Chirisa’s 19-show Joburg tour signals growing Zimbabwe comedy movement

Gift Moyo

Comedian Frank Chirisa is set to embark on an ambitious 19-show Johannesburg Comedy Clubs Tour in South Africa, where he will perform at some of the city’s top comedy venues, including Funny Galore, Artistry and Monaco, among other locations.

Chirisa has cemented himself among Zimbabwe’s most active and talked-about comedians this year, with close to 40 performances already lined up in 2026 — a figure significantly above the average for comedians on the local circuit.

“The main reason I’m going on this tour is to test whether my jokes can cross over to other countries. I don’t want to be one of those comedians whose material only works in Bulawayo or Zimbabwe. I’m going to South Africa to challenge myself and to learn,” said Chirisa.

“I’ll be doing stand-up every day for 17 consecutive days and will share stages with some of South Africa’s biggest comedic names such as Dillan Oliphant and Tsitsi Chiumya, among others.

“In the early days of my career, I learnt a lot from South African comedians because they have one of the strongest comedy scenes on the continent. To now be performing in the same spaces as them gives me invaluable ideas on how we can grow and improve comedy spaces in Zimbabwe,” he said.

The upcoming tour marks Chirisa’s second comedy tour of South Africa within six months and presents another opportunity for the rising comic to showcase Zimbabwean comedy on a bigger stage.

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