Afrika Revenge joins Tuku for SA show

"They are good in music but that split cost them a lot. They are now back together and they deserve our support as promoters so that they find their footing again" Good times seem to be slowly rolling back for Afrika Revenge.

After their performance at Konshens gig at Old Georgians Sports Club two weeks ago, the "Wanga" hitmakers are set to travel to South Africa to share the stage with Oliver Mtukudzi at Bassline in Johannesburg on Friday.

The show is branded "Belated Tuku Birthday Celebrations" to mark the musician's 63rd birthday and a number of Zimbabwean artistes will perform.

Urban grooves musician Nox, Shamie (of the Shame and Nathan duo) and TMula will also be part of the event.

It will be a good comeback tour for the Afrika Revenge duo that has been struggling to bring back their glory days since reuniting last year.

Before splitting, Afrika Revenge was rated as the next big thing on the music industry and was at one point said to be a serious threat to Mtukudzi because their music had taken the showbiz scene by storm.

Hits "Wanga", "Buwe Buwe" and "Hello" were exciting.

There was no doubt that Willis Wataffi and Mehluli "Taz" Moyo were a formidable combination. They were slowly making inroads on the international market when they went separate ways and their fans were disappointed.

The split affected the duo's promising career but they never said why they separated.

Although Willis continued with music, he could not make the impact they had made as a joint force.

Then they decided to reunite after eight years.

The reunion was probably made easy because Taz took most of his time pursuing something outside music. Taz released the single "Idolophansi" that only attracted attention for a short time.

Their reunion has not brought the expected results yet since the group has not been able to bring back the glory of their old days.

However, the new performance contracts for international shows could breathe a new lease of life to Afrika Revenge.

Sharing the stage with Jamaica's Konshens at a time when their name is no longer a permanent feature of showbiz should have brought confidence to the duo.

Now that they are travelling to South Africa for a date with Mtukudzi, the "Wanga Boys" should be looking forward to utilising the opportunity to rebuild their appeal.

One of the organisers of the show, Tonderai Mwaita, said they took Afrika Revenge on board in order to help the duo rebuild their fan base and probably win the hearts of regional followers.

"They are good in music but that split cost them a lot. They are now back together and they deserve our support as promoters so that they find their footing again," said Mwaita.

"It is difficult to win back hearts of followers but we have confidence in Afrika Revenge's talent and we believe if they continue to perform at big shows, they can make it back to the top steps of the music ladder.

"We are looking forward to a great show because Mtukudzi's fans in South Africa are waiting for the birthday celebrations. Nox and Shamie have been based in SA for a long time and they are familiar with their territory."