Photo: Twitter / @Babeswodumo
Cancelled: Event organisers of Zim festival pull Babes Wodumo from lineup
Babes Wodumo will no longer be headlining Zimbabwe’s marquee festival.
Photo: Twitter / @Babeswodumo
Bongekile ‘Babes Wodumo’ Simelane will no longer be performing at the Mapopoma Festival in December, the event organisers confirmed.
When is Mapopoma Festival?
The second edition of the Mapopoma Festival, a lifestyle and entertainment event, that is taking place between 29 and 31 December, will be held at The Victoria Falls Sports Club, in Zimbabwe.
The festival will also feature South African stars like Big Nuz and Distruction Boyz.
Babes Wodumo: Why was she cancelled?
Babes Wodumo was slated to be the main headliner of the event. However, her recent comments on the xenophobic violence that had encapsulated South Africa may have cost her dearly.
The singer’s sentiments around the xenophobic attacks in South Africa were not so tasteful, to say the least. In a tweet posted on Tuesday, 3 September, the singer wrote about how she was sick and tired of Nigerians
“Nigerians need to leave South Africa!!! . Everything would be smooth without them .Engabe akukho kwa iwunga!!” she tweeted.
She claimed that they need to leave South Africa and that the rampant scourge of drug use would not be a problem if they were to leave.
Babes Wodumo: Why was she cancelled?
The backlash Babes Wodumo received caught the event organiser’s attention. In an attempt to brush things off, Babes posted a video explaining that her account was ‘hacked’ and that she was still more than interested in performing in Zimbabwe.
BABES WODUMO SPEAKS OUT
— mapopomafestival (@MapopomaFest) September 4, 2019
THE GQOM Queen confirms in this video that her twitter page was hacked. She is hereby distancing herself from the xenophobic tweets and is commited to coming to Zimbabwe this December to perfom at Mapopoma Festival at Victoria Falls Sports Club! pic.twitter.com/gNqIpi379Z
However, after much reflection on the issue, the Mapopoma Festival organisers announced that the singer would no longer be appearing at the event.
“This serves to advise our valued stakeholders, sponsors and all those that had brought our early bird tickets that Babes Wodumo will no longer be performing at the second edition of Mapopoma Festival slated for Victoria Falls Club from 29-31 December 2019 in Vic Falls, Zimbabwe,” they tweeted.
This serves to advise our valued stakeholders, sponsors and all those that had brought our early bird tickets that Babes Wodumo will no longer be performing at the second edition of Mapopoma Festival slated for Victoria Falls Club from 29-31 December 2019 in Vic Falls, Zimbabwe. pic.twitter.com/7eaAsz9Mot
— mapopomafestival (@MapopomaFest) September 12, 2019
Babes shrugs it off
Babes, who could not seem bothered at all, responded to the tweet with a nonchalant “that’s right”.
Injalo https://t.co/KhOy72NEkt
— Bongekile simelane (@BABESWODUMO___) September 16, 2019
