Jamaican reggae star Sizzla Kalonji came to the rescue of his fans in Zimbabwe on the weekend after they were beaten by riot police and soldiers at a concert for President Robert Mugabe's 86^th birthday.

The artiste whose give name is Miguel Collins was performing during the 21st February Movement Gala on Saturday. Sizzla was greeted by wild scenes as he appeared on stage under heavy police security. Ecstatic fans broke a barricade that was formed by the police to have a closer look at the reggae artiste, who was the star performer among a line up of local and foreign musicians. Suddenly, the police started beating the fans to control them. The commotion caused a brief stoppage of Sizzla's performance. He later pleaded with the police to stop the beatings. Agitated fans responded by throwing missiles at the police and were only restrained after the reggae artiste appealed for calm. The gala was also broadcast live on national television.