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Simbarashe Mutizwa Showbiz Reporter
THE cast of Mothers – Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda and Mussa Sibanda – last week gave theatre lovers a feel of the Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo with a pre-performance of their play at Bulawayo Theatre. The performance also served as a farewell to the two member Mothers cast as they prepare to leave the country for Cape Town, South Africa, where they will perform at the Cape Town Fringe festival.

In South Africa, Mpofu and Sibanda will join the Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) Taxi Project. They were chosen by PANSA as the two best female actresses to represent Zimbabwe in the Taxi Project which will see them embarking on a bus trip in South Africa from September 25 to October 5.

Nhimbe Trust Women In Theatre (WITT) coordinator Xanier Dlomo said Mothers, which was meant to be staged at the Intwasa festival, was performed earlier so as to give the cast time to prepare for their South Africa trip.

Dlomo said as a result, the Mothers national tour which was underway had been put on hold to make way for the South Africa tour.
“We had a tour that we were currently having for the play Mothers. We’ve put the tour on hold so that the cast can start sorting out their travelling documents including work permits for South Africa,” Dlomo said.

Asked about their trip to South Africa, Sarah Mpofu-Sibanda who plays the role of Mother said she could not wait to join the PANSA project.
“We’re proud to have been chosen to represent Zimbabwe and we can’t wait to be on the road to South Africa to join other actors and actresses.

“We’re going to make the people there know about our country. We know there are a lot of misconceptions about our country and we vow to do our best to tell them the truth about our country,” she said.

She, however, expressed sadness that they were going to miss the Intwasa festival.
“We were supposed to perform at the Intwasa festival but due to this tour, we’re going to miss the greater part of Intwasa,” she said.

The play Mothers looks at the social thematic issues in reality and talks about issues of power struggles through finances and assets.