adminCELEBRITY life can be sweet and brutal at times.
Fans look up to this section of people with high expectations.
The majority of their followers believe they are living large yet some of them would be suffering behind closed doors.
Those who managed to handle fame and fortune, are now enjoying the fruits of their sweat.
Most of these personalities come from such popular disciplines as sport, music, pageantry, film and television, among others.
Once they rise to fame, their lives will always be under the microscope.
However, it’s high time it should be noted that celebrities are not immune to the challenges we face as ordinary folks.
They can also fail to pay bills, struggle to bring food on the table and even to provide shelter for themselves.
Celebrities are also not immune to sickness, ridicule and gender-based violence.
In yesterday’s issue, we carried a sad story about former Miss World Zimbabwe 2003, Phoebe Monjane.
She is now a pale shadow of her former self after she fell on hard times.
As we exclusively revealed, Phoebe seems to have lost the plot in Johannesburg.
She is said to be roaming the streets of the City of Gold, in the company of drug addicts.
The former top model is also believed to be sleeping on the streets, after her fallout with a white man she once stayed with.
She is said to be dining with street kids, popularly known as “Nyaope Boys” as well as taking illicit drugs.
How the script horribly went wrong is a question for another day.
Currently, Phoebe needs our help to ensure that she starts afresh.
Ridicule and name-calling will not only worsen her situation but continue to tarnish our image as a country.
All she needs now is help in form of rehabilitation and later economic empowerment to ensure we give her a life.
It’s never too late for Zimbabweans to put their hands together and assist her.
Of course, she has been accused of squandering money on drugs but Phoebe deserves another chance.
Her case is also a lesson to other celebrities who are wallowing in poverty – both locally and beyond our borders.
As a loving nation, we should always help each other and stop demonising people in despair.
In life, we should also note that tables can always turn and our celebrities are the worst affected since their lives are ALWAYS in the spotlight.
However, there is always need to invest and diversify once we make it to the top.
Fame is short-lived but lifetime investment will always save future generations.
As a way forward, let’s embrace our celebrities/influencers in both good and trying times.
Helping each other in trying times is the best thing to do as a nation.
As usual, let’s spare a thought for those in need of moral support and financial help.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter