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From left: Cynthia Mare, Zahara and BaShupi do their thing

Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Entertainment Reporter
South African music sensation Zahara was the toast of the night at a charity benefit concert held over the weekend at the 7 Arts Theatre.
The “Loliwe” hitmaker was on point and she delighted her fans including Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, who was among the guests at the fund-raising show meant for the Tokwe-Mukosi flood victims.
Zahara, who has performed in Harare on a number of occasions, must have felt like she was performing before a home crowd as the crowd sang along to all her classic hits including two songs by the late great  Brenda Fassie.

Backed by two vocalists with whom she often referred to as beautiful, Zahara would not indulge the crowd, who wanted her to comment on the recently held elections in her homeland.

“All I know is uMadiba and not about the elections,” she said.
But perhaps the musician was displaying yet another element of her gross ignorance, which sometime back saw her declaring that her first visit to Zimbabwe was also her first time to be in Africa. But her musical ability is beyond question.

Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere (third from left) and some revellers try to outdo each other on stage during Zahara’s performance

She effortlessly delivered a good show despite the death of her brother some two weeks ago.
The song “Incwad Encane”, which features Zimbabwe’s own George Munetsi had everyone on their feet.

Surprisingly, Zahara sang well the Shona part, better than most of the Zimbabweans who attended the show.
And she looked awesome in dress and the Afro hairstyle which worked so well for her.

However, Zahara, who is also the brand ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, almost raised the ire of the audience when she said she was pleased to perform at the “free” show when, in fact, fans had paid up to US$20 for a ticket.

Other performing artistes who thrilled the crowd included Tanga wekwa Sando, who performed two songs one of which was meant to raise environmental awareness.

Spotting a cap written “Boys Dze- Tonaz”, Tanga is happy to be associated with township love as well as music.
Although the fans had wanted his classic hit “Wake” Tanga chose to play “Buhera” .

Later, the fun continued with BaShupi, who doubled as an emcee.
BaShupi serenaded music lovers with a medley of songs including “Tunonaka”, “Mai Mwana Muri Chocolate” and “Godo” which he jokingly performed in Chinese and English, proving his showmanship.

To most people BaShupi is not just a musician, but a performing artiste whose versatility endears him well to fans.
He recently promised fans to pull a Mitchell Jambo stunt through recording popular songs by other artistes.

The Green ambassador Derek Mpofu, who opened the show, made his presence felt when he performed songs that raise environmental awareness.

However, the good thing about his music is that it is enjoyable and danceable. He took control of the crowd from start to finish. Pastor Stanley Gwanzura made a surprise appearance alongside Derek, much to the delight of the crowd. The song “Chisikana Changu Zimbabwe” to which he likens the beauty of a woman to Zimbabwe’s flora and fauna, was probably the highlight of his act.

The show, dubbed “Green Concert”, lived up to its billing and those that attended had fun. Hopefully, every dollar made would go towards charity.