TOP South African artists Rebecca Malope and jazz legend Tsepo Tshola are set to headline a mega gospel musical gala set for Phelandaba Stadium in Gwanda next month, NewsDay can reveal.
By NQOBANI NDLOVUin Pretoria, South Africa
The festival, set for August 25 and 26, is expected to market the Matabeleland South capital.
The gospel gala, which is free of charge, will be sponsored by South African-based Gwanda-born businessman, Justice Maphosa, who poured in R1,9 million to hire gospel artists, pay them and transport them in four jets to Zimbabwe.
Maphosa is the chief executive officer of Big Time Strategies Consultants, a company with interests in the ICT world ranging from sales and retail, corporate, aviation, local government and various government projects in South Africa.
He said the idea behind the event was to market Gwanda and woo investors to the town and consequently turnaround its fortunes.
He said the organisers were bringing in tents, movable flushable toilets, fireworks, floodlights and equipment from South Africa.
“There is no cover charge and we are coming together as people from Gwanda and many others from other towns to praise and worship and pray for Gwanda.
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“It’s an event meant for us to profile Gwanda, to say, yes, Gwanda might be a small town but we are putting it on the map to show it’s ready for investment.”
He said the artists will sleep in Gwanda throughout the duration of the extravaganza and that would help market the sleepy town.
“We are also saying the corporate world can also come to Gwanda and host their conferences and many other events. As businesspeople we are saying we are from Gwanda and we have the confidence in the potential of Gwanda,” Maphosa said.
He said he took it upon himself to take the lead in marketing Gwanda in realization that “no one will do it for us.”
