Police question musician Freeman over armed robbery links

HARARE — Zimbabwean police are questioning dancehall musician Energy Chizanga, also known as Freeman, about his alleged links to armed robbery suspects, including two who were killed in shootouts with police.

Police said in a statement that Chizanga, 34, was being interviewed by homicide detectives as part of ongoing investigations into criminal allegations. They did not provide further details.

The statement came after Godknows Machingura, a friend and music promoter of Chizanga, was shot dead by police in Arcadia, Harare, on December 19.

Police said Machingura, 44, and another suspect, Jabulani Ngobeni, 45, were involved in a shootout with officers who were trying to arrest them for conspiracy to commit armed robbery in Kwekwe, a town about 210 kilometers southwest of Harare.

Chizanga has denied any wrongdoing and said his relationship with Machingura was purely professional. He said he first met Machingura in 2017 when he promoted his show in Durban, South Africa.

Machingura was a socialite who lived a lavish life and posted pictures and videos with Chizanga on social media.