As a person who visits Eswatini regularly, I can attest to the love Emaswati has for Makhadzi. Regardless of the fact that most of them have no clue what she is saying, her music is blasted from most taverns, bars, cars, and taxis.

However, when Makhadzi announced on TikTok that she would be performing at a popular club in Swaziland, Eswatini, called Solani’s, this was met with mixed reactions.

Watch the TikTok video here.

 

 

 

The main reason for this mixed reaction is that Eswatini is experiencing the most political unrest in recent history. The people of Eswatini are demanding a change in the political structure of their country. There have been sprouts of violence, rioting, looting, and protests since June 2021.

The club that Makhadzi was invited to perform at (Solani) is strongly associated with the government that the people of Eswatini deem corrupt, self-serving, and unprogressive.

Evidently, other artists were invited to perform at the same club but refused due to solidarity with the Eswatini people.

That’s why Makhadzis’ announcement on TikTok about performing at Solani’s came as a surprise to everyone, including me.

During her performance, chaos broke out as the crowd split into two. The people who sympathize with the “revolution” began throwing bottles and other debree towards the stage, while the government supporters threw things back.

Watch the chaos here.

I thought something like this would happen. However, sources report that Makhadzi was not harmed.

Some comments on Facebook from Emaswati are very harsh. Some people called her fame and money hungry, while others say that they have nothing to celebrate therefore they don’t need her dancing and rejoicing.