BY SHARON SIBINDI SOUTH AFRICA-BASED Zimbabwean Amapiano star, Sha Sha and stand-up comedian Learnmore “Long John” Jonasi are leading the list of this year’s sixth edition of the Zimbabwe Achievers Awards (ZAA) South Africa to be held on December 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sha Sha has been nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Music Award category while Long John is vying for the Male Personality of the Year. The duo will also battle for honours in the People’s Choice Award and Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment respectively. The awards organisers will this year introduce the inaugural ZAA Botswana edition scheduled for December 11 at the Zimbabwean embassy in Gaborone. In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style yesterday, ZAA international chairman Conrad Mwanza said he was optimistic that they would succeed against all odds. “We are delighted to be bringing the sixth edition of ZAA SA after what has surely been a tough year. 2020 has been one of the most difficult years in recent memory due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but we are pleased to announce the ZAA SA dates and congratulate this year’s nominees,” he said. Mwanza said they would use the occasion to celebrate and honour the heroes as the lockdown restrictions ease up. “We acknowledge the tremendous strides that have been taken by people in various disciplines. The voting platform for ZAA SA will open on the ZAA website starting from October 25 to November 20,” he said, adding that a Botswana-based company, Adventureland, had partnered them as brand ambassadors in the new era of celebrating Zimbabweans in Botswana. He said nominations for the ZAA Botswana edition were underway on their website and voting would start on November 6. “We welcome Botswana to the ZAA family and look forward to continue growing in a way that mirrors the growth and achievements of our people in various lands. We firmly believe in celebrating excellence to inspire excellence,” he said. “We are delighted to work with Adventureland led by Davison Charamba and his partners for this latest chapter. We are grateful to them for believing in the vision and committing to partner us as we go on a mission to amplify the Zimbabwean success stories in Botswana which lead to development and unity within our diaspora communities.” Mwanza acknowledged the support of their sponsors and partners over the years as ZAA celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. “We have been able to keep this vision going for so many years because of the notable exploits of Zimbabweans. The support from our communities and partners such as Zororo Phumulani has also been very crucial. We will continue to keep celebrating our people’s success in the world,” he said.