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Beverly Sibanda

Bongani Ndlovu
Showbiz Correspondent
RAUNCHY dance queen Beverly Sibanda real name Junior Lizzy Zinhu, has called on relevant authorities to arrest the new wave of strippers whom she says are violating the law.According to their dance licence issued by the Censorship Board under the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act, the strippers are not allowed to strip naked and expose their private parts. Violations of the act attract a fine or a possible jail term and the revoking of the dance licence.
It seems the strippers have been operating against the law as most of them have been entertaining revellers in their birthday suits. Some go to the extent of inserting candles, bananas, lolly pops and cigarettes into their private parts, all in the name of entertainment.

The home of strippers, Private Lounge in Harare has given birth to most of the strippers who have taken the country’s entertainment scene by storm. Their act has different scenes as they start off dancing while semi-naked before later taking to the stage stark naked, usually after 1AM.
A concerned Bev, who has been arrested several times for her dancing said the strippers were abusing the art of raunchy dancing.
“I don’t know how they get away with the offence as they publicly go nude at clubs. They should be arrested and police should do their job.

“These so called strippers are abusing their dance licences and the art of striptease. According to law, their type of dance involves stripping down to their g-strings only. They should also have stars put on their nipples but that’s not happening,” said Bev.
She said she used to strip during her days as a dancer at Londoners in Harare, but quickly left that trade after being arrested in 2012.
The dancer, who recently returned from a tour of United Kingdom, said she was not intimidated by the strippers whom she described as babies.

“These dancers aren’t a threat to my career as I’ve been doing this for quite some time. They’re wayward babies who don’t know what they’re doing. They’ll not get to the level that I am because I’m already a brand. So big is my brand that I’m called to the United Kingdom to hold shows there,” she said.
Bev said there was high demand for her services because people appreciate true art instead of the imitation offered by strippers.

She said she will next month hold shows in Bulawayo and Hwange.
Censorship board secretary, Isaac Chiranganyika said those who were dancing nude risked having their licences  cancelled.
“The provisions of their dancing licence state that they shouldn’t strip beyond stars on their nipples and g-strings. Both those items shouldn’t be smaller than those exhibited to the board during the application process of the dance licence that was approved,” Chiranganyika said.

He said strippers unlike those in advanced countries, were not allowed to have physical contact with patrons.
“The strippers aren’t allowed to have physical contract with the audience and they shouldn’t get off the stage when they’re performing. If they strip naked, they’ll be violating their dance licences,”  Chiranganyika said.

He encouraged members of the public to join hands with the Censorship board and police by reporting dancers and groups that violate the law.
“The police should arrest and lock those dancers up. Members of the public should report violators to the police just like what happened to Bev last year when she was picked up for flouting the law.”