Mukanya Beitbridge-bound:
CHIMURENGA musician Thomas Mapfumo says he is geared to stage a memorable gig in Beitbridge that is likely to reunite him with some of his fans based in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
After two unfortunate assignments in Gweru and Bulawayo last week, Mukanya, as Mapfumo is popularly known, believes the Beitbridge show will breathe life into his nationwide tour that will run until December 31.
The Beitbridge show takes place at Pagomba Café tomorrow.
The musician’s publicist Blessing Vava said the previous setbacks will not dampen Mukanya’s spirit.
“We are proceeding with the tour as planned and we can say Gweru and Bulawayo incidents taught us a lot about this tour. There are many things that we had overlooked that have been taken care of and we have plugged the loopholes,” said Vava.
“Mukanya is ready to rock Beitbridge and the team is raring to go. We have been rehearsing for the event over the past week and we are confident that things will go well in the border town.”
Mukanya’s Gweru show failed to take place after engineers failed to get an electric cable that was needed to connect the PA system from a distant power point.
In Bulawayo, the Chimurenga musician had a poor turnout because of marketing glitches and heavy rains that fell on the night of the show.
However, reports from Beitbridge indicate that fans in the town are eagerly awaiting the show, with some Zimbabweans from the Limpopo province having shown interest to attend the concert.
An official at Pagomba Café said they have marketed the show in many Zimbabwean parts around Beitbridge and they have also spread the message across the Limpopo River.
“We distributed flyers and posters in areas like Masvingo, Ngundu, Gwanda as well as Musina and Polokwane in South Africa. Most people in Beitbridge have been talking about the show and we have also receveied numerous calls from South Africa.
“People are willing to come for the show and I am confident that we will have good numbers,” noted the official.
After the Beitbridge performance, Mukanya will be in Masvingo on Saturday while next week he travels to Mutare. He will also stage shows in Kadoma, Victoria Falls and Kariba before rounding off the tour with a New Year’s Eve performance in Harare.