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FLORIDAH MAPETO

Sydney Kawadza Senior Writer —
Social media exponent Rumbidzai Floridah Mapeto will this year headline the 3rd Edition of the Zimbabwe Excellence Awards set for the Kelvin Grove Conference Centre in Newlands, Cape Town.

The awards are set for April 15 this year. Mapeto will be the host and MC the event organized by the Cape Town-based events company Shamstone Production and Entertainment.

The communications science and media student is touted as the most influential personalities with a large following of more than 20000 people on social meadia.

She also boasts of a dedicated audience that usually engages with her content while following her style and inspiration.

Mapeto is also credited for engaging her followers strategically and tactfully.

According to the event spokesperson Tracy Mutonhori, Mapeto has rarely had any run-ins with her audience making her engagement funnier and interesting.

“Rumbidzai will co-host the event alongside one of Cape Town’s top DJs’ Morgan Witness Chasara aka DJ Morgan Stitch,” she said.

Mutonhori said preparations for the awards were at an advanced stage.

“The 2016 edition of the awards was the most exciting of all because we managed to not only expose the winners of the small business awards but put Zimbabwe on the map.

“Especially when former South African President Thabo Mbeki mentioned and congratulated the famous N7 farmers from Malmesbury who turned farmland which was lying fallow into productive land.

“So we are going into the 3rd annual awards hoping for the replica of the 2nd Edition of the awards.”

Mutonhori said this year’s awards ceremony is going to be bigger and better.

“We have a lot of companies that have shown interest in sponsoring the awards and marketing their products and services to the Diaspora.

“Despite challenges faced by Zimbabweans in South Africa, most have managed, not only demonstrate their resilience, but contributed to the positive development of the City of Cape Town,” she said.

Mutonhori said these influential Zimbabweans have also employed their colleagues in their entities.

“As a result we seek to honour those individuals who are pushing boundaries and chasing their dreams.

“The awards are also aimed at encouraging and inspiring other Zimbabwe nationals and the local community to continue to thrive for excellence and success.”

She said the excellence awards also provide a perfect networking opportunity with influential people, business people and government leaders.

“They will be a voting system coupled with a panel of experts who will select the ultimate winners,” she said.

The Cape Town Zimbabwe Excellence Awards were initiated by Julius Shamu aimed at bringing the Zimbabwean community in the Mother City together and celebrate their achievements.

The awards acknowledge the excellence of Zimbabweans based in Cape Town in their successes in various fields. They also seek to recognise and acknowledge individuals and businesses that are flying the Zimbabwean flag high.

Organisers work in trying to assist the Zimbabwean Community in Cape Town through various initiatives such as sports, media, academic, businesses, and entertainment.

The awards are also meant to showcase to the South African community the positive contribution being made by Zimbabweans in Cape Town.

Past winners of the awards include Godfrey Madanhire (Overall winner), Tinashe Chaterera (Sports Personality of the Year), 2015 Business Organisation of the Year Award Moreboys Munetsi, Albert Zanganembo (Entertainment Personality of the Year) and Edmore Mazungunye (Community Leader of the Year).