BY PRESTIGE MUNTANGA
SOME Bulawayo artists have condemned the government for banning all public gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of COVID -19.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga who doubles as Health minister on Saturday imposed a blanket ban on all public gatherings, including live musical shows, with effect from today, with a maximum of 30 people allowed at funerals.
The artists felt hard done by the ban that came barely two days after President Emmerson Mnangawa had authorised the re-opening of the showbiz sector.
Since March last year, physical gatherings for live concerts have remained banned as part of a raft of measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus and as a result, most artists are struggling to survive.
Some artists who spoke to NewsDay Life & Style said they were disappointed about the government’s stance.
Musician and comedian Mothusi Bashimane Ndlovu, popularly known as Madlela Skhobokhobo said; “I was very devastated when i heard that we are going to another lockdown for three weeks, but there is nothing we can do because our lives are so precious we have to be safe.”
“It was indeed good news to hear last week when the president announced that we can hold shows at a maximum number of 50 people, though the number was small, but we welcomed the announcement. We were praying that the number goes up soon.”
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Rising singer Alan Hlatshwayo said they were hoping that doing more live concepts will help them gain popularity.
“It is hard to gain recognition especially when you are new to the industry. Our hope was that since the President had heard our plights and allowed us to hold live shows, we were going to do more shows to showcase our talent,” he said.
