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Nobuntu after their pads bank show at the National Gallery in Bulawayo – Picture by KB Mpofu

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
ALL female Imbube group Nobuntu on Saturday held a concert to raise funds for sanitary wear as part of efforts to establish pad banks at Bulawayo youth centres to help up- and-coming female artistes.

The initiative saw fans paying with a pack of sanitary wear or $5 to enter the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo where the  concert was held.

At the end of the day they had three baskets filled with sanitary wear amounting to 151 packs and raised $265 towards the cause.

The pads will be accessible to up-and- coming female artistes who do rehearsals at youth centres in Bulawayo as some miss these due to their menstrual cycle.

Nobuntu’s Duduzile Sibanda-Mothobe thanked the people of Bulawayo for coming in their numbers to help out.

She said the next step was to go and start the pad bank at Indlovu Youth Centre in Tshabalala where the group was born six years ago.

“We had an amazing show with a great turnout. People really gave us the sanitary wear in support and we’re grateful. So the pad bank we shall start is at Indlovu youth Centre in Tshabalala where Nobuntu started,” said Sibanda-Mothobe.

She said they will not stop at one show as they want to raise as many pads as possible.

“We hope this campaign continues because we can’t have enough. This won’t be a once off thing, we want to rope in a lot of donors to help in this initiative. But for now we are dealing with Indlovu Youth Centre as this is what we can do,” said Sibanda-Mothobe.

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Her fellow group member Zanele Manhenga said this was part of their efforts to try and lessen the burden on up-and-coming female artistes.

“Times are hard for people in Zimbabwe and even the people holding formal jobs are struggling. What more for artistes whose line of work is perceived as vocational by people. If we can take a bit of that financial burden from the female artistes why not do it. A dollar goes a long way in Zimbabwe what more for female artistes,” said Manhenga.

Nobuntu were at their very best with their melodious voices as they sang Zimbabwean folksongs in front of an appreciative crowd at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. In the crowd was imbube group Indosakusa The Morning Star, Madlela Skhobokhobo, Thandi Dlana, Seagirl Dube and fashionistas Zana K and Nkanyezi Malunga who came to support Nobuntu.