Sorry End To African Attire Picnic
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday March 4, 2019 18:00
Many had thronged the venue hoping to see the South African songbird Simmy whose real names are Simphiwe Nhlangulela who was supposed to perform for an hour from 11pm till 12 midnight.
They were excited every time the MCees asked if they were ready for her performance only for their hopes to be shattered when they realised that the Sonini and Ubala singer was not going to perform.
The crowd even got more furious after the organisors did not tell them that their favourite singer would not be able to perform and neither were they given an explanation as to why she could not perform.
In an interview event coordinator, David Letshwiti said the singer and her crew were expected to board a plane to Botswana at 8pm. However, she called them at around 6pm notifying them that the Air Botswana flight they were supposed to board was cancelled. He said the artiste was ready to board and was already by the airline’s counter upon cancellation.
“We rushed to the airport to confirm if indeed the flight was cancelled and we were told that Air Botswana planes flying both to and from Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport were cancelled,” he said.
“We are yet to enquire about what caused that inconvenience. We should have been told in time that the flight was cancelled so that we could have booked her another flight to avoid disappointing our clients.”
Letshwiti added that they tried convincing Simmy and her crew to drive to Botswana, but they realised that it would not be possible to reach the border by 12 midnight. He also said the artiste and her crew said they did not want to risk driving to Botswana that late since they have never been to the country before.
Letshwiti said they had since decided to consult legal advisors on what remedies are available for both the business and their patrons. He said they are taking the matter seriously and will pursue all remedial avenues available to them and their patrons to make sure that their brand is not diluted by events they could not control.
Asked why he did not tell the revellers about those sudden changes, he said he did not want to ruin their mood and let them enjoy themselves.
He also said he was trying to avoid chaos, a decision that backfired on them. However, he said there was no damage or injuries incurred at the event all thanks to the police who came to calm the situation down.
Despite the setback, the event ran smoothly at the beginning as all local artistes and acts delivered their all and kept the audience mesmerised. Amongst the acts was of the famous dikwaere singer Dr Vom who is famed with his song Tsaya Thobane and Mafitlhakgosi who inspired the young ones with their brilliant performances, Mobini with brilliant dance moves to mention a few.
The revellers looked stunning in their different African attires as many dressed to kill. They painted the venue colourful with their exquisite attires each complimenting the individual’s personality.