BY MBONO MDLULI
MANZINI – The Embiveni Biggest Braai is still on course to make it into the Guinness World Records.
This was stated by Manzini Mayor Goodwill Dlamini on Saturday during the Embiveni Biggest Braai 2024, which was held at Mavuso Exhibition and Trade Centre in Manzini. Dlamini said this when he was welcoming people who had attended the event in Manzini.
Dlamini said they wanted to keep supporting the event until it made it to the Guinness World Records so that the event could be known globally, something that could, in turn, be helpful to the elderly people. The proceeds of the Biggest Braai are meant to help the elderly people to live a better life.
The mayor further thanked Her Majesty the Indlovukazi for helping the elderly people to live better in the country. He further thanked her for ensuring that about 2 000 elderly people received food and medical treatment in Manzini, just a few days before the event.
Philani Maswati Charity Organisation Chairman Lutfo Dlamini has also said, on numerous occasions, that the event was on course to making it to the World Guinness Records. He said the event was to enter into the records on two ways. One of the ways was to make it with the first edition of the event. They wanted to be known as an event that was attended by many people, where the attendants met only to roast meat, with an intention to raise funds to help the elderly people.
Another way was to ensure the Biggest Braai was held consistently every year for a long time. He said in 2015, during the first edition of the event, they failed to get into the Guinness World Records. This then left them with the second option, where they hope to be recognised for being an event that was held consistently every year, where people met to braai meat. He said they were left with about two or three years to achieve such a feat.
Philani Maswati is the organisation behind the Biggest Braai, which is meant to raise funds to sustain lives of the elderly people in the country. The event was started in 2015 and it took a two-year break in 2020 and 2021, due to the lockdowns restriction that were enforced by the COVID-19 outbreak. The event resumed in 2022 and has been held for the eighth time this year.
The event was officially opened by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla, who was accompanied by some officials from Government. They included Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane and Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo. Former Botswana’s President Lieutenant General Ian Khama was also present at the event. Liqoqo Chairman Paul Dlamini was also part of the event.
This year’s event was different in many aspects. Embiveni Meat Industries (EMI) joined in on the event as its title sponsor. During the event, Mshengu Gama from Malandzela, between Nsingweni and Maphalaleni, was celebrated for being the oldest attendant of the event. He was 110 years at the time of the event. He was with his two wives, Tfobhini Gama (67) and Siyaphi Gama (96) when he attended the event.
Another unique feature at the event was that people who were born on July 20, 21, and 22 were given an opportunity to celebrate their birthdays. They shared a giant cake that was baked from Village Bakeries. However, the birthday girls and boys could not finish the cake. It proved to be too big for them. Another unique feature of the event was the attendance by the Khoi-San people from Botswana.
Their attendance brought a lot of excitement for Emaswati, as many of them were seeing this tribe for the first time. Almost all of Emaswati learned about this tribe in school, so it was exciting for them to see the Khoi-San live. The Khoi-San tribe was also happy to be warmly welcomed by Emaswati. They said they also learned about the way of living for Emaswati back in Botswana, but now they were happy to have experienced it first-hand.
The event was also exciting at night, as people got to dance to different songs dished by Eswatini’s different professional DJs. South Africa’s renowned Kwaito Kingpin Professor also took to the stage when it was about 02:40am and gave his numerous songs, bringing excitement to the crowds.
What was also unique about this year’s Biggest Braai was that there was an after party on Sunday and it ended on Monday morning, which was a public holiday, in honour of the late King Sobhuza II. The after party was headlined by South Africa’s Amapiano sensation Aymos.
About Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous United States editions as The Guinness Book of World Records, is a British reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. Sir Hugh Beaver created the concept, and twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter co-founded the book in London in August 1955.
The first edition topped the bestseller list in the United Kingdom by Christmas 1955. The following year the book was launched internationally, and as of the 2024 edition, it is now in its 69th year of publication, published in 100 countries and 23 languages, and maintains over 53 000 records in its database.
The international franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. The popularity of the franchise has resulted in Guinness World Records becoming the primary international source for cataloguing and verification of a huge number of world records. The organisation employs record adjudicators to verify the authenticity of the setting and breaking of records.
Editor: Craig Glenday
Publisher: Jim Pattison Group
Publication Place: United Kingdom
Media Type: Book, Television
(Source: Wikipedia)
