By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
There’s a saying in Bulawayo: good food feeds the body, but good music feeds the soul.
On May 25, at Hartsfield Sports Grounds, both will be on the menu.
In a move that feels less like a sponsorship and more like a community embrace, fast-food favorite Chicken Slice has teamed up with the Ekhaya Worship Festival.
For the first time, worshippers won’t just come with empty stomachs and full hearts—they’ll leave with both satisfied.
“It’s personal,” says one organizer, smiling. “We want people to feel looked after. Not just spiritually, but in every way.”
And they mean it. Joining Chicken Slice is Nyaradzo Group—a name Zimbabweans trust with life’s heaviest moments. Now, they’re stepping into something lighter: a celebration of faith, music, and togetherness.
On social media, the festival’s announcement lit up with joy: “The countdown continues! We are excited to have Chicken Slice on board as a sponsor. Let’s gather in worship like never before!”
For gospel minister Everton Mlalazi—the soft-spoken but fiery-voiced leader of this movement—the partnership is more than a cheque. It’s a sign.
What started as a single night of music has become a pilgrimage. From Bulawayo’s dusty streets to the Limpopo’s border, worshippers are already planning their journey. They’re coming by bus, by car, by foot if they have to.
And the lineup feels like a prayer answered.
South Africa’s Zanele “Zaza” Mokhethi is flying in again—after her 2025 performance left people in tears. Oncemore Six, who headlined the very first festival, returns with songs that feel like old friends: Ohlonitshwayo, Themba Lendawo Yonke, Umkhuleko WeBandla.
Then there’s Takesure Zamar Ncube, whose new single Rubatsiro is already being called “a hymn for the weary.” And the moment everyone’s whispering about? A joint performance of Zuva Rangu—Ncube and Mlalazi together, on one stage, singing like brothers.
The stage will barely hold them all: Dumi Mkokstad, Canaan Nyathi, the haunting harmonies of Reality 7, Dunamis Men, Conquerors, Pastor Barak Family, Zimpraise, Family Voices, Mai Mwamuka, Lorraine Maplanka, Vocal Ex, Blessing Jeduthun.
And at the center of it all, Mlalazi himself—unveiling songs from his new album Great God.
“It’s not about me,” he says quietly. “It’s about that person who’s been carrying something heavy. They come here, they eat, they sing, they cry if they need to. And they leave… lighter.”
As Africa Day approaches, one thing is clear: Ekhaya isn’t just a festival anymore.
It’s a homecoming.
Come for the chicken. Stay for the worship. Leave transformed.
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