adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
VIOLENCE reared its ugly head at a Zimdancehall show as Palace Gardens and Hotel in Bulawayo was pelted with stones and beer bottles by angry fans after Soul Jah Love failed to perform at the venue.
This is not the first time that Soul Jah Love has failed to perform at a show as he did the same a stone’s throw away at Club Forty 40 last year.
Fans outside the venue were baying for Soul Jah Love’s blood, whose whereabouts were unknown after briefly appearing on stage to chant “Chibababa, conquering shumba” continuously before leaving the stage.
After that the DJs started playing music to warm up the fans but after an hour of waiting, fans were becoming restless as the show had not started.
Some started chanting Int’ oyenzayo siyayizonda, a popular song sung by Highlanders Football Club faithfuls when their team is losing or not playing well.
After a brief pause, the cans and rocks started raining on the stage with most aimed at the DJ booth, whose occupants scurried for cover. This reporter, who was watching from a vantage point on the right hand side of the stage, was not spared as a rock whistled past his head in the melee.
Thereafter fans moved outside and started singing songs denouncing Chibaba Chacho and calling him to come and refund them their $5 entry fee.
Scores of fans gathered outside the hotel and pelted the venue with various objects. They started with the entrance and realising that there was no damage, targeted the windows of the hotel and the bottle store.
Taxis drivers who had parked outside the venue in anticipation of business after the show quickly moved out of the ‘war zone’ as their cabs were also in danger.
A kombi was unfortunate to have been linked to the one that had ferried Soul Jah Love and had its wind screen damaged by the fans. Some wanted to burn it.
After wave after wave of attacks on the building, someone shouted out “police” and everyone ran towards 11th Avenue. It was however, a small contingent of about 10 police officers and when the crowd realised that the law enforcement agents were heavily outnumbered, they returned and started the carnage all over.
This reporter, sensing danger, left the scene and watched from a distance. The violence continued until 3AM. When sought for comment, Soul Jah Love’s mobile phone was unreachable.
The promoters of the show were also not reachable on their mobile phones.
Online Reporter