Innocent Mujeri

Citizens Coalition for Change’s (CCC) rally singer Tulani Taurai Takavada, also known as Ricky Fire, has hit hard times and has pleaded with his fans to assist him with money.

Ricky Fire, who was a popular feature at Nelson Chamisa’s recent rallies, was reportedly not paid for his performances and is now facing hard times as he doesn’t have money to sustain his life.

In a recent Facebook live video, Ricky Fire admitted that he was facing hard times and appealed to Zimbabweans to come to his rescue before he becomes a street beggar.

“Dear Citizens of Zimbabwe, I wanted to reach out and let you know that I am fundraising. Would you be able to contribute to my fundraiser? A donation of any amount would truly help me reach my goal,” said Ricky Fire.

A source who spoke to this publication said that CCC had no obligation to financially support Ricky Fire as he was an uninvited artist at CCC rallies. The source said that Ricky Fire volunteered to perform freely at CCC rallies as he wanted to market himself to a bigger audience.

“We heard about Ricky Fire’s financial challenges but as a party, we are not obliged to assist him. We don’t owe him anything.  He offered his services for free as he wanted to market his music to a bigger audience. We feel sorry for him, unfortunately our hands are tied,” said the source.

The source added that it was not only Ricky Fire who was not paid by CCC after performing at their rallies. He said the likes of Victory Siyankoba, Tryson Chimbetu and Sir Calaz, were also not paid for performing at CCC rallies.

Ricky Fire publicly endorsed Chamisa and has been performing at all CCC rallies in the run up to the March 26 by-elections. The Kumba Kunouya Kuno hit maker was now a forgotten Zimdancehall artist who had hoped to use the CCC rallies to reconnect with his fans.