ZIMDANCEHALL artiste Bessel Mugo Parewa, popularly known as Hwindi president, has taken to social media to register his dismay after the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) seized his car as part of an ongoing clampdown to flush out fraudulently imported motor vehicles.
The incident comes at a time ZIMRA has roped in the police to set up roadblocks countrywide and random visits to various shopping malls in order to enforce customs law.
Captioning an image of a Chevrolet vehicle with South African plates on his Facebook account, Hwindi president appealed to fans to help him appeal for exoneration from the authorities.
"GUYS NDIBATSIREIWO KUKUMBIRA RUREGERERO KUZIMRA GUYS NDAPERERWA WO LAST OF LAST MONTH NDAKAPAZIRWA IMBA NOW ZIMRA NDAKAPARA MHOSVA YEKUONEKWA NDICHIDRIVER MOTA YANGU..NDAIFUNGA KUTI NDICHABHADHARISWAWO FINE KWETE KUBVA NDATORERWA MOTA YACHO ZVACHOSE....GUYS MOTA HANDINA KUIBA IYI NDAKAITENGAWO NDATONZWA NEKUSEKWA PASTREET AND MAPAPERS ESE NDINAWO....NDIBATSIREIWO KUKUMBIRA RUREGERERO GUYS PLEASE inga ndiri mwana wemunowo MUZIMBABWE amana ndakanyanyotadzei (Guys help me ask for forgiveness from ZIMRA, I committed a crime as I was seen driving my (unregistered) car. I thought they would make me pay a fine instead of impounding my vehicle forever. I did not steal this car, I bought it and I even have the appropriate documents. Help me apologize guys please, I am also a Zimbabwean citizen)," he wrote.
In an interview with NewsDay, the Chengetai maBaby hitmaker said his car was impounded at a roadblock in Masvingo while he had been driving from Beitbridge to Harare on August 27.
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"Upon being stopped at the roadblock in Masvingo I was told the name on the TIP (Temporary Import Permint) was not mine and I had to come with the person whose name was on the document for verification of which he had stayed behind in Beitbridge.
"By the time he got to Masvingo they (ZIMRA) were already gone along with my car. When we arrived at their offices, where my car was being held, they told me it was too late to do the process," said the musician who was instructed to make appeals via email to the ZIMRA management while his vehicle will be charged US$10 for every day it remains in custody.
This is not the first time misfortune has befallen Hwindi president this year after his house was reportedly razed for unclear reasons two months ago.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, last week ZIMRA commissioner general Regina Chinamasa appealed to the public to “join ZIMRA in the fight against smuggling.”
“Our dedicated team is working tirelessly to protect Zimbabwe's economy and ensure fair trade practices. Report any suspicious activity to help us safeguard our borders," said Chinamasa.