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I am getting ready to hang up my dancing shoes, put on my pumps and head for destination Africa. The trip takes me back to my roots, so to speak, holed up at home reading and reading. Still, a leopard never changes its spots. So, like everyone who got the invite to Sun International’s recent soirée, I headed to the hotel’s headquarters in Sandton. The jol was treated like a good old meet and greet, with no fanfare in the run up to one of the best gigs I have been to this year. But let me tell you something, Sun International does not hold back. The parking lot was pimped with stretch Limos, the office’s manicured front garden was transformed into a pool of lights and my verdict was in the moment I stepped into the spacious lobby, where the do was held. The verdict? A+: Fab décor, food and drinks for Africa and guests dressed to impress.

The fab set included Uyanda Mbuli, Penny Lebyane, Rosie Motene, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Metrofm’s head honcho, Matona Sakupwanya – one of the most popular people in town judging by the way everyone, me included, wants to hang around her at parties. It turned out to be a night of surprises too. The first one was Uyanda impressing me by declaring that she is done chasing celebrity status. She’s retiring to focus on her fashion career. Which, in case you missed it, is a label she is selling with designer Gert Coetzee, the talented young designer also known as “he made my green (stars of Mzansi awards) dress”. Uyanda looked so happy talking about how she is following her life-long passion of making clothes and how ready she is to share her talents beyond working the red carpet, declaring that she is done attending the opening of every envelope. Good for her. Something tells she might prove, once and for all, that her “passion for publicity” is more than just a rumour.

The person who impressed me the most was the Princess of Africa herself, Yvonne Chaka Chaka. There with her husband Tiny Mhinga, she allowed me five minutes of her sought-after time. And then gave me some lip about being at a party instead of being part of the press corps in Zambia to cover World Malaria Day. She is a patron of the Roll Back Malaria Campaign and one of the few celebs seen doing their charity work. Which, in this case, included going to Zambia to help distribute mosquito repellents. The reason I was so impressed with sis’ Yvonne is that she never once talked about her new album or tried to promote it. She used her time to spread the word about the plight of the millions of people dying from malaria each year, most of whom are in Africa. Very few celebs push a cause ahead of their own careers. Kudos to Yvonne Chaka Chaka for keeping it real.

Another party I had to be at was the ESPN party held to launch ESPN Classics. ESPN parties are seldom on my to-do list, but DSTV throws great parties so off I went, heart filled with trepidation about venturing into the unknown (who attends those gigs?). I need not have worried. Yes, it was not the party of the year. And, of course, there should have been more entertainment than the kind provided by the lousy sing-along band who performed Kool and Gang and wedding music. Still, it was sweet celebrating the launch of the Classics channel in the company of local sporting heroes, such as cricketer Fannie De Villiers, boxing hero Baby Jake Matlala and soccer legend Marks “Go-Man-Go” Maponyane. It was this that made it one of the sweetest gig I have ever been to.

On to other things. The madness that is the search for an idol continues with Pop Idols East and Southern Africa. A mouthful of a title, the show has all the expected ingredients, including two male judges – Zambian producer Trevor TK Siyandi and Botswana rap star Scar – who subtly check out the hot female hopefuls. The third judge is “straight-talking” Kenyan radio DJ Angela Angwenyi, whose face lights up at the sight of pretty boys. None of them is nasty, though Scar tries. They are funny, insightful, and, my best, laugh in the face of hopefuls who cannot sing. DSTV 198 and Africa Magic (107) has all the drama.

Scar, the award-winning rapper and judge, had me on the floor with laughter when he dissed someone at the Nairobi auditions. The wannabe was a Kenyan with a fake American accent and manners that suggested he thinks he belongs in Brooklyn, not Nairobi. Scar gave him lip about keeping it real. I think having a rapper (strike one) who wore a bandanna around his neck circa gangster rappers way back then (strike two) on one of his typical high-energy rap videos featuring cars (strike three) and currently being a judge on a show that thrives on American pop is hypocritical. As hypocritical as having Sonia Mbele, the spokesperson of hair deep-frying product Dark and Lovely, telling people to stop limiting their definition of beauty to one that’s primarily Caucasian.

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