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Melissa Mpofu in Livingstone, Zambia
Zimbabwe was put on the spotlight in Zambia at the weekend when Club Connect, a local nightspot, opened in the resort town of Livingstone.

This undeniably proved Zimbabwe was open for business as the club, that has a bias towards music from Zimbabwe, was a hive of activity with hundreds of fun lovers including the Livingstone mayor who wanted to catch a glimpse of the new joint in attendance.

For 30 kwacha, revellers who were dressed to impress, swarmed the red carpet as they did not want to miss out on the fun. Considering that the club is located in a relatively small town, the huge turnout was shocking.

Security personnel were given a good run for their money as they had to deal with inquisitive patrons while also trying to handle the crowds at the door.

They did not disappoint as they were very patient with the crowd that kept thronging the venue up to 5AM and was willing to pay to enter.

Club Connect Zambia

Keeping up with its versatility, the club attracted a diverse crowd that included tourists.

Upon entry, one was greeted by the powerful sound system and bright laser and disco lights that have become Club Connect’s trademark as well as the multiple VIP booths that were all oversubscribed. Just like the Bulawayo club in its early days, there was a scramble for space in the VIP booths with guests having to buy expensive champagnes and whiskeys to secure spots.

All the attention was on the VIP booths as people looked in awe, at the guests, who were visibly living it up, popping bottles and were relaxed in recliner black leather seats. Most guys in the crowd were seen holding on tight to their women each time a waitress passed by with an ice bucket with expensive champagne that was accompanied by a cracker (blesser alert), probably with the fear that if invited by the recipient in the VIP booths, they would go running.

While that was happening, good music was churned out by the DJs — a mix of Zimbabwean and Zambian, making the dancefloor a hive of activity. Holding fort, DJ Willz and Zet who are resident at the Bulawayo branch gave Zambians a good feel of the Bulawayo nightlife while Harare-based DJ Joe Mentro also shared trending tracks like Jah Prayzah’s Kutonga Kwaro, ExQ’s Nhema and Ammara Brown’s Akiliz.

Zet showed his prowess on the mic as he constantly engaged with patrons each time he unleashed new tracks so as to acquaint them. This really put Zimbabwe on the map as the Zambians were exposed to a lot of tracks from their neighbouring country which they share the Zambezi River. Zambians, Dexter and Seven also impressed, playing their locals favourite tunes. However, Joe Mentro owned the night as he overshadowed the Zambian DJs and had patrons eating from the palm of his hand with his selection of house, electro, Naija and RnB music.

Ladies took turns to dance there with the hope of winning different prizes that were on offer on the night.

Double the size of the Bulawayo Club Connect, the Livingstone branch is one that will leave Bulawayo patrons green with envy as there is unlimited space to dance.

Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming patronage, some drinks, especially lagers ran out during the opening night, something the proprietor, Biggie Chinoperekwei said came as a surprise.

“This is a new territory for us and we didn’t expect to get such a response. The people in Zambia shocked us as they came out in their numbers,” Chinoperekwei said.

He said he was happy with the response and guaranteed Zambians of worldclass entertainment.

“For those who’ve been to Club Connect in Bulawayo, they know that this is the home of good entertainment and celebrities. The Zambia branch will be no different as it will play host to a number of celebrities that’ll visit the resort town so patrons should always be on the lookout as they may never know who’ll be in the club,” he said.

The opening of the Livingstone branch, Chinoperekwei said was only a precursor as he plans to keep expanding the brand.

“From here, the next stop is Harare where we hope to open another Club Connect in April this year.”