SOUTH African fusion band Freshlyground have been barred from performing in Zimbabwe after releasing a video that pokes fun at long-time President Robert Mugabe, a newspaper report said Sunday.
Freshlyground, the band that performed with Shakira on World Cup theme song "Waka Waka", were scheduled to play in Harare on October 1, but immigration officials revoked their work permits after the release of their video "Chicken to Change", the Sunday Times reported.
"We were informed over the phone by an immigration officer that if we wanted to see why the work permits had been revoked, we just needed to see Freshlyground's latest music video," band spokeswoman Sarah Barnett told the newspaper.
The video satirises a latex puppet version of Mugabe as he crosses his fingers while taking the oath of office, swearing to be faithful to Zimbabwe and observe the laws of the country he has ruled for more than 30 years.
As he leaves the ceremony in a chauffeured car, the slender-moustachioed puppet reads a newspaper called Bob's Times, with a banner headline proclaiming another "glorious victory" for Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF.
On its web site, the band call the video "a cheeky challenge to his Excellency, Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe".
"An iridescent example of honour for the coming generation, you promised always to open the doors for us," say the song's lyrics. "Indeed it is you and only you who sleeps with the key. You are chicken to change."
Zimbabwe's senior immigration officer, Godfrey Kondo, told the Sunday Times he was not aware of the band's work permits being revoked.