Borrowdale residents force Toya out of Racecource
By Showbiz Writer
A long standing trouble and certainly a future pain is fast manifesting in the present; and that is the showbiz venue crisis.
This comes after residents of plush Harare suburb, Borrowdale manage to force out touring South African Toya Delazy from the Borrowdale racecourse where she was penned in to perform at the weekend.
Harare has for a long time suffered from a lack of appropriate showbiz venues and organisers have had to improvise while in most cases residents in the proximity of the few adaptable venues suffer the most due to excessive noise, burglary, littering and general inappropriate behaviour of patrons.
Organisers announced Tuesday that Mashonaland Turf Club had been forced to cancel all its weekend booking after the courts upheld complaints by residents.
“With finals plans for this weekend’s Toya Delazy concert in Harare all set, a change of venue for the event has brought about a move to the city centre for the latest in the star’s Rocking The City tour of African capitals,” reads a statement from the organisers.
“We have been informed that the Mashonaland Turf Club is no longer able to allow Borrowdale Racecourse to be used to host open-air musical concerts, after complaints by nearby residents were upheld by the courts.”
Apparently it will not only be the South African’s gig that will be affected as Sound Event Management had scheduled another event on Saturday.
“Sound Event Management had already scheduled two events at the Borrowdale Racecourse on the weekend of October 21 and 22: the Toya Delazy Rocking The City concert (Friday October 21) and the Summer Night Concert (Saturday October 22), but the ruling has brought about a need to effect changes to these events,” read the statement.
“So the Toya Delazy Concert will now be hosted at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, a move that means we will be in the heart of the city.”
The timings and line-up remain unchanged, and are as follows:
6pm – doors open
7pm- Summer Night Concert, with guest performers Tamy, Alka Nemo, Dice and ProBeatz
8.45 pm – Simba Tagz
9.30pm – Ammara Brown with guest performer Tytan
10.30pm – Toya Delazy with her international band and dancers
The move has also affected ticket prices.
“Advance booking tickets remain available from webtickets.co.zw: VIP tickets are $25 (at tables), Gold Circle are $15, balcony $10, upper level $5 (the latter is a new price, lower than was previously possible at the Mashonaland Turf Club). Gate prices at the venue, from 6pm” Gold Circle $20, balcony $15 and upper level $10,” said the organisers.
“The Summer Night Concert planned for Saturday October 22 had been postponed to Saturday November 12. A new venue for this event is being sought at the present time and will be publicised once arranged.
The organisers said ticket holders may still use the same tickets for the show but however said they can still get refunds from Sound Event management box office starting October 25.”
“While we are disappointed and sincerely regret any inconvenience to the public, we are aware that patrons will understand the need for these changes and will understand this is caused by a situation totally beyond our control. We thank patrons for their understanding and support and assure them of two excellent concerts that not only give access to top international talent but also give a platform for showcasing leading local talent,” said the organisers.
More information can be obtained from minky@mweb.co.zw or 0712 601107.
