Mafikizolo Removed From Zimbabwe Concert Line-Up After Zimbabweans Demand Cancellation Over Xenophobia In SA
South African music duo Mafikizolo has been removed from the line-up for the upcoming Buddie Beats Concert in Victoria Falls after widespread backlash from Zimbabweans over their scheduled performance amid ongoing concerns about xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The development comes just days after hundreds of Zimbabweans flooded Econet Zimbabwe’s social media pages, urging the organisers to cancel the group’s appearance. Many argued that it was inappropriate to host a South African act while Zimbabweans continued to express concern over the treatment of foreign nationals living in South Africa.
On Thursday, Econet Zimbabwe appeared to confirm the change by sharing an updated promotional poster for the Buddie Beats Concert on its social media platforms. The revised line-up no longer featured Mafikizolo, signalling that the award-winning duo had been dropped from the event.
Notably, Econet Zimbabwe did not issue a statement explaining Mafikizolo’s removal or address the wave of comments that had called for the group to be taken off the line-up. Instead, the company simply shared the updated poster without acknowledging the controversy.
The original announcement had sparked significant backlash online, with social media users demanding that the organisers replace Mafikizolo with local artists.
Among the comments were:
- “We say No to Mafikizolo.”
- “Yes to Gaffa, No to Mafikizolo.”
- “Please strike off Mafikizolo on your list of performers.”
- “With immediate effect please replace Mafikizolo with 10.”
Others questioned how Zimbabweans could be expected to celebrate alongside a South African act while reports of xenophobic attacks continued to emerge from across the border.
The updated line-up has since been welcomed by many of those who had campaigned for the group’s removal, with some describing it as evidence that public pressure can influence organisers’ decisions.
Neither Mafikizolo nor Econet Zimbabwe has publicly commented on the reasons behind the change, leaving it unclear whether the removal was directly linked to the online backlash or resulted from other factors.
