The Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet George Charamba said that musician Holy Ten, whose real name is Mukudzei Chitsama, has been forgiven after he apologised for allegedly criticising the government.

This comes after Holy Ten said he was regretting working with Winky D in Ibotso, a song which is on Winky’s latest album titled Eureka.

The musician claimed the song had been sensationalised by commentators, mainly journalists. In a Twitter post, Holy Ten said:

Activists, journalists, lawyers – Split opinions will not do any good for a brand that’s trying to serve & save everyone so help me by not acting like I’ve picked a side. Do not politicize a project that I’ve considered a mere honor to be a part of. I regret it now honestly.

Also posting on the microblogging site, Charamba said Chitsama had been wholly forgiven but warned him never to criticize the government, saying “the feeding trough is important”. Wrote Charamba:

You Are Forgiven - George Charamba Tells Holy Ten After Song with Winky D!

You are wholly forgiven Holy Ten. Next time usatize chikoro mfana Gumi. Chihiro chakakosha. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.

The song, Ibotso, has been viewed by some as depicting Zimbabwe as a long-decayed society in which the residents naively hope things will miraculously change for the better.

Brezhnev Malaba, a prominent journalist, in his analysis of the song, said Zimbabwe is a crime scene. He said:

Corruption-induced poverty has unleashed devastating poverty on ghetto youths. Hunger has ensnared naive girls into a life of debauchery. There are artistes who conveniently choose to ignore these stark realities.

Winky D has set himself apart.

In Ibotso, he lays bare the ugly underbelly of a long-decayed society that foolishly hides beneath a threadbare cloak of self-denial, in the forlorn hope of swiftly waking up from a prolonged nightmare. Where delusion meets deceit, victims abound.

The Gafa chants: “Vanotora zvevapfupi nekureba”. What comes next is epic. Holy 10, his eager apprentice, then intones: “Sekutamba sekuseka”. From that point on, the flow is infectious, irresistible, and delectable.