Humble Bekezela won’t forget his past
Early show for Gwanda gospel enthusiasts
FROM a tender age, Bothwell Nkomo dreamed of being a musician, but never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would become a star and rub shoulders with some of the industry’s superstars.
Nkomo, known to his fans as Bekezela, said that besides his grandmother, it is his struggle with relocating from Bulawayo to Joburg that motivates and keeps him focused.
“Where I come from reminds and motivates me not to go back or end up where I started,” he said.
Nkomo went to South Africa a decade ago with the aim of enhancing his music career but, following a GOSPEL artistes from Matabeleland South and Bulawayo have teamed up to stage a thanksgiving show at the Brethren in Christ Church (BICC) hall in Gwanda tomorrow (Saturday).
The family show, that will start soon after midday, is being hosted by the artistes as a way of appreciating couple of obstacles, he had to become a waiter at a restaurant. “During my time as a waiter, I was put in one-week training in the kitchen. Besides the fact that I had never worked in a restaurant before, I didn’t find it that challenging as cooking is one of the things I enjoy. “I love cooking. I had to learn how to prepare the dishes I’d be serving to customers and that experience taught me to be humble,” he said. While waiting tables at the restaurant, Nkomo used his spare time to doubl e fans in Gwanda for their support during the annual Gwanda Gospel Festival that has been a resounding success since its inception in 2015.
For the past three years, the festival, a free for all event, has grown tremendously, even attracting gospel enthusiasts from across the country’s borders.
Running under the theme to the Almighty, together as will feature performances “Giving thanks one”, the show from Nkiwane, as an entertainer at the same restaurant and it was during one of his shows that he was spotted by singer Nathi Mankayi’s manager and Muthaland Entertainment business manager, Sipho Nyathela.
Nyathela gave him a call one day requesting a meeting. And, as they say, the rest is history. After signing with Muthaland, he released Amanzi (Water), a duet with Afro-pop singer Ntando Bangani, in April last year.
“With Ntando and me, there has always been that chemistry from the first day we met in Durban,” he said.
It was also last year that Nkomo’s talent was recognised back in his hometown when he won the best Afro soul song award with Bekezela at the Skyz Metro FM Awards.
The arts graduate said he looks up to Ringo, Caiphus Semenya and the late Busi Mhlongo as his inspiration. – Sowetan Tholakele “Sis Thoe” Ndlovu and Judith among others.
Working in partnership with BICC Gwanda under the leadership of Reverend Mhizha, the show will also serve as a build up to this year’s gospel festival that will be held at Pelandaba Stadium from September 7 to 9.
Event organisers said: “Sis Thoe, Judith and Nkiwane have been performing at the Gwanda Gospel show since its inception and feel appreciative to the Gwanda community hence the staging of this big show for their supporters.
“Abigail Mwembe is also billed to perform and will be promoting the Tonga language. She’ll also drop her award-winning Bulawayo Arts Awards and Skyz Metro FM song of the year, Ajane.”
Meanwhile, preparations for the Gwanda Gospel Festival are in full swing with the list of performers from South Africa and Zimbabwe being finalised. The festival, which is running under the theme, “The Walls of Jericho Did Fall”, will once again be hosted by Justice Maphosa’s Big Time Strategic Group in a bid to promote local and regional talent by praising and worshipping God.
The festival, that has been attracting thousands of people, has proven to be a major driver of religious tourism in the country and could just be one of the country’s top well organised festivals after the Harare International Festival of the Arts.