GWERU – Fans threw bottles and other objects on stage as they reacted violently to the late appearance of South African superstar Cassper Nyovest on Saturday night in Gweru.
Fans hurled missiles onto the stage, damaging lights, sound equipment, and injuring some people, mainly those in the VIP section, as they took offense at what they thought was the non-appearance of Nyovest.
Fans in attendance thought they had been duped into paying for the show when Nyovest and other heavyweight acts did not make an appearance by 2am.
The concert’s supporting line-up included Saintfloew, Holy Ten, Bagga, Nisha Ts, Ba Shupi, Kayflow, Washaa T, Tune Master, and eight relatively unknown artists.
“I don’t think Cassper Nyovest is here. If he was, we would have at least seen a supporting act warming up the stage for him,” an irate fan reportedly shouted from the crowd.
“These guys tricked us! We paid US$50 just to listen to DJs playing music all night?” a disappointed VIP ticket holder fumed.
Tensions boiled over as the crowd turned violent, throwing objects onto the stage and forcing a total shutdown of lights and sound for approximately 45 minutes.
It only took Nisha T’s appearance to calm down the crowd, before Nyovest’s appearance later on. Despite the drama, the rapper reportedly gave a good account of himself on stage.
Event promoter, Wayne Dungeni, acknowledged the issues and promised improvements for future shows.
“We did not anticipate the violence, and some delays were beyond our control. However, the level of chaos was unexpected, and we are investigating the cause. We aim to do better next time,” he said.
