The first time anyone saw Yvonne was at the rehearsal of the 1995 Jacaranda Queen pageant. Here was this large, polite, quietly spoken young man, neatly dressed in a suit. There was some doubt as to whether he actually understood what was going on. But any doubts were dispelled the instant Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Queen of Africa (as opposed to Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Princess of African Pop) romped down the ramp. A couple of months after Mugabe had declared that there were no African homosexuals, here was six and a half feet of living proof that there were! Here was Yvonne, Big, Black and Proud, who changed the face and colour of Drag in Zimbabwe in an instant. She challenged all stereotypes. This was no stick thin, supermodel Coloured Queen. This was an African Mama, and she was sensational.

From that moment, Yvonne became an unmistakable and controversial figure in the Harare gay scene. She may mince down the ramp as well as anyone else, but nobody can mince their words the way she can. Her fiery temper has often gotten her into hot water. An incident at The Tube Nite Club stands out, where Yvonne ranted at a bewildered crowd over some imagined slight by the Lemming Sisters. Well, we eventually got over that one.

Since her debut, Yvonne has been a permanent fixture of the drag scene. In 1996, she co-presented the Jacaranda Queen with the inimitable Evergreen Sphinx. The following year, the pageant was a completed disaster, saved only by the fact that Yvonne finally won the title. Her adoring fans were so excited that they climbed atop of the New Queen. The combined weight of an already large drag queen with three fans on either hip and two on her back, caused the stage to collapse! Twice!

Since that startling spectacle, Yvonne has appeared every year at Jacaranda Queen, at Cabaret evenings at the Tube, La Vanhu and The Matrix, as well as at parties at the GALZ centre, and private parties. Her favourite performer to emulate is South African songbird Brenda Fassie, though she has been known to stray to as far as Madonna. At the 2001 Jacaranda Queen, she appeared as Pink, in shocking pink braids, in Moulin Rouge with Diva Divine, Celeste & Coco Meringue.

A little know fact about Yvonne is that she owns a fleet of commuter omnibuses, a shopping centre and a construction company. "I'm a rich bitch", she says of herself. Some of her methods are unconventional, but effective. Her way of dealing with CIO agents infiltrating GALZ parties at The Tube was to sleep with them!

Over the years, Yvonne has matured in style, without compromising her sense of outrage and irony. Her outfits have become more glamorous, though still often unintentionally revealing. She was also the author of the short-lived gossip rag, called the Clique Song. Yvonne has now departed Zimbabwe for a while. We hear she is causing turmoil in Harare North (London, but she promises that we haven't seen the back of her, no by a long shot. You have been warned!!