'Prostitutes, dancers jealous of me,' says Zoey

The queen of poles - Zoey Sifelani's popularity among male revellers has undeniably made her unpopular among fellow dancers and ladies of the night.

This was evident during her recent visit to Bulawayo on Sunday where one dancer from the city interrupted the peak of her performance at Private Lounge. Zoey had successfully misled her patrons into believing she had been intimate with a male patron on stage with no panty on, only for the dancer to lift her dress to reveal that she had another panty, much to the dismay of many men. As if that was not enough, the dancer kept going to the DJ Box pleading with the DJ to disturb Zoey's playlist.

A disappointed Zoey was quick to establish who had lifted her dress and when she discovered it was a dancer from Bulawayo, she sighed before returning to the stage.

"Instead of taking notes from me, most of these dancers and prostitutes surprisingly feel threatened by me judging by their jealousy," said Zoey after her performance.

She said those who are threatened by her needed to know that she was just an entertainer, not a hooker.

"Most dancers nowadays are out to look for men as most of them used to be hookers. When they see me playing popular on stage with men throwing money at me, they'll be convinced that I'm out to take their potential clients.

"That's not the case as I'll be at work. I just want to entertain people and leave. I don't mix business and pleasure," she said.

The dancer said hookers should instead rejoice whenever she performs in their territory as she will set the pace for them.

"Prostitutes shouldn't be hurt when I perform as I actually entice clients by giving them a teaser. It's a strip tease after all so they can do the rest with their clients way after I leave the stage," she said.

Though she at times tries to ignore haters, Zoey feels if not dealt with, those jealous of her may cause harm.

"Last month, I was followed by a car to my house after my performance in Harare. As I got to the gate, I realised the car was parked behind mine. As the people tried to pounce, my cousin quickly opened the gate and I managed to escape," she said.

As a result of the continued hate, Zoey is planning a workshop where she will invite dancers and exchange notes with them and also impart her knowledge.

"Through my dancing and singing career, I've managed to buy a car as I charge like $500 for my performances, something I feel most dancers should emulate. I want to teach these girls the basics of the trade starting with how to bath, apply make-up and basic dance routines."
Zoey who has since turned into music said she wanted to be a versatile artiste.

"I want to be versatile because soon I'll be fat so I need a backup career. Fortunately, people have accepted my music especially the latest track, Muzvambarara," she said.

She said she was hard at work as she hopes to release her yet-to-be-named second album in the near future, a follow up to her Totsemukira album.

Other than that, Zoey, a mother of one, is a cross border trader who imports goods from Mozambique and South Africa where she also stages shows from time to time.  The dancer who was recently arrested for public indecency after images of her dancing with First Farai at a show in Harare went viral said the two will be staging a joint show they have dubbed – Farai meets Zoey at the City Sports Bar tonight.