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Tafadzwa Zimoyo recently in SANDTON, South Africa
It was a grand spectacular and a star attraction.
Perhaps this could be the best way to describe the tour of South Africa over the weekend by local choral group, The Vine, to promote its latest album titled “The Great Physician”.
Held at the giant Pavilion of Sandton Convention Centre, which has a capacity of 4 500, the show saw thousands of people from all walks of life attending.
And The Vine did not disappoint the fans — the choir had a dazzling show befitting the occasion.
What made the tour unique was that there was a fusion of Zimbabwean musicians and others from South Africa, who all performed.
The cast included Soweto Gospel Choir, Mahalia Buchanan, Mabongi Mabasa Fero, Benjamin Dube, Ntokozo Mbambo, Xolly Mncwango and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, all from South Africa.
From Zimbabwe were The Vine choir led by its director, Everton Mlalazi, and Minister Michael Mahendere.
The Vine and Mahendere’s performances clearly showed that local gospel musicians can compete against musicians from other countries.
And the stage work designed by Events Evolution, a Zimbabwean company whose staff had to travel to South Africa for the event, was superb.
The lighting was great, the sound was good and the stage settings were perfect.
There was also the red carpet affair to talk about, where guests were treated as royalty, posing for video and photos by the giant banners erected at the entrance.
Even though the show had free entrance, VIP guests had to register to ensure they were treated according to their status.
It appeared the singers’ melodious and sweet voices drew everyone close to God, judging by the atmosphere of joy and celebration that engulfed the venue.
The line up proved to be the favourite for most people in the crowd, as every song was a sing-along.
And by the end of the The Vine’s performance, South African media representatives were already commending the group, saying they were underrating it before its performance.
It would not be surprising if The Vine could, in the near future, follow South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir in getting attraction from international awards.
The group delivered songs from “The Great Physician” such as, “The Great Physician”, “God Can”, “Inyang’Enkulu”, “Ndimi Simba”, “Psalms 94”, “Mngane Wami”, “Prayer” and “Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Saviour”.
Rave reviews were coming from fans, especially the South Africans who described the show as a masterpiece.
“Well, this was my first time seeing a Zimbabwean choral group performing this much,” said Tshepiso Mpulanga from Pretoria. “I came here because I wanted to see my Bishop Benjamin Dube performing.
“But what I witnessed is amazing. In this direction, Zimbabwe is destined for success. Thank you for coming. I didn’t attend the album launch, but I am happy with what I saw.” She said the Zimbabwean musicians had raised the bar.
“We are used to this set up, but having a foreign artistes coming to conquer your space is something different,” said Mpulanga. Hosts of the show, South African musician and winner of the eighth season of Idols South Africa, Khaya Mthethwa, backed by Mlalazi daughters Natasha and Keisha, sailed flawlessly through their presentation.
The Mlalazi girls, who were coached by radio and television personality Rebecca Muchenje, surprised many by their top notch presentation.
It was more emotional and sweet at the same time when Natasha introduced her dad to the audience as he was about to take to the stage.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Mlalazi said he was happy with the turnout and, most of all, the set up.
“You know, in a foreign land you will be sceptical to achieve your goals, but I am happy that everything came out as planned,” he said.
“We want to conclude this tour across Africa. We are targeting Nigeria, Namibia and with God’s grace we want to perform in the United States. It was worthwhile uniting regional artistes under one roof.”
Mlalazi said even though he was focusing on his solo career, he was still part of The Vine.
Online Reporter