Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
IN social media spaces, it’s called blue-ticking!
In a spectacular display of digital panhandling gone wrong, down-on-his-luck Nkayi-based crooner Sikhosana Buhlungu is finally throwing in the towel on his pitiful GoFundMe beg-a-thon after scraping up a paltry £86 in TWO MONTHS!
His desperate plea? A cool £4 000 for a car to “ease his journey as an artiste.” Spoiler: Zimbabwe wasn’t buying it.
The “Ntethe” one-man-band, whose dreams of a shiny new ride have crashed headfirst into Zimbabwean reality, announced on Friday he’s shutting down his online donation page this Sunday.
The saga began in June when Buhlungu, hat firmly in hand, directed a cringingly, “respectful” public plea to flamboyant businessman Sir Wicknell Chivayo – the Sugar Daddy of Zimbabwean showbiz. Chivayo, famed for dropping $150k Mercs like confetti on stars like Jah Prayzah, Sandra Ndebele, and even comedian Kapfupi, responded with a deafening silence.
Some have dismissed Buhlungu as suffering from “chronic beggar syndrome” – a diagnosis gaining traction online.
The real sting comes from Nkayi itself. Just a few years ago, touched by his (then) struggling story, ordinary Zimbabweans dug deep. They built him a homestead and bought his family a herd of cattle!
Organised by Lethukuthula Ndlovu, the GoFundMe campaign became a joke.
Stuck at a dismal £86, it stands as a brutal referendum on Buhlungu’s dwindling appeal and the public’s charity fatigue. His Friday Facebook farewell – thanking the “few who tossed coins in the hat” – reeked of wounded pride and defeat.
“Salibonani Bahlonipheki, ngithanda ukubonga labo abambalwa abaphoselileyo esambeni. Lomkhankaso ngizawuvala nge Sonto. Ngilizwile konke elikutshiloyo njalo ngiyabonga,” read his post accompanying a screengrab of the £86 on GoFundMe
Is Sikhosana Buhlungu a genuine artiste down on his luck, or a professional victim exploiting Zimbabwe’s famed generosity?
All eyes are on Sunday. Will Sikhosana truly “vala” (close) this chapter of humiliation, or is another public plea lurking just around the corner? One thing’s clear: Zimbabwe’s patience, and purse strings, are wearing dangerously thin. – Follow on X @MbuleloMpofu
