Chief Hwenje Stages 1st ED Bootlicking Musical Show After Death Romours – Eduzim News

By Showbiz Reporter – Zanu PF-aligned singer Admire Sanyanga Sibanda, popularly known as Chief Hwenje, made his first public performance last Thursday after weeks of swirling death rumours. 

Hwenje entertained a large crowd at Mkandapi Business Centre in Shurugwi, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa commissioned the resurfaced Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe Road.

Speaking at the Zanu PF event, Hwenje revealed that President Mnangagwa facilitated his recent trip to India for cancer treatment.

“I want to thank the First Family for ensuring that I went to India. The President ensured that I got all the treatment and attention I needed, including the medical procedure I underwent. They constantly checked on me to hear about my progress,” Hwenje told state media.

This marked Hwenje’s second public appearance in a week, following his emergence alongside Mnangagwa’s close ally Owen Ncube. 

Last month, Hwenje’s cancer diagnosis triggered a public outcry over allegations that Zanu PF had exploited the artist and abandoned him during his health crisis.

Initially, presidential spokesperson George Charamba claimed that the ruling party had flown Hwenje to South Africa for treatment. 

However, the absence of photographic evidence fueled speculation about his wellbeing.

Chief Hwenje rose to prominence following Zimbabwe’s 2017 military coup that ousted Robert Mugabe after 37 years in power. 

His praise songs, including Garwe Rauya (“The Crocodile Has Come”), became anthems for Mnangagwa’s loyalists, earning Hwenje a reputation as a zealous supporter of the ruling party.

However, his plight mirrors a recurring trend in Zanu PF’s history of exploiting artists for political propaganda before casting them aside. 

In the early 2000s, Last Chiyangwa, better known as Tambaoga, gained fame for his pro-Zanu PF song Rambai Makashinga (“Remain Resilient”), which justified state-sanctioned land seizures.

Once a celebrated voice of the regime, Tambaoga now lives in destitution, a cautionary tale of political loyalty gone unrewarded.

Similarly, the late revolutionary singer Dickson Chingaira, affectionately called Cde Chinx, dedicated his music to Zanu PF’s liberation war rhetoric. 

Despite his unwavering loyalty, Chinx spent his final years in poverty, with minimal support from the party he served.

While Hwenje’s reappearance may quell rumours of his death, it reignites questions about Zanu PF’s treatment of loyal artists. 

Will Hwenje’s current favour endure, or is he destined to meet the same fate as Tambaoga and Cde Chinx?

For now, Hwenje’s public performances and state-backed praise may signal recovery, but his story serves as a sobering reminder of the high-cost artists pays when aligning their craft with a political machine known for exploiting and discarding its propaganda tools.

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