adminBongani Ndlovu Entertainment Correspondent
NIGHTSPOTS in Bulawayo cashed in on the Zimbabwe Warriors clash with Libya in the Orange Africa Nations Championships (Chan) tournament semi-final played in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
Partisan patrons drowned their sorrows well into the night arguing over Prophet Blessing Chiza’s “prediction” after the Warriors lost 4-5 to Libya in a tense penalty shootout.
A snap survey by Chronicle Entertainment revealed that some nightspots served the wise waters well into the early hours of Thursday as they chose to stay longer and debate on the Zimbabwe-Libya match.
The manager of Cape to Cairo bar Bheki Ndebele said they made a “killing” despite the Warriors’ loss.
He said even though there was a power cut at 1AM some fans did not want to leave the bar. “We had big screens and by 4PM the bar was full. We made money despite the Warriors’ loss. I had to order more crates of alcohol at 7PM,” said Ndebele.
He said as part of the fun, the nightspot selected one patron who was considered the best Warriors supporter who got six pints of beer for free.
As the night wore on, fans stayed drinking while debating on what Prophet Chiza had wrongly prophesied.
“What is this? I told you of these Pentecostal churches. All they want is attention and your money. Look, his prediction is false. What should we do now?” asked an emotional Gerald Mpofu after the match at a local bar where Chronicle Entertainment watched the game.
Another patron, Joseph Nyoni fumed: “That is why I do not go to church, these prophets lie. I know that he will hide behind the fact that he said ‘If the Warriors believe.’ That is not an excuse, he said we will win three nil but we lost on penalties.”
His drinking partner was of a different view saying, Prophet Chiza had given Zimbabwe hope of a win, but it was not in God’s plan for the Warriors to win.
“My friend, the prophet said if they believe. It is not his fault that the players did not believe. We know that some players and coaches use juju. I will not be surprised if we find out that one of the players used juju,” said Marshal Moyo.
When all this was happening, beer was flowing. When music was played some patrons took to the dance floor.
During the match at one nightspot in Southwold, people were chanting in unison, “Zikeeper! Zikeeper! Zikeeper!” as George Chigova saved penalties.
However, after Libya scored the winning penalty, fans were dejected after realising that Prophet Chiza’s prediction was not accurate.
While some decided to continue arguing over Prophet Chiza and his vain prophecy, others decided to watch the Nigeria and Ghana match which the Black Stars won 4-1 in a another penalty shootout after the teams were deadlocked nil all after extra time.
The Warriors will meet the Super Eagles as they fight for third place today.
Online Reporter