Phiwo Dhlamini is stepping into another spotlight. The communications professional and media personality has been unveiled as the official hostess for the inaugural Gin Gardens, adding another familiar face from Eswatini’s entertainment and events scene to the highly anticipated lifestyle experience.
Set for October 3 at Sharma House in Ezulwini, Gin Gardens is shaping up to be more than a day centred around gin.
The event promises a mix of music, food, fashion, art and curated lifestyle experiences, with a line-up designed to bring together different parts of Eswatini’s social and entertainment crowd.
For an event built around atmosphere and experience, the person guiding guests through the day matters just as much as the performances on stage.
Dhlamini’s appointment therefore feels fitting, particularly given her experience working in communications and around some of the Kingdom’s biggest entertainment moments.
As the Communications Manager for MTN Bushfire, Dhlamini is no stranger to an environment where music, culture, creativity and people come together.
Her work with the internationally recognised festival has placed her behind the scenes of one of Eswatini’s biggest entertainment platforms, while her presence as an MC and media personality has also seen her take on more visible roles.
That combination of experience gives her a different perspective on hosting.
A good hostess is not simply there to introduce the next act. She helps shape the mood, keeps the audience connected to what is happening and becomes part of the personality of an event.
At a lifestyle experience like Gin Gardens, where guests are expected to move between music, food, drinks, fashion and social spaces, that role becomes even more important.
Gin Gardens itself is being positioned as a premium garden experience where music, culture and curated gin moments come together.
Organisers have announced South African acts including Sino Msolo, Nia Pearl, Touchline and Dusse Wavy, alongside local performers and DJs, creating a line-up that brings together established names and Eswatini talent.
The event will also have a strong drinks and lifestyle component, with local gin brands expected to feature alongside other offerings.
Early-bird ticket promotions have already included complimentary gin bottles, while the organisers continue to build anticipation around the overall experience.
Dhlamini’s addition gives the event another layer of personality. Her career has largely existed at the intersection of communication, entertainment and public engagement spaces where knowing how to read a room is just as important as knowing what to say.
That will likely come in handy on October 3, when Sharma House becomes a meeting point for music lovers, socialites, creatives, entrepreneurs and lifestyle enthusiasts looking for a different kind of day out.
For Dhlamini, the Gin Gardens appointment also adds another chapter to an already varied career in Eswatini’s media and entertainment landscape.
It places her once again in front of an audience, this time helping to steer an experience that is deliberately built around the social side of entertainment.
With Gin Gardens promising a full day that moves from afternoon garden energy into an after-dark experience, there will be plenty for the hostess to keep up with.
Organisers have also announced a late-night Beer Garden component, extending the experience beyond the daytime programme.
Meanwhile, Gin Gardens is not positioning itself as just another event on the calendar.
It is selling a mood, a setting and an experience and with Phiwo Dhlamini taking on the hostess role, the organisers have chosen someone who understands how to bring people, brands and entertainment together.
Her hosting credentials stretch well beyond her work with MTN Bushfire. Dhlamini has taken the mic at some of Eswatini’s biggest cultural and lifestyle platforms, including the Standard Bank Luju Food & Lifestyle Festival and its Blue Table Talks, where she has led conversations around the festival and the creative economy.
She has also had the opportunity to MC engagements involving His Majesty King Mswati III, as well as international events beyond Eswatini’s borders.
It is a body of work that has firmly established her as one of the country’s standout MCs equally comfortable navigating a festival crowd, a high-level conversation or a room filled with influential guests.
Come October 3, she will be one of the familiar faces helping set the tone for what organisers hope will become a new fixture on Eswatini’s lifestyle and entertainment calendar.
