A WAR over meat is brewing in Harare as two braai events,
the Castle Lager national braai festival and the Braai Out Zw are being held on
the same day with organisers of the Braai Out declaring war on Delta Beverages
for making the two similar events clash.
The much-anticipated two-day braai festival was supposed to
be held last weekend but was postponed to this weekend because of the Sadc
solidarity march against illegal Western sanctions on Zimbabwe that took place
last Friday.
Braai Out ZW, which is slated for Kingfisher Park, will be
held on Saturday, the same day the biggest braai festival will be at its peak
at Old Hararians Sports Club after micro events were held across the country.
At the Braai Out, Jah Prayzah and son as well as Selmor
Mtukudzi will headline festivities with Winky D, Freeman, Takura, Killer T and
ExQ providing entertainment at the braai festival.
Writing on social media, one of the organisers of the braai
out, Kudzai Chinovhiringa, said: “I’m very much aggrieved by your company
(Delta Beverages) as I’m sure you know the first rule of event planning is to
check the date you want to host your event. Surely, you cannot tell me you
didn’t know your rescheduled date fell on the same day there was a same concept
as yours, albeit mine is a family event, but that didn’t stop you guys.
“The fact that your line-up almost mirrored mine didn’t
stop you to think twice. Now I have people confused with which artist is
performing where. Amid the confusion, I’ve also lost some very promising leads
for sponsorship of my event because some businesses thought I had lost my main
act to your event”.
Chinovhiringa said when he chose his date, November 2, he
deliberately chose to place his a week after the Delta one on October 25 and 26
and was saddened that the giant beverages company did not consider his event
when they came up with new dates.
“… It’s just business, but spare a thought for this young
man. You don’t know how much he has struggled to make sure that these fans you
have neglected for the past year or so, get some kind of entertainment to
relieve their stress. Mind you, all this time you have been postponing your
event to the disappointment of many fans, I’ve been funding the alternative
event from my own pocket, borrowing, making losses all year long so that people
get some kind of entertainment while I build my small brand.”
He added: “When I picked my date, out of respect, I made a
deliberate choice to do it after your event and eat the crumbs a week later. But
now, since you have decided no one deserves to eat even crumbs, I have news for
you, I’m not going down without a fight.
“I know you’re big, but as a ghetto youth, I was taught you
have to fight for you to eat in this cruel world. Nothing can stop Braai Out
from going on even under these harsh economic conditions. We’ll also be there
next year doing four more events throughout.”
Contacted for a comment, Delta Corporation corporate
affairs executive, Patricia Murambinda, asked for questions in writing and had
not responded to them by the time of going to print.
However, Delta Beverages, through their Castle Lager brand,
reassured the public that the festival which was not held last year due to the
cholera outbreak in the capital, would be held over two days, tomorrow and
Saturday to make up for last year’s event.
“Castle Lager will be bringing friends together again at
the biggest braai in Zimbabwe on the 1st and 2nd of November,” said event
organisers.
Considering that the two venues are about six kilometres
apart, maybe people are going to attend both events and solve this mess. Herald
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