IYASA’s Bonnie Laid To Rest

By Ronnie Chisamba

Sibonisiwe Sithole (38) – aka Bonnie  –  who died on Thursday  morning, after a short illness, was  laid to rest at Bulawayo’s Athlone Cemetery yesterday.

The revelation was made by the Bulawayo based entertainment outfit’s press and public relations  officer, Kudakwashe Takundwa.

Mourners were  gathered at number 371 Matshobana in Bulawayo.

Born on 16 November 1982 , Bonnie joined lYASA at its inception in 2001. She was instrumental in its growth since her days as a student at Mpopoma High.

As one of the founding members she toured  parts of Africa and in 2016 she was nominated for the National Arts and Merit Award’s Outstanding Female

Dancer Award.

She did not win the prestigious accolade but the nomination was a milestone for the group and herself. Bonnie was part of the lYASA group that toured Europe  last year.

Kudakwashe had this to say about Bonnie and her artistic capabilities  : “She was one of the longest serving members at lyasa, Bonnie was an all rounder she was an amazing dancer , talented actor and singer. Her voice was angelic.”

Another artiste and former colleague at lYASA , Nqobile Malinga concurred with Kudakwashe and added that Bonnie was hard working and loyal.

“We used to call her Queen B. When we left the group to pursue other missions she remained committed to lYASA and toured extensively in Africa and Europe with the group. She is one of the pioneers of the group, together with people like Sandra Ndebele,Romeo Sibanda , Tsungai Tsikirai and many others ,”Nqobile said.