Memory Chapinduka

Her name is Memory Chapinduka. She is representing Bulawayo.

Below is her profile:

I was born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I learnt at Montrose Girls High and studied Art, Literature and Geography at A-Level.

I’m a passionate person driven by life, travel, food, art and people. I enjoy hosting, laughing and being around the company of cheerful people. I easily connect with people and take pleasure in doing any activities that encourage team building and interaction. I love God and acknowledge that

I am who I am today because of the good and perfect work He does for me daily.

I have worked in the tourism industry for over three years, including my involvement at Africa’s low cost airline – Fly Africa where I was one of their pioneering team members.

From the experience I’ve gained in the tourism industry, I’ve learnt to be a woman of excellence, accepting nothing but perfection when it comes to service delivery and presentation of oneself.

My current job has afforded me opportunities to handle top end travellers and events such as The World Poultry Convention, The Young President Organisation’s academies and family travel as well as Pick n Pay’s Gareth and Mandy Ackerman.

Sulu Chimbetu and Hope Masike

For a musician from Highfield, it must be annoying for hope Masike to be regarded as an artiste for upmarket audiences only.

After all, Killer T sang “hatisiye hunhu hwekughetto” in his track Takangodaro. According to a statement from the singer, she has decided to fuse her sound with Sulumani Chimbetu’s Dendera in a track titled Tingwarire in order to appeal to a wider audience locally.

“Hope and Sulu are great artistes who’ve achieved a lot, award winners whose combination ushers in a new era into the Zimbabwe musical arena.

This duet is not only amazing, but legendary to say the least. Real authentic music that’ll be recorded in the books of history,” read part of the statement.

“Tingwarire is about two lovers warning each other against dubious characters who pretend to be friends, yet they seek to destroy.”

The track which was released on Tuesday was produced by Clive Mono Mukundu at Monolio Studios in Harare and features mbira superstar Jacob Mafuleni and dendera rhythmist – Solo Makore who has stood the test of time.

Lucky, a member of Hope’s management said the collaboration was aimed at making sure the artiste who has toured half the world gets to endear herself with the bigger audiences.

“She has toured extensively, but she remains stuck in the upmarket. Of course the upmarket is an important audience, but the numbers that actually frequent gigs are in the ghetto so collaborating with artistes like Sulumani should help us get that audience,” he said.

Previously, Hope has fused mbira with hip hop in an EP with Zimbabwe Christian Hip Hop band the Monkey Nuts, mbira and scandinavian Jazz with the international trans-cultural band Monoswezi. One of the best Nyunga nyunga players on the local scene, Hope says her creative ideas come from the heart.

Now she taps into dendera with the dendera captain Sulu. — Showbiz

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
BULAWAYO residents have expressed disbelief and despair at the new look Haefelis describing it as bland and unattractive, saying the city has lost a landmark.

Over the past eight months, Simbisa Foods – a subsidiary of Innscor – has been renovating the popular spot situated along Fife Street (between 10th and 11th Avenue) at a cost of $100 000.

The former Haefelis brought a nostalgic ambiance with its vintage wooden chairs and tables giving it a touch of class. It was a good hangout and rendezvous for families, the young and old as they shared various confectionary delicacies from the Swiss Bakery.

Now, after the renovations, the outlet – which has been rebranded to Fife Street Complex (housing Haefelis, Chicken Inn, Pizza Inn and Cream Inn) – looks unattractive as its beauty has been taken away. With a dull grey painting outside and a motor spares shop environment inside, the new outlet is just uninviting.

“The longer it took for the place to be opened, the more we anticipated that our minds would be blown away and they’d enhance the image we had of the old Haefelis,” said socialite – Babongile Sikhonjwa.

“We’ve lost a landmark like Cape to Cairo, City Hall, H&S, Exchange and the like. We’re really sad.”

Comedian Oliver Keith likened the new outlet to a filling station.

“My South African friend made a stop at Haefelis today in Bulawayo thinking it’s a filling station. He says he thought it was Zuva filling station,” posted Keith on his Facebook page.

Model, Cyclone Ree questioned: “Where are we going to sit and have coffee and pizza with our friends? They should bring the original Haefelis back.”

However, all hope is not lost as Simbisa group chief executive officer Warren Meares said Haefelis, which people are crying for, would be reopened next month with a fresh modern look.

“We’re still working on Haefelis and are hoping to open it between December 10 and 11. We know that the place has a sentimental value to many people around the city,” said Meares. We’re just waiting for state-of-the-art equipment that’s being imported from South Africa and Germany.”

“The sitting area with the wooden chairs will be back with a larger capacity. There’ll be air-conditioning as people in the past complained that the place was too hot.”

For those who were worried that the outlet not longer offers tea, Meares said the bakery would be there for people like Cyclone Ree to enjoy their favourite confectionary meals with their favourite beverages.

He said the building had to be renovated because the infrastructure was slowly decaying.

Showbiz Reporter
THE Jikinya Dance Festival roared to life in Bulawayo yesterday with provincial competitions at the Large City hall.

The national celebrations will be held at Masvingo Polytechnic on November 25 where schools from the country’s 10 provinces will battle it out for top honours.

Organised annually by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in partnership with the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH), the festival seeks to encourage primary school children to appreciate and perform Zimbabwean traditional dances thus promoting and preserving Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage.

“The festival showcases various traditional dances by primary school pupils and the different dances that’ll be showcased during the course of the month will be a reflection of endless diversity that is found in the different communities of Zimbabwe,” said NACZ communications and marketing officer – Catherine Mthombeni.

The theme for this year’s Jikinya Dance Festival celebrations is: “Empowering Communities Through Dance”.

“This particular theme underscores the importance of communities embracing various Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) elements that are peculiar in their communities. The festival encourages communities to adopt safeguarding measures through dance so that communities appreciate the value of transmitting the skills from generation to generation for posterity,” said Mthombeni.

“Also, communities benefit economically through making and selling costumes, props as well as by training youngsters the dancing techniques. Socially these dances bring communities together in gatherings such as festivals.”

Schools will showcase a dance of their choice as well as the common dance – Ihosanna. Five years ago, NACZ introduced a system whereby a specific dance is selected as a festival piece that runs for two years and is judged as a Common Dance. The Common Dance was introduced so that all participating children, despite their regions can learn, perform and appreciate diverse Zimbabwean cultures through dance.

Ihosanna – a rainmaking dance – is performed in Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The dance is also used during spiritual ceremonies among the Ndebele people.

Winky D

Showbiz Reporter
MULTI-award winning, platinum selling Congolese artiste Tresor, Winky D and dancehall DJs – Judgement Yard have been added to the list of entertainers for this year’s Jameson Victoria Falls Carnival.

The fest will take place from December 29 to 31 in and around the resort town.

Completing the second announcement of the line up will be South Africa’s reggae band Tidal Waves, Half ‘n Half and DJ Diloxclusiv as well as Zimbabwean DJ Jason Le Roux.

These artistes will join formerly announced Sketchy Bongo, multi-award winning hip hop duo Locnville and The Kifness.Emmanuel Tivatyi, one of the organisers of the festival said Winky D, who has performed at the carnival before, had been added to spice up the line up on New Year’s Eve.

On the event’s preparations, Tivatyi said everything was going according to plan adding that the first train for the train party on December 30 was almost full.

This year, like last year, because of the popularity of the train party, three trains will ferry revellers to the bush – a few kilometres outside Vic Falls where they will party in style.

“The trains will shuttle three times to the venue ferrying 500 people at each go.

“We expect about 1 500 revellers to be taken to the secret location,” said Tivatyi. Normally tickets start being bought en-masse during mid-November and by the end of the month, they’ll be finished so people, especially locals are being encouraged to buy their tickets now.”

On the first day of the carnival – December 30, Tivatyi said they had partnered with local nightspots who will host community parties to welcome visitors – especially those from outside the country.

He said they had reduced ticket prices for locals who have over the years, complained that the tickets were too steep.

Locals will not be expected to pay $45 for a day pass, down from $60.

However, these tickets are only available for a few weeks as the promotion will end on November 25. Thereafter, the tickets will be $60.

Merelin Ngwenya

Her name is Merelin Ngwenya. She is representing Bulawayo. Below is her profile:

My name is Merelin Ngwenya. I am studying towards a Diploma in Electrical Engineering majoring in Communication Systems.

I was born and bred in Bulawayo. I have big dreams and believe everything is possible if you put your mind to it. I work part time in the media industry, something that has always been a dream of mine which came to pass early this year.

Being a finalist for Miss Tourism Zimbabwe is also dream come true. The pageant, to me, is about impacting people’s lives in a different and meaningful way. It’s also about discovering endless possibilities and of course, empowering the girl child.

I love outdoor exercise and hanging out with great company, family, friends and meeting new people. I love radio, in fact I think I am in a polygamous relationship with almost all radio stations in the country. I love music though I do not have a specific genre that I prefer listening to, it’s just a mixed bag of everything and probably depends on my mood.

I live by the three zeds that is Zazi, Zithande, Zithembe, basically translated to know yourself, appreciate yourself and believe in yourself.

Robert Mukondiwa
WHEN he streaked across the galaxy of hip-hop with his first effort, My Brother’s Keeper, Syfo (real name Sipho Samuel Mlilo) was looking like Halley’s Comet. A one off shiner.

Two years after his 2014 debut, the Bulawayo multi-talented star affirms his place in the hip-hop firmament as a permanent star with the launch today of his second album curiously entitled Black China.

“See, there was this girl who we went to church with. Everybody loved her, but she just wouldn’t give the guys a chance.

“Her eyes were like a Chinese chicks’ eyes (read moderately and sexy squint) so we just started calling her China,” says Syfo of his album name choice.

And so this project, which was born out of a deep love for a hot-blooded God-fearing gospel girl who did not give the guys a chance, is now reality.
Syfo sings his heart out to the biggest incentive of all-love. Due to be launched at the Palace Hotel Gardens at 2PM today, the effort oozes of the fast and furious spits in hip-hop which characterise the fast-rising Southern Zimbabwean music scene.

The Nkulumane 12 bred Syfo also adds in a bit of rap, house and a dash of Naija rap flavours to deliver a scorcher.

“I just wanted the album to be unique,” he says.

And unique it is.

Pushed by Mumhanzi Media, the goal  is to get the numbers in to see the iconic starlet.

“We want people to come and witness this amazing event and see the rise and rise of a celebrated Bulawayo artiste in the making,” said Mumhanzi Media.

Collaborating with some of Bulawayo’s finest including BME, Mistreey, Cal_Vin and Enzo, Syfo strikes the right chords.

Scorchers in the E.P effort include, Your Love, Thandana, Ita Uchibhenda and the title track Black China. — @zimrobbie

Bruce Ndlovu, ShowBiz Correspondent
From Prosper the Comic Pastor to Xavier of the Ngyatshiselwa fame, social media, particularly Facebook, has in the recent past played midwife to the birth of stars whose meteoric rise has not followed the traditional path to talent discovery and exposure.

When TV was the coveted nerve centre of the world of entertainment and showbiz, the quickest way to gain success was to land your face on the silver screen.

This was at a time when one was guaranteed that a brief cameo would be watched by all, as disruptive WhatsApp messages and exciting Facebook and Twitter timelines were still safely tucked away in the future.

Back then, when one mentioned a screen, it meant the square box that offered black and white and, later on when Colour TV was introduced, rainbow delights that kept both young and old entertained.

Now the screens most are exposed to are those that belong to the portable devices that set the agenda of today’s everyday life: the tabs and the smart phones.

In the world of local showbiz, the social media platforms available through these devices have been perhaps best utilised by the comedians.

Prosper the Comic Pastor has become a household name because of his comedic portrayal of simple Zimbabwean life, showing the goldmine of laughs that lies hidden beneath the ordinary. As one who is never seemingly ever stuck on one character, the shape shifting, Xavier’s ability to portray Zimbabweans caught in unusual scenarios and dilemmas has also earned him overnight adulation with Zimbabweans both at home and outside the country.

It is in light of such unpredicted and unforeseen stars that the Facebook Live, a live streaming service, one of the country’s most popular social mediums presents more opportunities to unearth more hidden gems whose talents could have rot away hidden otherwise.

The Facebook Live feature comes at a time when Facebook is now placing more emphasis on videos as the content of choice on the social network. Facebook Live is a basic feature that offers live-streaming video capabilities to users.

By simply tapping the live stream icon, one can start broadcasting a video live from their smart phone which is usually accompanied by a description of the event. Any users following will have the ability to watch the broadcast live and comment in real time. The maximum time limit for a broadcast is 30 minutes.

Recently, rapper Cal_Vin, on his visit to Germany through the feature, allowed fans to sneak into the European country with him via his smart phone. Instead of relying on elaborate equipment that would have set him back financially, the rapper was able to share the excitement of a new cultural experience with those back home.

Similarly Winky D’s album launch premiere on ZiFM Stereo was watched by thousands of his fans on Facebook as it happened.

According to a report by POTRAZ a few weeks ago, mobile broadband use in Zimbabwe shot up by 23 percent between April and June 2016 with  1 857 billion GB of data consumed during the period. The two terrible twins, Facebook and WhatsApp, were cited as the platforms laying waste to a huge chunk of this data.

Facebook has grown from a place to connect with friends or loved ones to a one-stop entertainment platform. This is after Facebook tweaked its algorithm to ensure that popular video posts are given prominence on users’ timelines.

With the rise of self-made social media superstars, the role of traditional media like TV becomes of less importance. The Zimbabwe Music Awards led the way by live streaming its award ceremony this year and with the country’s national broadcaster struggling to swim out of troubled waters, a scenario where this is the norm rather than the exception looks likely.

Live streaming now means that those that want to share events as they happen with their fans can do so without the filter of a bungling or overbearing broadcast partner.

“Who are the filmmakers waiting for? In today’s age one can shoot a pretty decent film using their smart phone. The internet is the greatest democracy.

“We don’t have to wait for licences, approvals, red tape. We can shoot a film and distribute it when we want. If we continue to wait on grants and support, people will tell our stories for us or they won’t get told at all”, said trailblazing talk show host, Zororo Makamba, whose current affairs programme — Tonight With Zororo — first found the wings for its initial ascent on online platforms.

It is with such simplicity that stars and legends are being created everyday online.

BACK in varsity was a girl who wouldn’t step out of the hostel without the right amount of make-up on.

She would turn a lot of heads with her ever flawless face.

We were jealous of her beauty and popularity and felt she didn’t deserve it — you know how quickly anything can become a competition in varsity.

Most people had actually never seen her without make-up, but she couldn’t fool us all. The haters were always lurking.

We knew exactly what the “real her” looked like, but we let her flourish.

I was reminded of this girl a few days ago when I saw a meme with a before and after of some woman who had had her make-up done to the nines.

I could relate to the transformation — it was as though they were two different people. She had gone from zero to 100, it was unbelievable!

But that really shouldn’t be the case. We’re all beautiful in unique ways and should embrace our individuality.

Make-up is meant to enhance your facial features not deceive people by making yourself look like a completely different person.

You wash your face and bam — there’s a whole new you — how mean is that?

Of course your face and how you decide to “dress” it are an important aspect of your everyday life because it’s the first port of call when you come into contact with people.

But when you decide to wear make-up, understand why you’re wearing it.

It better not be to win over that brother because when the lights go on and your face is all washed up, things won’t be so cute when he discovers how you really look. The goal should always be to look as natural as possible.

We all have different skin tones and textures so our make-up needs are different.

Before you start applying anything — ask yourself if you’re trying to cover up some acne, you’ve uneven skin tone or darkness around the eye — whatever the scenario, know your reasons for wearing make-up.

They’re some people who don’t need foundation; just some concealer under the eye, around the nasal fold and a little bit of powder, lip gloss and mascara to lift the eye and it’s done.

Concealer is used to brighten up the face and “conceal” certain dark patches which drag down the face.

Foundation should be applied only on the areas it’s needed. If you’re not wearing foundation to cover something, you’re wearing it to highlight.

Your concealer and foundation should be the same pigment as your skin so that it blends well.

Always be honest with yourself and get the right shade — nothing looks as hideous as a yellow bone looking face and charcoal hands and feet!

The brow is a big one when it comes to doing the face. That’s when women’s different “drawing” abilities come out. Not everybody was born with a perfect brow so to enhance their features, a significant number of women try to mix it up a little, but it doesn’t quite come out right between the tweezing and “drawing” them in.

You need to see a professional who’ll understand your eyes and the shape of your brow in order to trim them well enough for you to be able to fill them in yourself.

Do tutorials if you have to. It’s actually not that difficult — I’m proud to say I’ve learnt to fill in my own brows and it takes me a few minutes to do my face.

Make sure your brows don’t turn out blue-black. They should appear as natural as possible and you can achieve this by using an angling brush to fill in the brows as opposed to using the liner directly onto the brow.

Mascara is important because it makes the eyes pop. Most of us have curly lashes, making it difficult to put in the mascara but instead of using the whole brush, just use the tip of the brush, from the inside going out.

If your eyes are really small, don’t wear liner under the eye because you’ll end up with dark circles.

I’d just stay away from fake lashes if I were you — they’re hideous.

Lip stains are a convenient way of keeping the lips plush. You apply the lip stain, lipstick over it and it’ll last the whole day. You could even wear the lip stain on its own and have your lips matified — if you don’t already have matte lipstick.

There’s no prescribing what lip colour to wear — it’s a personality thing. Whether you go for a bright red or a nude lip is entirely up to you.

Until next week, flaunt your pattern and style and don’t forget to catch up with me on Twitter handle @Yolisswa, visit my blog, www.stayera247.blogspot.com or like my Facebook page Pattern & Style.

Robert Mukondiwa
REPUTED comedian and rising socialite Skimbo Ziso Regondo (real name Tatenda Albert Matika) may have licked a lot of things in his time which have tickled his palate and left his taste buds yearning for more, yet it ironically is the worst dish that has given him the best results.

Having been abusively forced to lick the murderously un-groomed never-before-been-manicured foot of Zimdancehall artiste Lady Squanda, the only thing the pint-sized Skimbo thought he would contract was tongue warts, fungus and gingivitis.

And yet, what he contracted was, well, a contract that got him far off to England in his maiden trip out of this country and into fame.

After settling back from his fairy tale trip, Skimbo attests to having seen his career soar.

“It was a terrible experience,” says Skimbo of the tongue foot massage.

“But it opened doors for me and taught me that karma favours good people.”

He is right. His foray into England made sure that he rose to be a celebrated person and while his skits and disses may not have been that popular before he was abused, he has become a household name and attracted a respectable following.

Now, his skits go from zero to 1 000 views in the blink of an eye. Everyone wants to know what the talented jester has to say about events of the day or topical issues.

Suddenly he is a star.

“I managed to fly out on my first flight and gave a well-polished debut performance in front of crowds in four major cities in the United Kingdom including London, Luton and Leicester. The experience changed me and made me an even more focused professional.

“I want to build on that.”

After the UK event organisers ditched the abusive Squanda for Skimbo, the pain of the ill-conceived move must hurt Squanda to this day; never mind the painful reality of dwindling personal support, dying approval by promoters and the police still waiting for her to-well-put a foot wrong one last time and arrest her.

And in all this, one little man who rogues thought they had “fixed” is the one that came out big.

“I want people to continue promoting me and put together a serious campaign against abuse as well as a television concept,” says Skimbo.

He is certainly going to get endorsements and from eating dirty feet, he may just one day be eating caviar, sipping champagne and pampering that same tongue with all the best foods, thanks to Lady Squanda’s foot.

Who knows, if she comes back and brandishes it before him, Skimbo may not mind licking it yet again. This time, he may even become the first Zimbabwean to step on the moon!

Perhaps it can be said of the talented Skimbo that like the Chinese adage-cum-cliché, his journey of a thousand miles to the United Kingdom and great fame did indeed start with one step! Or is it more appropriately foot? — @zimrobbie

Her name is Rutendo Amanda Taruwinga. She is representing Bulawayo.

Below is her brief profile:

I’m a brilliant African belle, born and bred in the city of Kings and Queens. Born on May 4, 1995, I am a 21 year-old girl studying Human Resources Management with Great Zimbabwe Universtiy.

I am an outgoing person, goal getter who is jovial and spontaneous. I enjoy singing, listening to music, socialising and touring.

Winky D

Bruce Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
Winky D last Friday announced the release of the long awaited video for the hit song, Disappear.

“Winky D fans have been asking for this video, we do what we do because of the fans. And as I promised during Gafa Futi album launch that I would deliver the Disappear video before any other video, it was fitting to answer the Disappear question before I answer the latter – Panorwadza

Moyo, Twenty Five or Gafa Party questions,” said Winky D.

True to his word, The Gafa Life exponent debuted his video on BTV’s flagship music programme Flava Dome on Friday evening before releasing it on his official YouTube channel for online consumption.

While some fans would have been pleased with just having a video for the song, for the more critical and perhaps too expectant, the visuals for the runaway hit track contained more bark than bite.

The wait has been long for the chanter’s fans, who like most observers, have been baffled by his decision to sit on a potential gold mine by not making a video for a song that obliterated every chart in Zimbabwe and beyond after its release.

For over a year, the chanter played hide and seek, avoiding or ignoring questions and calls for a video for his hit song.

After the premiere of the video, the buzz and excitement about the video was muted while a rising tide of criticism started to bubble from those that had got less than they had bargained for after a year of waiting.

Perhaps it is the wait that killed the excitement.

One might question the wisdom of releasing the video when the song is no longer popular.

In modern times, videos have become more than the visual accompaniment for song but mini-movies that tell a story that complements what is said in the track. This is an element that seems to be lacking in the chanter’s video which was either made on the premise of a non-existent script or a flimsy one.

While his creative storytelling in songs suggests a man with a strong pen, for the making of this video, this ability seems to have disappeared along with the rest of the problems he so laments in the song. This is of course if he supplied the thin storyline to the Kyle White directed video.

Disappear managed to touch so many people because it gave a nod to the problems that people face in everyday life. Despite not prescribing any solutions to these troubles, his Oskid produced party anthem suggests that people can find smile, joy and party despite these problems.

This is not captured in the video however, with the few video vixens that Winky features in the videos hardly looking the type to be troubled by the problems printed on papers that he holds up to the camera in the video.

While it was undoubtedly a party song for the ages, the video fails to capture any festive mood, with Winky D and the few ladies that feature in the video hardly making up a crowd sufficient for a party. Thus the gyrating vixens that feature in the video are mere eye-candy, thereby making the video a throwback to earlier times when slapping a couple of beautiful ladies in front of the camera was enough to get a video attention.

The video’s one redeeming quality is that it perhaps announces Winky’s departure from the pool of Zimbabwean artistes that make the much lamented grainy videos. With such a high video resolution it is likely to rack in thousands of views on YouTube and bag Winky his much craved regional and continental recognition.

Cal_vin

Showbiz Reporter
THIS year’s Zim hip hop nominations list is out and Cal_Vin is leading the pack with seven nominations, veteran Jnr Brown has six while new kid on the block Takura has five.

The annual hip hop awards will be held on December 15 in Harare at 1+1 Plaza with a record 25 categories.

Founder of the awards Adrian “Beefy” Harrison said they wanted to hold the awards in Bulawayo but due to some challenges they faced, they decided to hold them in Harare.

“The awards were supposed to be held in Bulawayo this year but we faced challenges. Bulawayo has to wait for next year and we hope by then the challenges would have been addressed,” he said.

Check out the nominees below

Best male

Jnr Brown

Stunner

Takura

Cal_Vin

TiGonzi

Sharky

Best female

Black Perl

Tiara

Dice

AWA

Missy

Best Group

Kontrol Tribe

Burg Boyz

Winner Circle

Doller Sign Music

Yedu Entertainment

Best Producer

Yung Nash

Fun F

Charly Zimbo

Krimz Beatz

Tash Manhize

Best Newcomer

Sharky

Takura

Asaph

Huby Blakes

Tytan

Best Brand

Chibuku

Empire

SOG Clothing

Volt

Ethniq Inc

Best Album

Ti Gonzi – Hipu Hopu YekuGhetto

Cal_Vin – Planet Vin

Asaph – KingsVilla 2

Sharky – Soko Matemai

Tehn Diamond – A Few Good Poems

Best Promoter

Prezo

In The City

Zimboy

Jibilika

Shoko Festival

Best Diaspora

Karizma

YBK

GT Beatz

Flame Fleezy

Draze

Best Radio DJ

Krytic Igwe & Lampy (Diamond FM)

Mox (Star FM)

Butterphly (Power FM)

Prometheus (Power FM)

Danny That Guy (ZiFM Stereo)

DJ Emmity Smooth (Power FM)

Best Gospel

J Soldier

General Jay Tee

Jay Son

Prophecy

Courtney Antipas

Best Club DJ

Raydizz

The Family

TK Beatz

Korupt KIng

DJ Brew

Best Collab

8L ft Tocky – Mainini

DJ Tawaz – Mablesser

Jnr Brown ft Cal_Vin – Amen (Rmx)

Tehn Diamond ft Gze – Bho Tsano

Ti Gonzi ft Ras Caleb – Ende Makaoma

Best Underground

Psyko Tektonic

Jungle Kid

Meyniak

Flexxo

Alei

Best Online Media

Fokus Mag

Zimbuzz

Urban Culxure

Shonaboy

Zimtatainment

Spectrum

Best Hip Hop Hustle

Takura

Jnr Brown

AWA

Cal_Vin

Probeatz

Best Verse

Gze – Imhandu 2nd verse

Jnr Brown – Tongogara 3rd verse

Brian G – Skiri 1st verse

Cal_Vin – Mafacts

Sharky – Garai pasi

Best Dancer

John Cole

Tendai Guzha

MC Tatts

Mixxy

Sean Mumba

Billiard Kumbona

Best Dance Group

Lethal Firm

Supergeeks

House of Animates

Dance 1st International

Prototypes

Reflection

People’s Choice

Asaph

Cal_Vin

Ti Gonzi

Stunner

Jnr Brown

Schingy

Gze

AWA

MC Chita

POY

Best TV

Trey NCube – Basement Cyphers

Naboth Rizzla – Hiphop263

Nafuna TV – Nafuna Now

Miss V Candy and Mandisoul – Club E

Best Journalist

Tafadzwa Zimoyo (Herald)

Leroy Dzenga (Herald)

Sindiso Dube (NewsDay)

Bongani Ndlovu (Chronicle)

David Jerse (Zim Rap Cities)

Best Song

8L – Mainini

Takura – Zino Irema

Jnr Brown – Tongogara

Gze – Imhandu

Brian G – Skiri

Best Video

Dice ft Cal_Vin – RAD

Takura – MaObama

Karizma – Shisha Pipe

Stunner ft Sir Ford – Inna Me Head

Scrip Mulla – Inyanga

Manyonz ft Tagz and Jmak – Kutsvaga Mari

Best Alternative

Tehn Diamond

Tytan

Simba Tagz

XQ

Mzoe7

Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
ENVIRONMENTALISTS in conjunction with tour operators and hotels in Victoria Falls are organising a musical show to raise $50 000 which will be used towards fighting human-wildlife conflict. The first ever eco-musical event dubbed Elefenst2016 has been slated for December 17 at Riverside – on the edges of the Zambezi River.

Artistes from the resort town – Evicted, Mackay, Flying Bantu, Army and the Calamities, Kweseka Band, So Kindly and Bud Cockcroft & friends are billed to perform with more national artistes set to be unveiled.

Show organiser Guy Cockcroft said they wanted to raise funds to erect a solar electric fence around a dumpsite near Masue River. The project also includes setting up a string of beehives between Mkhosana suburb and the Chamabondo National Park and Zambezi National Park (elephants are afraid of bees) to prevent elephants from straying into human settlements as well as erecting another electric fence around the Big Tree where elephants have killed people before.

“The initial target is $50 000 but even if we reach this, plans are underway to make the fundraising an ongoing annual event,” Cockroft said.

“We hope to erect a fence around the dumpsite after realising that every night, there’re elephants and other species scavenging for food which end up eating plastics. An elephant eats about 2 000kgs of grass daily and that includes plastics and researchers from Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust have been finding dead animals with plastic in their abdomen.”

Elefenst2016 will be a family fun day as people are encouraged to come out to support the cause.

“We’re appealing for corporate sponsorship in cash or kind,” said Cockroft.

Organisations involved in the fundraising include Victoria Falls Green Fund, Environment Africa, Shearwater, Wilderness Safaris, Victoria Falls Hotel and Beauty Guest Lodge. Tickets for the show are already on sale with the cheapest being $10. VIP tickets are being sold for $60.

@ncubeleon.

Hazel Nhamburo

Her name is Hazel Nhamburo and she is representing Harare.

Below is her profile:

I am 21-years-old. I stay in Glen Norah A, Harare and I’m a part 2.1 student studying Local Governance at Great Zimbabwe University. After completing university studies, I aspire to become a local government practitioner, a well known lady inspiring other young ladies.

I like socialising, gardening and learning new things. My goals are to ensure that I become a great model in Zimbabwe and the world. Also, I’d like to see the modelling industry in Zimbabwe grow with a clean image so that it is recognised internationally.

The local modelling industry has been tarnished lately so as an up-and-coming model, I believe I’m responsible to prove to the people, through the media, that this is a confidence boosting industry which empowers women.

Gareth Cliff

After 11 seasons as a judge on Idols South Africa, radio star Gareth Cliff has decided to call it a day. Gareth made the shock announcement in a statement posted to his Facebook page yesterday.

“It’s time! After 11 seasons of Idols, it’s time for me to say goodbye. What better way to bring this chapter to a close than a trip to New York and meeting American Idols judge Harry Connick Jr and being on his post-Idols show – ‘Harry’,” Gareth wrote.

Though the presenter who hosts Cliff Central would not reveal his future plans, he told fans to “watch the space”.

Gareth’s relationship with Idols SA had been stormy, after he was fired from the show to which he took M-Net to court over the decision and was reinstated, with M-Net ordered to pay costs. He later told reporters at a news conference that he held no grudges against the show’s producers.

Gareth will leave at the end of this year’s ongoing season which this week saw the Top 3 being announced and fan favourite, Terra Cox leaving.

Cox’s exit proved that the audience had the final say when it comes to picking the winner. The blonde contestant was an early fan favourite but his recent song choices and performances left the judges underwhelmed and ultimately to him receiving the least number of votes for the week.

Next week, the top 2 will be announced ahead of the final stretch of the singing competition. — TimesLive/Jacaranda.

Trevor Dongo

Robert Mukondiwa
AFTER taking a sound hiding from a street vagrant who sells pirated audio and video discs at Fife Avenue shops in Harare, Trevor Dongo has flexed his muscles and suddenly fought back.

The Ndashamisika hit-maker after being thumped is now thumping the grind with a sizzling hot new video. His last video may have seen the apparent karateka being clobbered soundly as ‘fans’ of the free street fight cheered and recorded the encounter, now the next time we see Dongo in a video will be today when he drops a new positive video.

In what looks like a slick and cleanly produced video to the song Shoko Rerudo, Dongo delivers a beautiful comeback to show his fans that his bad spell did not distract him from developing his career and improving himself. It takes a man with an iron heart to ignore negativity and play the comeback kid and Dongo has done just that.

Dropping the trailer for the video at the weekend, Dongo immediately got immense love from fans who viewed it on social networking sites and groups, all of who predicted the release of a powerful music video.

In it, Dongo’s love interest is dining at his restaurant while the bad-boy turned lover-boy serves her as a waiter with slick dance moves.

It is such a sweet fairy-tale when someone waves a magic wand and dances their way out of trouble. He could not dance his way away from the hard whacking vagrant at Fife Avenue, but definitely Dongo will dance his way into his fans’ hearts again with the forthcoming video!

@zimrobbie.

Jah Prayzah and Winky D

Bruce Ndlovu/Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondents
IN what may turn out to be a shrewd move, Zimbabwean heavyweights Jah Prayzah and Winky D have been confirmed as performers at this year’s much anticipated Kalawa Homecoming party. They will clash on stage with some of South Africa’s biggest stars.

The cat was initially let out of the bag by Stiff member Diliza, who shared a picture of Jah Prayzah and Winky on his Facebook page in which he expressed his excitement at the prospect of sharing the stage with two of Zimbabwe’s hottest stars at the moment.

Silence from the organisers about this year’s event has seen the rumour mill go into overdrive, as expectant fans speculate on the identity of the artistes that are set to thrill Bulawayo on December 27.

Some of the names mentioned include Wololo hit-maker Babes Wodumo who it is thought will make a debut appearance in the City of Kings alongside her partner in crime and beau Mampintsha who will be coming as part of the ever popular Big Nuz.

With her abundant sex appeal and inimitable skills as a dancer, Babes is set to give Bulawayo its first taste of a Gqom, a first paced sub-genre of house music whose fire started in the streets of Durban, but has gone on to incinerate dance floors outside South Africa’s borders.

Veteran DJs Ganyani and Fresh have also been touted as possible showstoppers, while kwaito star Professor is also set to make another appearance in Bulawayo.

Kalawa Jazmee spokesperson Arthur ‘Scotch’ Mathenga confirmed that indeed Jah Prayzah and Winky D have been added to this year’s line up and in the same breath declined to confirm the South African acts.

“From Zimbabwe, we’ve Jah Prayzah and Winky D as part of the acts this year. However, whether Babes Wodumo, Professor, Big Nuz and the other artistes from South Africa are coming, I can’t confirm anything before the South African artistes have been cleared by the relevant authorities in Zimbabwe,” said Scotch.

Despite all these high profile names, it is the presence of Winky and Jah Prayzah that is likely to raise an eyebrow or two. Oskido’s Homecoming has usually been an all-South African affair, with a few Bulawayo acts sprinkled in to spice up the extravaganza.

The two thus become the first acts from the capital to grace the Kalawa shortlist which has not been short of star power in the last few years.

The shrewd Kalawa supremo seems to have his ear to the streets of the City of Kings, as appearances by the two this year have drawn phenomenal crowds that seem to defy the apathy that has characterised most high profile shows held in the city this year.

Scotch said the Homecoming party was not only reserved for Kalawa artistes.

“It’s a celebration of music across the floor. People may think that it’s a Kalawa affair perhaps because of the association of it with Oskido, but the party is for all artistes from around continent and globe.”

Provided that Jah Prayzah and Winky D do not make any appearances in the city before December 27, the move could be perfect as Winky D is yet to make an appearance in Bulawayo since the release of his hit-song packed album while Jah Prayzah is still basking in the glow of a victory at the prestigious MTV Africa Music Awards.

The names being bandied about for the show suggest that this year’s Homecoming gig will offer a mixed bag of talent, as Jah Prayzah and Winky D are artistically worlds apart from the likes of Babes and Professor. This is in contrast to last year’s show which was billed as a clash between feuding hip-hop overlords AKA and Cassper while 2014 saw Oskido bring a cast of much loved old school kwaito stars.

Presitige Motors car dealer with Cassper after Bentley purchase

Rapper, Cassper Nyovest has bought another Bentley, this time a Continental GT, worth R3.7 million. A Sandton car dealership, Prestige Marques took to social media to show off Cassper’s new purchase, with snaps of the rapper collecting his new car.

In one photo, Prestige Marques captioned: “Two Bentleys in 6 months! Glad we were able to help you source this beauty. God bless and many safe miles #anotherone #prestigemarques #wethebest @casspernyovest.”

Cassper purchased a Bentley from the same car dealership earlier this year. Idols judge and choreographer, Somizi Mhlongo also took to social media to congratulate his friend, Cassper. He tried being discreet by not mentioning the rapper’s name.

“My friend is going to kill me, but as u know me, I love celebrating success. Congrats. God bless you more. You’re the hardest under 30-year-old I know. Lunch is on me this weekend. I’m cooking. I didn’t say who.”

Cassper however, has not posted any pictures of his new ride after having made headlines earlier this month when a Sunday Sun report claimed that his first Bentley had gone “missing”. – DailySun/TimesLive

Melissa Mpofu, Showbiz Editor
PATIENTS at Mpilo Central Hospital will be spoilt tomorrow when Delta Beverages – organisers of the Biggest Braai Festival – donates six tonnes of meat to them.

Last month, Delta through its Castle brand, made a commitment to donate an equivalent amount of meat eaten at the festival in Harare to Mpilo and Harare Hospitals as part of their corporate social responsibility. A total of 12 463kgs of beef, chicken and pork were eaten at the successful braai which attracted about 5 000 people.

A ceremony has been lined up by Mpilo hospital where the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, David Parirenyatwa, is expected to receive the 6 140kgs meat on behalf of the patients. Montana Meats and Colcom have once again been tasked to supply the meat, though mostly beef will be donated as it has a longer shelf life.

Patricia Murambinda, Delta Beverages marketing manager said they were happy to be giving back to the community.

“Delta Beverages is not all about manufacturing and selling drinks to make a profit. We’re also about giving back to the very same community that has supported us over the years,” said Murambinda.

“Every glass of Castle that was raised at the braai in October went beyond the beer to help our brothers and sisters who are hospitalised.

“People came out in their numbers to support this worthy cause and we’re glad to be donating the meat to Mpilo for patients to also experience what others experienced at the braai.”