Nora singer denies Zanu-PF links

Sculptor and Chimurenga musician Bryn Mteki is convinced he will be the new president of Zimbabwe come August this year.

To many people, however, his dream is not only shocking and unrealistic given his background, including his apparent allegiance to Zanu-PF shown by his public political stunts such as his participation in Zanu-PF campaign activities.

In the early 2000s, Mteki played a key campaign role for Zanu-PF, featuring prominently in a popular party song, Nora, with the then Zanu-PF national political commissar, the late minister Elliot Manyika.

He also did a sculpture of former president Robert Mugabe and other pieces that were paraded on public media amid pomp and fanfare.

He, however, claims these actions did not mean that he was a Zanu-PF supporter or apologist.

"When I sang Nora, I was not being a Zanu-PF supporter or partisan in any way. If you check in all my music, I do not attack anyone, I am supportive and objective," he told The Standard Style in an interview on Friday.

Mteki's appearance on the list of Zimbabwe's presidential aspirants in the forthcoming elections parties, however, had many people convinced that several people on the list could have been placed there by major political parties, especially the ruling Zanu-PF, as a way to make the world believe the elections are democratic, free and open for anyone who wanted.

Asked about such claims, Mteki laughed it off, saying he was not one to be used by anyone.

"This is not about groups (mob psychology) and that is why I do not need to belong to any party to contest," he said.

"All I have done in the past was just national duty because if you look at it, (opposition party leader Nelson) Chamisa is my buddy and at one point we met on the way to Belgium when he was with [the late MDC leader Morgan] Tsvangirai and we had a great time."

He said he believes he is the best man for the job as he had solutions to the many problems that are bedevilling the country.

"I will win and I am ready to take the highest office in the country because people are tired of parties that concentrate on calling them to rallies where they do nothing, but lie to them. That is the reason why I am not going to hold any campaign rallies. I am confident I will win the elections without having to lie to people," Mteki said.

Zimbabweans have, however, taken to social media to ridicule the sculptor as a joke. But Mteki has called his critics to order. "I have never failed in the past so I am not coming here as a joke and I want to tell the critics that I am not crazy," he retorted.

Mteki is the first known artiste to publicly aspire for the top job in the land and he says he is proud to have "broken the record" which he believes no other artiste will surpass during his lifetime.

Mteki's only campaign symbol is a thumb-up sign and the "pachedu" tagline.

"It is a dream come true and it is not by default, but effort that I am running for the presidency. I have always aspired for the job and I dedicate this to my father and late mother whom I promised I would conquer the world with my art," Mteki said.