Chronicle EditorJohnsias Mutonhori, Midlands Bureau
A highly-anticipated show headlined by South African rapper Cassper Nyovest in Gweru on Saturday night turned chaotic as frustrated fans resorted to violence over delays in the main acts taking the stage.
The event featured an extensive line-up, and fans had expected performances to start earlier. However, the main acts only began appearing around 2:00am, sparking outrage among attendees.
In protest, some fans hurled missiles onto the stage, damaging lights, sound equipment, and injuring some people – mainly those in the VIP section.
The concert’s supporting line-up included Saintfloew, Holy Ten, Bagga, Nisha Ts, Ba Shupi, Kayflow, Washaa T, Tune Master, and eight relatively unknown artistes. While the event officially started at 6:00pm, DJs, who were meant to warm up the crowd, dominated the night until 2:00am, with only a sporadic performance by Ba Shupi.
As frustration mounted, some fans began questioning whether Cassper Nyovest was even at the venue, suspecting that his appearance on the flyer had been a marketing gimmick.
“I don’t think Cassper Nyovest is here. If he was, we would have at least seen a supporting act warming up the stage for him,” shouted an irate fan from the crowd.
“These guys tricked us! We paid US$50 just to listen to DJs playing music all night?” a disappointed VIP ticket holder fumed.
Tensions boiled over as the crowd turned violent, throwing objects onto the stage and forcing a total shutdown of lights and sound for approximately 45 minutes. The chaos only subsided when Nisha Ts took the stage, calming the angry audience.
Local artistes then performed in quick succession, scrambling for the little time remaining. Cassper Nyovest, who had arrived in Harare the previous day and made an appearance at a local venue in the capital, finally performed at around 3:00am.
Despite the earlier turmoil, Nyovest delivered a high-energy performance, leaving fans craving more. However, due to time constraints, many felt short-changed.
“All the artistes on the poster performed, but the way it was structured felt rushed and disappointing,” a fan remarked after the show.
Event promoter Wayne Dungeni acknowledged the issues and promised improvements for future shows.
“We did not anticipate the violence, and some delays were beyond our control. However, the level of chaos was unexpected, and we are investigating the cause. We aim to do better next time,” he said.
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