Zari Hassan – Major Facts About The Ugandan Socialite

Zari Hassan is what you would call a socialite. She is a model, a beautician, a musician, an investor, a businesswoman, and one with a pack of stories that would make a decent novel. Maybe not a full novel but as a novella, you would have in your hand a hot tale of beauty, adventure, romance, and power. If you live outside of East Africa and South Africa, you are about to meet a star whose stories would slot perfectly in a Kardashianic narrative form. If you already know her from your home country, here is an opportunity to meet Zari anew.

Age and early life

Zari Hassan was born Zarinah Zaitun Hassan on the 23rd day of September 1980. She was born to Nasur Hassan, father and Halima Hassan, mother. The mother who passed away in July 2017 had Indian roots. Zari also inherited Somali and Burundian genes from her father. Together, Mr. and Mrs. Hassan had eight children of which Zari is one of the six daughters.

Zari Hassan was born in Jinja, a tourist city in the mouth of Lake Victoria and 70 kilometers from the capital in Kampala. Zari lived most of her life in Jinja where she had her O-level education. While in school, she showed great aptitude in drama and other performative art. In 1998, Zari left for the United Kingdom where she studied Cosmetology at the UK’s Cosmetology School of Girls, leaving with a diploma.

Zari Hassan who was raised a Muslim is 39 years old.

Zari Hassan in South Africa and marriage to Ivan

After her studies in England, Zari returned to Uganda and lived for a while in Kampala. Deciding that she could do better and excelled more as a beautician outside of Uganda, Zari left for South Africa. It was the year 2000 and she was barely twenty. The following year, she met and fell in love with flamboyant businessman Ivan SSemwaga. He followed her back to Uganda and wedded her there. It was said that he became great friends with his new mother-in-law, Halima, a friendship that would last to his death.

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Hassan had three kids for Ivan with another one born after she had divorced Ivan and seeing Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platinumz. Zari complained that she was physically abused by her then-husband who fired back that Zari was unfaithful to him. Ivan passed away in May 2017.

A few weeks later, Zari Hassan’s mother passed on, her health said to have deteriorated when she heard of the passing of her friend, ally, and ex-son-in-law.

Relationship with Diamond Platinumz

Zari Hassan was a huge fan of the music of Diamond Plantinumz whom she met in a plane while both of them were leaving South Africa to Uganda. Zari approached him for a photo and for her it might have been love at first sight. Diamond would later say: “To say the truth, God is my witness, it is clear she loved me more than I loved her.” He summed it up thus: “Her love was too much.”

Zari and Diamond never got married but they had two kids together. Rumors of their breakup began to make their way into the internet in 2017. It later emerged that the couple was having a hard time and trying to see if they could work it out. They couldn’t. On valentine’s day of 2018, Zari announced that she had had enough and called the romance off. She claimed Diamond cheated on her multiple times.

Reflecting on this in an interview he gave to Wasafi Media in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Diamond admitted her cheated; he said: “Throughout my relationship with Zari, I wronged her more than she wronged me.” One of the wrongs she did to him was seeing Peter Okoye of P-square fame (allegedly) and having “a thing” for/with her gym instructor (allegedly). In spite of these, he was sure what she was: “She was smart, she was a wife material that I can assure.”

After their second child, Diamond said he asked that Zari move to Tanzania and be with him. She said no. And he went months without seeing his lover. “It was after this period,” he confessed, “I can say that the devil took over me and I started my stupidity. I’m human, I couldn’t prevent it.”

A grown-ass man blaming the devil for his actions in 2019 should be a source of comedic performance and one you would agree should not be associated with a precious stone.

With the relationship over, Diamond went on to hook up with his Kenyan sweetheart Tanasha Donna. In June 2020, Zari announced that Diamond was back into her life. “Diamond realized what his problem was,” she said, adding that he returned not to her but to be in the lives of his children.

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Many didn’t buy this and made comments online which drove Zari crazy prompting her to take on IG to complain and ask haters off. She was sure to point this out: “A whole lot of you black women are the reason why black kids are not growing up with their fathers. A whole lot of you black women are the reason we have a lot of black boys roaming on the streets because you deny these guys a chance to do what they are supposed to do.”

Controversies and net worth

Just like her fellow East African star, Vera Sidika, Zari Hassan has been accused of bleaching her skin. Unlike Sidika, Zari didn’t admit to this claim. Also, she has always been light-skinned. The accusers, however, pointed out that she bleached to enhance her skin thereby making her fairer.

There are also allegations that Zari had undergone lip augmentation.

Zari Hassan is a rich woman. She owns businesses in both Uganda and South Africa where she is said to have inherited some of her late husband’s enterprises. She owns houses in Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa which have been home to her in some points of her span.

Zari the Boss Lady is a car enthusiast and owns a couple of Range Rovers and Benzes. There is no price for estimating correctly how much she is worth because it is impossible to calculate an income of one whose very presence in a given geographical area has the power to earn her top sums. She is not called a socialite for nothing.

Image source: News of Africa