By Delisa Thwala
Award-winning gospel artist Linda Dlamini whose body of work is an endless list of hits, received lots of love at his latest gig.
Dlamini was among the few artists to perform during His Majesty King Mswati III’s 56th Birthday party. The affluent celebrations were held at Mankayane Town on April 19, 2024.
There was a near stampede 60 seconds after Linda took to the stage, clad in a semi-grey slim-fit suit, adorned with a dark hue green shirt the star had only sung opening lyrics to one of his famous songs when the crowd completely lost it.
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By then the arena had already been filled to the brim, when members of the public who had been queuing to pass through security heard Dlamini sing, they all ran towards the main gate manned by three soldiers and one police officer.
No amount of resistance from the army could stop the determined crowd which at this point was pushing through the gate all the while humming Linda Dlamini’s ‘Lona Ngumnyaka Wetfu’
Thousands of emaSwati had come to show support and celebrate the King’s birthday.
Linda Dlamini was not the only one who got to perform for His Majesty, several local artists did too. Poets, singers, drama clubs and the like also got a chance to deliver for their Majesties.
7 hours later at the Mandvulo Grand Hall, more performances awaited His Majesty. From Young Zesh, Zwile Bhembe, Don Laka and Zonke Dikana it was indeed a celebration fit for a king.
Young Zesh kept things casual with his song selection from a slow melody of ‘Liphasela’ to his Siswati freestyle, Young Zesh’s choice of outfit blended well with the event.
His set included songs like ‘KaKhoza’, ‘Ligcebesha’, and ‘Emangcwabeni’, which got almost everyone on glassy eyes.
He went for the traditional regalia and paired it with a neat updo, meanwhile, young R&B and soul crooner Yeema mesmerised the crowd with songs borrowed from Mrs Carter, Beyonce.
She was also followed by well-travelled and touring Zwile Bhembe who delivered ballad after ballad.
The star of the show would have seemed to be Zonke Dikana, the international award-winning singer who graced the stage and belted notes from many of her famous hits.
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The naturally shy Dikana was seen mingling and settling in before her performance, accompanied by her band and management team, she kept things simple for her appearance.
Donning a MaXhosa sheer vibe kind of dress, newly done box braids, barely the glam makeup and the most expensive thing the star wore was her humility and smile.
She performed songs like ‘Feelings’ ‘Reach it’ and ‘Grateful’ among others. Many people showed appreciation for the performances and the stars in attendance.
Instagram was abuzz with tags and live videos of these performances, Her Royal Highness Princess Sikhanyiso had timely updates on her self-managed Instagram page.
She took time to applaud local artists and gave them their flowers for the performance they displayed.
