Tawanda Marwizi Arts Correspondent—
Musician Jah Prayzah owed his late bouncer Crispen Nyemba three months’ salary, a family relative has revealed. Tamburai Nyemba brother and family spokesperson said Cris revealed to the family shortly after he left the Third Generation Band that he was owed money by the lanky crooner.“Cris told me, his wife and the whole family that he was owed three months salary by Jah Prayzah, long before he died. Cris subsequently left the band to start his own security company. We are not after JP’s money and we never asked him for anything. It is only Cris’s friends who were angered by the musician’s actions during the funeral,” he said, in reference to the musician’s attack during the burial of the late bouncer on Tuesday.

Tamburai, who was speaking in the presence of the deceased’s wife Melta Nyemba, said Jah Prayzah visited the family the first day and paid his condolences and never said anything. The crooner visited the family on the second day but chose to remain in his car and never spoke to anyone. The family said they had nothing to do with the attack, adding that it was Cris’ friends who expressed their anger over the musician’s conduct at the funeral.

“The bouncers must have been angered by the musician’s attitude after they noticed that he chose to remain in his car during the funeral wake in Warren Park and never bothered to contribute towards the funeral yet he owed my late brother money.”

Nyemba who died in a car crash last week was buried on Tuesday at Glen Forest cemetery where Jah Prayzah had to duck missiles aimed at him. “Even though Cris told us he was owed money by Jah Prayzah, we will not ask him. It is up to him to come and map the way forward with us or if he says he owes nothing it’s also up to him, we will not ask,” he said.

As more questions arose over the mayhem that characterised Cris’ burial, sources said the management was reluctant to solve matters with Cris who was the head of security, forcing him to leave. His wife Melta said Cris would complain that they were getting money late even if the band gets paid on time. “He always complained that they were not getting their money on time although band members got theirs on time,” she said.

An unidentified man locks the gate at Jah Prayzah’s offices yesterday as they allowed no one into the premises

However, Jah Prayzah’s manager Keane Mushapaidze said they cleared Cris’s salary arrears before he left the band. “After we decided to part ways we settled his dues and if he had issues he would have raised them with us or his lawyer. It’s just that some overzealous people want to tarnish JP’s image,” he said.

Ironically Mushapaidze tried to downplay the issue saying Cris’ relatives had since apologised and distanced themselves from the bouncers. “They were here in the morning (Wednesday) and they apologised for the unfortunate incident,” he said. However, Tamburai professed ignorance over the alleged apology.

“We did not go anywhere, and did not apologise to anyone,” he said.  Chronicle