COSBOTS Boss Charges 'Abusive' Artists
Spira Tlhankane | Monday March 30, 2020 18:07
Selotate confirmed to Showtime that indeed he has laid charges against the artists and the matter was registered at the Naledi Police Station.
He said the artists led by jazz musician, Thabang Garogwe arrived at their offices on Friday demanding their outstanding payments. “They came to see the distribution manager, but insisted on seeing me. It was around 10 o’clock in the morning so I told them I had another engagement. But out of courtesy I decided to see them and hear them out for five minutes,” he said.
Selotate said the artists wanted payment and as the CEO, he understood their plight because shows have been cancelled as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic.
He said he briefly told them that their payments were being processed and they will have to be patient for a little longer.
“They refused to understand and stated that they will stay at our offices and work with us. I told them they were free to stay. As I got up to leave, all hell broke lose and I was locked inside the office as they took my phone. I tried to retrieve it and it led to a small altercation. I was kept hostage for the better part of the morning until my colleagues called the police and that is when they let me out,” he recalled.
Selotate said during that time he was verbally abused by Garogwe.
“There are processes to follow. I didn’t want things to turn this way. I do understand their plight, but we have a code of conduct. Now the police will determine the charge,” he said.
Selotate said as COSBOTS they have made a commitment to pay before March 31, 2020. For his part, Garogwe revealed that he has been trying to make an appointed with Selotate for a month, but the latter had been sending him from pillar to post instead. “When we got to COSBOTS offices on Friday we demanded to see Selotate, but after initially refusing to see us he came. He said he had more important things to do, but what we came there for was very important,” he said.
Garogwe added that it has been 13 months since COSBOTS paid them therefore they had exposed them to all kinds of animosity. He said they cannot even pay rent and most artists live in one rooms and are struggling to survive.
“Selotate failed to hear us out and he kept saying he had somewhere else to go than attend to us. We begged him to stay a little longer, but he decided to walk out on us and that’s when we closed the door and took his phone because he was trying to call the police,” he further revealed.
Garogwe said Selotate shoved away him as he tried to retrieve his phone, but other artists took control of the situation and they were able to sit down as they had requested.
Garogwe said after the police came to intervene, they all went to the station where Selotate agreed that he would not lay charges, but instead they will deal with the situation in-house.
Garogwe said the Naledi police have since contacted them on the matter. He said all they have ever wanted was COSBOTS to pay them their royalties. Naledi police could not be reached at press time