Churches in Zimbabwe Must Now Pay Licensing Fees for Songs Performed During Services

The Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) has declared that all churches must now obtain licences for songs performed during services, warning that using copyrighted music without permission constitutes theft.

ZIMURA spokesperson Alexio Gwenzi made the announcement during an interview with broadcaster Oscar Pambuka on Burning Issues, aired September 15, 2025, on earGROUND TV.

Gwenzi explained that under Zimbabwean law, churches, cover bands, and event venues are classified as “music users” and must pay licensing fees before performing copyrighted material.

“If you are an organisation, whatever organisation that you are, if you are going to perform another person’s intellectual property, you are infringing on their copyright and you should pay for it,” Gwenzi said.

He added, “We license any business that is using music to push their business… broadcasters, hotels, lodges, restaurants, boutiques, and television stations. Anyone who uses music.”

Some large churches already comply with the rule, including Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa’s UFIC church. Fees for churches generally range from US$30 to US$100 (R521–R1,736), depending on congregation size and music usage.

Gwenzi addressed the controversial cover band tariff introduced earlier this year, which requires bands performing mostly other artists’ songs to pay US$150 (R2,604) per show. Defending the law, he said:

“We create tariffs and deposit them with the Ministry… once stamped, we implement.”

Regarding royalties, Gwenzi added: “We pay for usage of music. If your music is not being used, you can’t get anything.” Historical radio play rates were between 7–12 cents per spin, and one of the highest earners recently received about US$5,000 (R86,787) in a distribution round.