The Umhlangano fundraising show held at Robins Park on Sunday failed to live up to expectations due to poor patronage.

Despite having an impressive line-up comprising musician of the moment Zeze Kingston, Lucius Banda, Atoht Manje and Gibo Pearson, very few patrons  showed up.

All in One Band, the group that does local and international covers, was the first to set the tone. They performed compositions from artists such as Eli Njuchi and Namadingo, but still the venue had very few patrons.

The Alamu anu star, Zeze Kingston took to the stage just before 5pm and was the first to force the people to the dancing floor with renditions for songs such as Ndathera Pano, Chule, among others.

Then Lucius Banda, Atoht Manje and Gibo Pearson took turns on stage to entertain the audience up to the end.

According to Umhlangano Festival 2023 fundraising committee member Geoffrey Wawanya, they targeted to raise K8 million through the event, but they failed to hit their target.

He said: “The attendance was poor and what we planned was not possible. We spent in excess of K4 million and we have made huge losses at the show.”

The Umhlangano Festival is set to take place from August 31 to September 2. It is a ceremony where all Maseko Ngonis celebrate their culture.

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