Game Zeus Bantsi, Botswana’s last Big Brother Africa Amplified export to be evicted, landed in Botswana on Wednesday. Zeus was evicted last Sunday, together with Bernadina and Mumba.
He was welcomed by a small group of family and friends. But what started off as a lacklustre affair gradually built up to become an entertainment extravaganza that culminated in Zeus’ welcome party at President Hotel, with another one slated for Francistown next weekend.
At the airport, Zeus was greeted by close friends and family. Then he boarded the VIP Jeep Rubicon to join his motorcade to Riverwalk Mall for an autograph signing ceremony. Cars hooted while people clapped and shouted in elation when they saw him. Hundreds of adoring fans, young and old, thronged Riverwalk just to see Zeus.
The next day, he hosted a formal press conference at President Hotel.
“It’s good to be home. I received so much positive feedback from Batswana and I have to say I love you all,” was his opening statement.
The man says he went into the BBA house without a strategy. In fact, he believes he was as real as one can be while inside the house. He never targeted the grand prize, but was in there to market the Zeus brand and to up his rap game to international standards.
“At some point, I felt it was time to go back home. That’s why I even asked to be evicted,” he said.
You see, Zeus was a celebrity before he went to the BBAA house. He is a rap supremo who is considered to be Botswana’s king of Hip Hop and Motswako. But that also had its downside because Zeus was constrained by the fact that he has fans who look up to him for guidance.
The BBAA journey was also a lesson of personal development for Zeus. While he never really trusted anybody, he was surprised and hurt by the things that Wendel said about him. Many also thought Zeus was too outspoken to the point of being arrogant, while others were intimidated by his intelligence. In the end, some housemates nominated him for eviction on the basis of these attributes. He was an imposing presence in the house, and many fans believe he is Botswana’s best ever representative to BBAA.
While in there, Zeus missed football and news the most. When he came out, he was surprised by reports that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed, and enthralled by the phone taping scandal involving Rupert Mudoch and News of the World.
The BBAA finale will be on July 31st, and Zeus is confident that Karen is the favourite to win the US$ 200 000.
