Ministry puts foot down on Zodwa visit

It appears there is no agreement yet on South African dancer and socialite Zodwa Wabantu’s planned visit to Malawi.

A day after her Malawian host Myuziki Pusha Entertainment announced that she will  attend the Winter Amapiano Vibes as a visitor, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Michael Usi says Zodwa will not be allowed at the event.

Sounding a bit animated, the minister said yesterday that promoters of the show should stop toying with such an idea. He has accused the event organisers of playing tricks on the coming of the South African.

“This person has built her name by undressing and flaunting her nudity. That is all she does. So if they say they paid her to come here, what did they pay her for apart from displaying her nudity? What else does she have to offer apart from undressing herself?” said the minister.

However, Usi said Zodwa is welcome to come to Malawi anytime but not for this specific event. He said her reputation is not in tandem with the Malawian culture and the moral standards of the country.

He said: “As a ministry, our stance on her coming for this event is negative. I would advise them to stop promoting their event using her name.”

But in a separate interview, the event’s promoter Biggie Lu said Zodwa will come to Malawi regardless. He wondered why the ministry is coming in now when advertising of the event started long time ago.

“We already paid these people in advance. There is a lot of money that has been spent and where am I going to recoup that money? Zodwa will not perform,” he said.

Yesterday, Zodwa released a video clip in which she expressed her excitment on coming to Malawi.

She said: “I won’t be performing but I am coming as a guest. I will be fully dressed, I will sit down, I will comply with the rules and I will just take pictures with my fans.”

The South African was initially unveiled as host for the Winter Amapiano Vibes scheduled for June 10 at The Dominics Hotel in Blantyre.