The gloves are off. Maskandi star Mxolisi “Nyon’emhlophe” Jali has unleashed a fiery attack on the organisers of the Ugu Maskandi Festival, accusing them of side-lining him and spreading lies.
The festival, set for September 27 at Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, boasts a star-studded line-up with Sjava, Phuzekhemisi, Khuzani, Mthandeni, Bahubhe, Naledi Aphiwe and more. But shockingly, Nyon’emhlophe’s name is nowhere to be found on the list.
Earlier this week, Jali took to Facebook and explained that he had been snubbed and would not be part of the event.
Wants to clarify to fans
“I never refused to be part of this event. I was never even contacted! And I was looking forward to performing, but instead I was snubbed. It’s painful because in the early days, we were told to accept little money so the festival could grow. Now that it’s big, we are no longer invited.
“My guess is that my brand has become too small for this event. I’m not throwing shade at anyone’s event. I just wanted to clear my name because it looks to the public as if I’m the one who refused.”
But the drama did not end there. Festival spokesperson Melusi Khwela claimed Nyon’emhlophe was left out because organisers wanted artists with huge social media followings. And also cited budget constraints.
In a conference call, Khwela said: “We’ve worked with Nyon’emhlophe before. But this time around we wanted artists who can promote our event. And also who have a huge following on social media. All the artists on the poster are currently marketing this event. Some of them were marketing it even last year. We also didn’t have a budget to accommodate everyone. Unfortunately, Nyon’emhlophe has failed to promote this event.”
But Jali accused Khwela of lying.
Accuses organiser of lying
“I’m disappointed that you’re lying in my face. It is not true that you were looking for artists with a huge following. I am saying this because most artists on your poster have less following compared to me. Some don’t even have a presence on social media.
“Otherwise, I’m challenging you to prove me wrong. The budget issue is also not true. Because I’ve always been paid less than R10, 000. Other groups and artists were pocketing over R20, 000. Nonetheless, I’ve never complained because I wanted this event to grow.
“It is also not true that I failed to promote this event. Last year you asked me and my colleagues to compose a promotional song for the Ugu Maskandi Festival, and we did. I had to drive from the South Coast to Durban to record the song.
“My colleagues and I covered all the travelling costs, including the costs of recording the song in studio. We came back and posted the song on social media. You never paid us for marketing your event. And we never complained or asked for money because we knew we were promoting your event. So you cannot claim that I failed to promote your previous events.”
Khwela could not defend himself. He said: “Unfortunately, I cannot respond to Nyon’emhlophe. I have to go.”
