Sizinda has got Talent Season 3 on

Peter Matika Senior Leisure Reporter
SEASON 3 of the Sizinda has got Talent competition has roared into life, with the third stage of the auditions being held yesterday at the recently renovated Sizinda South Beer Garden.
Hundreds of hopefuls have been auditioning to stand a chance of making a breakthrough into the various categories of the showbiz industry such as music, dance, poetry, comedy and many more.

The event, which runs for about six weeks, is one of the few talent search programmes in Bulawayo that has become the major platform to churn out artistic talent.

The competition is among talent search competitions such as the Amakhosi Cultural Centre’s Dreams to Fame and Iyasa’s Isiphiwo Sami talent competition.

The show, which has become a popular feature every year during the month of March, has identified and developed a brood of talented young up-and-coming youths.

In an interview the director of the competition, prominent businessman Donald Ndebele, said the competition had attracted the attention of areas such as Nkulumane, Nketa, Njube, Mpopoma, Matshobane and Tshabalala to mention a few.

“We held a day-long road-show to announce the season. The first and second auditions have already started and are being held every Saturday until we get to the season finale in April. We have magnificent support from the corporate world and this is what makes this competition a success,” said Ndebele.

He said the competition sought to identify four contestants from each stage, who would battle it out for the top position at the season finale.

“When we host the semi-finals we want to reduce the number of the contestants to 10. These 10 contestants will battle it out in the finals, which will downsize the number to three. This year we want the competition to be different and have people taking part in the voting criteria. We also want to introduce a golden mic award, similar to that of South African Idols concept, where the worst performers get a chance to try and redeem themselves,” he said.

Ndebele mentioned that the introduction of such projects was in line with Ingwebu’s vision to promote communities.
He said it was a social responsibility, which they had taken to see that various communities in Bulawayo were developed.

“It is our social responsibility to see that our communities are developed. This is in line with Ingwebu’s policy to assist in the development of the community. We are taking it a step further through identifying talent and promoting it,” he said.

He added that since the auditions began the audience was growing bigger.
“This is one of the major highlights of the neighbourhood and it is a source of entertainment for people. The competition is not limited to one type of talent but anything goes,” Ndebele added.

Ndebele has also done several renovations at the beer garden in an effort to spruce up the Sizinda suburb image.
“The renovations are also meant to spruce up the image of the suburb. We hold various shows here and we want the community to feel at home in a healthy and clean environment. The renovations and developments we have done here are similar to those done at pubs and nightclubs around the city,” he said.