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Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
REVELLERS danced themselves to a standstill as they remembered the hey days of Kudu Bar at Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama in Bulawayo on Tuesday night.
Most patrons asked for the popular bar to be re-opened.
Kudu Bar was the place to be for who’s who of the city with the bar recording over 4,000 revellers at a New Year’s eve gig in 2009.
The once popular nightspot was shut down after reports surfaced that youths were engaging in lurid sexual activities and drugs.
However, on Tuesday night it was reopened by 3D Events with Baller’s League DJs giving revellers a taste of how it was eight years ago.
DJs Kead Wikead (Club Eden), Mellow T and Slamma (Horizon Night Club) kept the dance floor packed alongside with 3D Events DJs Liz, Crazy Black, Slimza, Staffa, Nospa and Welly.
DJ Victor Bravo was the guest MC.
They moved from Old School hits to the latest music in house, Hip Hop, R&B and Kwaito and while they were doing so they would periodically chant the Bar’s catch phrase: “It’s Kudu Bar!” and the crowd would respond with an expletive “B****!
The bar area was a hive of activity with the hundreds buying the various drinks that were on offer.
A reveller, Mlungisi Moyo, said the night reminded him of fun times at Kudu Bar over eight years ago.
“The atmosphere tonight is just the same as it was years ago when the bar was open. It brought fond memories and with my friends here it reminded us of many wild nights we had here. They should bring bar the back, we miss it,” said Moyo.
Another reveller, Lilly Sithole, added: “When I heard they were opening the bar for one night and the Baller’s League DJs were on rotation, I said to my friends lets go even if it’s a Tuesday night. We’re reliving the days we had fun here. They’ve given us a taste of what we missed and we want Kudu Bar back,” said Sithole.
Mduduzi Mdlongwa of 3D Events said they wanted to see if the joint still had the punch of yester year.
“We wanted to see if Kudu Bar still had that effect on people and I’m glad to say it still has. Unfortunately it was for one night only,” said Mdlongwa.
Ballers League, which was founded by Bulawayo socialite and comedian Sikhonjwa and the late DJ Gunz in 2004, was known for organising shows and parties in the city.
They then incorporated DJs Kead Wikead, Beaster, Slamma and 5 Star to form Ballers League DJs which was a counter to Ivy League DJs that had a predominantly white following operating mostly at Ivy’s (Old Miltonians Sports Club).
Places like Kudu Bar, Bulawayo Athletic Club and Windermere Hotel were very popular with the city’s youth during the time Ballers League managed the joints.
After the Kudu Bar was closed, Ballers League “relocated” to Thabantshu Lodge, about 20km from the city.
In 2010 they went back to Kudu Bar and mid-year they took over Visions which was known then as Bar Labala. They took over Jock and Saddle before it was shut down for renovations and re-opened in 2013 as Club Eden under new management.
Online Reporter