Maneta is a Big Brother stayer

BIG Brother Africa lass Maneta Mazanhi rode a campaign of hate to stay in the M-Net TV show on Sunday. The big-chested Bulawayo beauty was up for eviction with Namibia’s Lady May and Zambia’s Mampi – who was kicked out of the show with the least number of votes. Maneta’s chances of survival on Sunday were made worse by the fact that her compatriot housemate Roki – real name Rockford Josphats – nominated her for eviction, in the process deeply dividing Zimbabweans.

A sick campaign was launched on social networks by Roki fans to get Maneta off the show – even as the singer apologised to her hours before eviction night for putting her head on the chopping block. Maneta, who survived eviction in the first week, tailed Lady May on votes but had enough in the bag to edge the Zambian. Presenter IK Osakioduwa first announced that Lady May was safe – making for tense TV as Maneta and Mampi waited to learn their fates. “Only one of the other two is going to survive this eviction,” IK went on, “and I am sorry to say that Maneta you’re not going anywhere, you still have sometime in the house. Mampi, you’ve been evicted from the Big Brother house please leave the house.” Maneta, who had bonded with the evicted Zambian – the second and last of Roki’s nominations – got emotional as her partner-in-gossip walked out to leave. Shameless Roki – who cried early last week as he admitted his nomination shame to Mampi – was also there to see her out. Earlier in the Diary Room, Big Brother asked Maneta what was on her mind, to which she replied: “On my mind? Well, I’m thinking that this is the second time, they are gonna save me again. But it's in a space of three weeks, so it’s like too fast too everything. That’s what’s on my mind. I can’t wait to see what happens tonight.” Maneta also told housemates how Roki – whose romantic advances she repelled – had apologised to her. She told Ghanaian comedian DKB and Sierra Leone’s Zainab: “Yesterday he came to say that I’m sorry I nominated you. He was trying to comfort me to say that if anything goes wrong, he’s gonna feel bad because he’s the one who did it. He was trying to ease his conscience.” DKB told her he “always want (sic) us to reconnect when we finish up”. Nominations for next week were picked at random by machine and Ghana’s housemates in Downville Keitta and Mildred, along with Botswana’s Edith and Eve, were selected.