GLITZ AND GLAM
IT WAS a race day to remember as celebrities, revellers and punters took in all that the 2019 Vodacom Durban July had to offer at the Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse.
South African stars brought glitz and glamour to the Stars of Africa theme at the Vodacom Durban July yesterday. Among those seen were Boity Thulo, Cassper Nyovest and DJ Sbu, Khanyi Mbau and Zodwa Wabantu. For the second year running the race was won by Do It Again.
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ALWAYS one for a fashionable entrance, Bonang Matheba made her first appearance at the Vodacom Durban July in years looking like a goddess, slaying in a beaded Gert-johan Coetzee gown that had heads turning.
The media personality, reality show star and MC was stationed at the Vodacom VIP paddock – her MCC House of BNG had a lounge at the marquee.
“I’ve not had a reason to come to the Vodacom Durban July until now. I only go out when I’m working and I have the house of BNG lounge here, so why not?” she said.
This weekend called for a celebration for the star as she celebrated her birthday recently.
“I’ve had a good run this year. My movie ‘Public Figure’ is doing great, my reality show starts soon… I’m having a great 2019,” she added.
Durban’s premier horse racing event at Greyville yesterday brought together celebrities, punters, entertainers and racing fans from across the country.
With the theme of the day being “Stars of Africa” the outfits were overthe-top in African prints, sequins, embroidery, and lace paired with head pieces fit for queens and kings.
Inspired by Once Upon An African Future, visual vibrancy and cultural significance defined this year’s event as three of South Africa’s influential designers – Laduma Ngxokolo of Maxhosa Africa, Rina Chunga Kutuma of Ri.ch Factory and Sindiso Khumalo – brought Afrofuturistic elegance to their runway collections.
In collaboration with Vodacom Red, the designers each created 10 Afrofuturism-inspired looks, presenting their idea of an African future that is optimistic, chic, vibrant and relevant, with powerful symbols of cultural transference appearing within their individual aesthetics.
“In creating the Once Upon An African Future theme, Vodacom Red collaborated with some of the continent’s most exciting creative minds to bring about truly inspiring, worldclass work. The collaboration really captured the essence of what it means to be African and an excitement about the future. As a brand, we are proud to be a partner of this amazing project,” says Michelle van Eyden, head of Vodacom sponsorships.
The collections ran the breadth of style, with silhouettes ranging from cocktail to day time, avant-garde and night time garments, each receiving enthusiastic reaction from guests at the VIP Paddock, a veritable who’s who including Matheba, DJ Zuma, Maps Maponyane and Minnie Dlamini.
“Literally being a child of the SADC region – I was born in Zambia, raised in Botswana and SA is my home – it has been inspiring for me to have worked alongside Vodacom Red to celebrate our innate sense of Ubuntu. I believe the African aesthetic is evolving.
“It’s borrowing from the past, and visualising the future to believe in the present. It’s an exciting time to be creative on the continent,” said Kutuma.