Sulu fails to pitch up for show

DENDERA musician Sulumani Chimbetu failed to pitch up for a scheduled family show at Spirtzkop Leisure Centre in Harare on Sunday.

Instead, Afro-fusion musician Carlos Green ended up serenading fans, warming up the stage in anticipation of Sulu's arrival.

The Alice Mbewe hitmaker kept fans waiting until curfew hours, resulting in fans protesting.

They threw missiles on stage, compelling Carlos Green to stop his performance.

"We saw the posters saying that Sulu would perform here at a family show, but we are surprised he has not pitched up. We fear it's getting late and we are towards curfew," said Addlife, one of the fans.

"We did not see any posters of this Carlos Green guy, but his guys were the ones collecting the entrance fees at the gate."

Takunda Maravanyika, who runs the joint, felt betrayed by Sulu.

"We had agreed that Sulu would perform at a family show dubbed Ndiwe Chete Mudzimai Wangu as a pre-Valentine's Day gig, surprisingly the musician did not pitch up," Maravanyika said.

"We had organised the show with Sulu's manager Carlton Mparutsa and they even acknowledged by advertising the show on the musician's Facebook page."

"People protested after this guy (Carlos Green) kept on singing. We even checked with Carlton for Sulu's arrival time and he kept promising us that he was on his way."

Maravanyika added: "Fans became impatient and demanded their money back, arguing that they had come to see Sulu. It was Sulu's team that had added Carlos Green to curtain-raise, not us. We did not negotiate any deal with Carlos Green."

"We were forced to reimburse some of the fans as a way of maintaining our good brand."

Mparutsa yesterday said he was not aware of the show.

"I can't comment on that as I am not informed. I was away in Honde Valley for a funeral and only arrived last night," he said.