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Showbiz Reporter

The local arts industry has been shaken by the arrest and jail sentence of Chillspot Records producers Fantan and Levelz but this has also served as a lesson to many to take Covid-19 regulations very seriously.

The duo was jailed for six months for violating Covid-19 regulations after they, together with Dammer, participated in the staging of a show in Mbare, Harare on New Year’s Eve that was in violation of Covid-19 regulations.

Government, days before December 31, had sternly cautioned the public against holding crossover shows, but yet some promoters and artistes ignored that call and hosted events that attracted thousands of people.

This jail sentence that was passed on Wednesday came as a wakeup call to other music promoters and artistes who were illegally hosting shows as the courts made it clear that they are in a no nonsense mood. Shows were banned last year and still remain banned following the tightening of lockdown regulations last week.

Commenting on this arrest, Jah Prayzah who was billed to perform at a Getaway bush party in Hwange this week, an event that has since been cancelled, said the Zimdancehall producers made a mistake any artiste could have easily made.

“This is a mistake even I could have easily made. Just the desire to see people happy as we are born for this. From mistakes like these we all learn.”

He said the two producers should not lose faith as this shall pass.

“I am sorry it had to be you guys and now we shall all learn. I know you will come back stronger, bigger and wiser. It shall pass soon. Stay strong. To all of us reading this, stay safe, stay home and mask up,” said Jah Prayzah.

Chillspot Records also apologised on social media admitting that they were wrong.

“It is with great sadness and regret that we come to you our fans with news that our Chillspot Records management has been sentenced to six months behind bars because of participation in the New Year’s Eve bash which was organised by Dammer.

“Firstly, we would like to apologise to our Government for not heeding the call not to host any shows on the 31st of December. We would also like to extend our apologies to our community for any risk of contracting this deadly coronavirus that we put you through. It is also important to note that we are very unsettled by the harsh judgment of six months because our executives are really not criminals, they are actually young men with a passion for entertainment.”

The arrest of the two producers, Chillspot Records does not signify the dearth of the record label as music will still be produced even in their absence.

“To our fans, we thank you for your support during this trying time. To our artistes, the judgment has come in, but it does not mean that the depot is also going behind bars.

“Our team will look into releasing the projects that were scheduled to come out before all this began. Let’s pray for a speedy release of our executive producers,” read the statement.