears to have forgotten all that our dad has taught us,” she said.
Sandra also said she was open to efforts to bring the family together.
“I am open to dialogue and anything that can unite you as a family. Family events should also be in harmony and unity. We are open for a mediator to come and unite this family,” she said.
Daisy has rejected the portrayal of her as a cruel or abusive stepmother and has complained that she was insulted and unfairly targeted on social media. The competing accounts have kept the dispute alive, particularly whenever events are held to honour Oliver’s music and legacy.
Chivayo’s intervention has produced the most visible meeting between Selmor and Daisy in years, but the reunion also carries the weight of the family’s unresolved history. The pair were brought together at a dealership rather than on a concert stage or at a family ceremony, with a vehicle and cash gifts attached to the meeting.
For Mapfumo, the next public stage is the High Court, where the US$50,000 claim will bring the accusations made against him and Chiromo into a formal dispute. For the Mtukudzi family, the immediate image is different: Selmor and Daisy side by side, accepting gifts that have turned a long-running private rift into a public attempt at reconciliation.
Both episodes have placed the country’s music world under an unusually bright spotlight, with personal conflicts, public statements and financial power shaping the latest chapters in two of Zimbabwe’s most closely watched entertainment stories.