Sizwe Sibiya
Celebrity exotic dancer Zodwa Wabantu has been denied permission to perform at the Winter Amapiano Vibes event on Friday, 10 June at the Dominics Hotel in Blantyre, Malawi.
“I would like to inform you that this Ministry, through the Censorship Board, received an application for an entertainment permit for Zodwa Wabantu,” reads the letter from the office of Chaurley Simwaka, Secretary of the Malawi Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Wildlife.
In the letter, Simwaka named a list of Wabantu’s stage acts that were found by the Censorship Board to be “morally degrading” and included “flaunting her nudity” to the audience.
“In this regard we write to communicate that this Ministry has not cleared Zodwa to perform in Malawi,” continued the letter, which was directed to The Secretary of Homeland Security in Lilongwe, on Monday, 6 June.
Zodwa Wabantu, who is from Soweto, rose to stardom after humble beginnings in short video clips at Eyadini Lounge in Umlazi, Durban, before she was recognised by DJ Tira. Big clubs occasionally book the dancer to entertain alongside other prominent artists in South Africa and across the border.
As much as her fans love her, some people and organisations like the Malawi Ministry for Tourism, Culture, and Wildlife have found the acts to promote a bad image.
Meanwhile she has shared the poster which shows, in addition to her picture, many other artists who will be performing at the Winter Amapiano Vibes.
“Malawi MW Enjoy guys,” reads the caption on the poster shared on her Instagram account with a following of over two million followers.
In the past Zimbabwe and Zambia have also banned her from performing in their countries.
