Music star Freeman appears to have deliberately lied to police to try and cover up traces of his relationship with murdered armed robber Judknose Machingura who was shot dead in Harare last year.
The Zimdancehall star has gone out of his way to clarify whether he had any connection with some armed robbers, who were killed by police, after photos emerged showing him in the company of them.
When investigators summoned him to explain his relationship with Machingura, Freeman said their only connection was through his other role as a music promoter in South Africa.
“I would also like to mention that I began interacting with MACHINGURA back in 2017 when Machingura contacted my management team and invited me to perform at a show he was organizing in Durban,” Freeman said in his cautionary statement.
“Mashingora introduced himself to my management as a music promoter and someone who really liked my music.
“My management entered into an agreement with him and Machingora paid for the entire show, including air tickets to and from Durban (including all expenses, food and accommodation).
“Our first show together was such a success that he invited me to another show (in Durban) in 2018.
“Since then we have been friends because I was very appreciative of the support he gave me as a musician and many other musicians at a very difficult time.
“My association with Machingora was completely innocent and was based on a business/music entertainment relationship,” he said.
His lawyer, Dumisani Mthombeni, said: “The musician first became aware of Machingura in 2017 when he promoted his first show in Durban, South Africa.
“Freeman posted Machingura on his social media platforms as a tribute to him after he curated one of his music videos Unobvuma Here featuring Nox.”
But H-Metro investigations show that, contrary to what Freeman told police, he actually knew Machingora two years before he claimed to have known the murdered armed robber for the first time in 2017.
This could pose serious problems for Freeman who, in his dealings with police, is expected to provide honest details or else he could be seen as trying to hide something.
Today we can reveal the following:
Early in 2015, Freeman had already met Machingora and the two seemed to know each other well and even took a selfie and looked happy in each other’s company.
That meeting was in November 2015, exactly eight years before Machingura was shot dead by police in Arcadia, Harare, after a shootout with investigators.
This shows that Freeman was lying when he claimed, in his statement to police, that his first contact with Machingura was in 2017, two years later, through his management team, for a show in Durban.
By the time the 2017 Durban show came around, Freeman had already engaged Machingora, who also ran a music promotion company, with the duo holding a show in Durban on 13 November 2015.
Freeman was the headline act at this weekend’s Godknows Promotions show in Durban with the show featuring several Zimbabwean artistes whose attendance was funded by Machingura.
l The successful partnership then followed the show in November 2015 with another show in Durban in February the following year, which also featured a number of other Zimbabwean artists.
Once again, Freeman was the headline act on February 13 at the show dubbed “Valentine’s Durban Read And White Tour” at the Belhaven Memorial Center in Durban.
VIP section tickets were sold for 200 riyals.
Other artistes on the show were Lady Squanda, TIC Hollun and Paida Dopnes with DJ Vuma (Gagasi FM) also part of the cast while Blackstar International provided the audio.
Machingora appeared to be happy with the way the show went as, a few days later, he uploaded a photo of himself in the company of his bandmates, including TIC Hollum, smiling.
Alarmingly, many of the people in that photo, including Machingora, looked like they were shooting, or about to shoot, something. h metro
