The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe Leisure Correspondent
WHILE fans are still trying to get to terms with the sudden departure of Jah Prayzah’s backing vocalist and dancer, Pamela Zulu aka Gonyeti, the Third Generation band has already found an “Excavator.”
Jah Prayzah, who is currently the most sought-after artiste in the land has acquired the services of Bulawayo-based vocalist and dancer, Thobekile Nleya, who has been given the stage name, “Excavator”.
“As is always the case when we want to add a new member, we have auditions and that’s how we discovered Excavator. We held the auditions in Bulawayo on Sunday after our album launch with the assistance of my colleague in the trade, Sandra Ndebele.
“We were looking for an individual that could dance, sing, has a striking stage presence and shows characteristics of a team player and we found all those qualities in her,” said Jah Prayzah.
On why they decided to call her Excavator he said with a giggle, “Munhu wacho mukamuwona motongowona mega kuti iexcavator.”
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Mail Leisure, the confident new kid on the block boldly declared that she has what it takes to cover the gap left by Gonyeti.
“I’m very excited and optimistic because these opportunities come once in a lifetime,” said Excavator.
“I believe that I am an artiste in my own right and I know my strengths. I am sure it will be a walk in the park for me. I will be bringing in new elements and fresh routines. I really look forward to working with the Third Generation Band for a very long time,” she added.
Excavator says she has been in the music industry for more than 10 years and has worked with a number of musicians who include Sabastain Magacha on his African Joy DVD in 2014, Siyaya Arts and was part of the group Black Face that won Chibuku Road to Fame finals in 2006.
As the debate of what really caused the energetic dancer to leave Third Generation continues, allegations that there is tension in Jah’s camp are all over the place.
To this Jah Pprayzah’s manager, Keen Mushapaidze said, “We cannot say there is or was friction between management and the band. But, in any organisation there are bound to be conflicts.
“We believe this is healthy and the most important thing is to create a platform where people operating within the system can freely say out their grievances and together we find the best way to solve them.
“In the past years, there have been issues and those affected have approached us as management and we resolved them.
“Sadly, there are some who decide not to speak out or make use of our open door policy for reasons best known to them. As far as we are concerned everyone in our camp is happy. We had several meetings with the band after the Harare and Bulawayo album launch concerts and they have all expressed nothing but joy,” said Mushapaidze.
On whether they ever had conflicts with Gonyeti as management, Mushapaidze said, “None I can recall of. We indeed had disagreements in the years we worked together but like I said earlier, these are natural, people are bound to disagree but we always found a way to resolve the issues.”
Jah Prayzah also revealed that he will use the August 27 concert which features Mafikizolo, K.O and Winky D slated for Belgravia Sports Club to unveil Excavator, the new Third Generation member. This will also be the first time after the successful launch of “Mdhara Vachauya”, at the Harare International Conference Centre that Jah Prayzah performs the new songs at a show in Harare.
“Am super excited, I can’t wait for that show. This is the day I will be revealing everything about the album to the fans. We are in rehearsal daily practicing the new stuff and I can confidently tell you it will be nothing but fireworks,” said Jah Prayzah.
