ZIMBABWEAN music promoters operating in South Africa have been given a major boost after more than 1 500 revellers turned up for Junior Spragga’s Streetlight Party in Pretoria on Sunday.
The show, organised by Oil Company Promotions, also featured Mr Attention, but it was Junior Spragga who had the crowd in the palm of his hand when he came on stage just before midnight.
The “Daka” hitmaker, who is currently enjoying a strong run on the Zimbabwean music scene, kept the crowd going with a performance that went into the early hours of Monday morning.
For Oil Company Promotions boss Bonfree Matavanda, however, the biggest story was not just the performance, but the turnout.
He said the response from Zimbabweans living in South Africa had given promoters confidence after a difficult period in which protests targeting foreigners disrupted the entertainment industry and left some Zimbabweans displaced.
“We took our time carefully planning and checking the security concerns after the protests against foreigners,” Matavanda said.
“We are pleased to announce that after this event, we as promoters in South Africa have hope that the industry is open again.”
A number of Zimbabwean musicians had their South African shows affected during the period of unrest, with Sungura king Alick Macheso and Seh Calaz among artistes who were forced to cancel shows because of security concerns.
Against that background, the success of Sunday’s event was seen by Matavanda as an important yardstick for promoters hoping to revive the cross-border entertainment circuit.
“We were overwhelmed by the support we received from Zimbabweans living in South Africa,” he said.
Oil Company Promotions has over the years established itself as one of the regular promoters of Zimbabwean musicians in South Africa.
The company has staged shows featuring Freeman, Sulu Chimbetu, Killer T and Holy Ten, among others.
Matavanda attributed the company’s consistency to hard work and a commitment to putting on shows for the Zimbabwean community.
“We always work hard to give our best and that has made us a household name within the Zimbabwean community in South Africa,” he said.
Sunday’s Streetlight Party appears to have strengthened that position, with the sizeable turnout providing a timely reminder of the appetite for Zimbabwean music among audiences across the Limpopo.
And Matavanda is already looking ahead.
He said the company was planning bigger events, with Hulungende and another yet-to-be-announced act lined up for its annual Christmas party.
“We are going bigger as our standards,” he said.
