The KwaZulu-Natal department of sports, arts, and culture has been accused of favouritism by a number of event organisers.
According to these event organisers, maskandi artist Khuzani Mpungose and Mthokozi “DJ Tira” Khathi are allegedly making a lot of money at the expense of marginalised artists.
The organisers said they were fed up with the same individuals receiving sponsorship from the department while their suggestions for events are often ignored. They claimed DJ Tira alone has received roughly R6-million from the provincial government in 2024.
One of the disgruntled event organisers, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It is unfortunate that the KZN department keeps sponsoring the same people over and over again.
People who deserve funding are overlooked
“I know for a fact that DJ Tira received about R5-million for Fact Durban Rocks [festival]. He also received R1-million for his Gumba Fest. I also know that Mpungose received about R10-million for his Gcwalisa Spring Picnic.”
Another event organiser, who also chose not to be identified, complained: “What is happening in KZN is disappointing. People who are deserving of financial support are overlooked, and people who clearly do not need financial assistance are always getting the money.
“If you happen to get funding, it is so little that it’s not worth doing the event.”
It’s been the case for years now
They stated that this issue has persisted for years and claim that the industry in the province is reluctant to confront the pressing issue.
The Fact Durban Rocks is a private company owned by DJ Tira and Chad White. The event takes place twice a year, in July and on New Year’s Eve.
The Gcwalisa Spring Picnic is also an annual event that takes place in November.
When contacted for comment, Mpungose and DJ Tira both denied the accusations.
“Fact Durban Rocks hasn’t received sponsorship from the department for the last few years since the Covid pandemic,” Tira said.
“This year, they [the department] have offered R500k for New Year’s eve to support artists, which we spend R1.5-million on, and another R1-million on stages, etc.”
We are not going to answer the haters
He continued: “We wish we had more support so we could book even more artists. We received no support from the department for the July event.
“We wish we had more support so we could get back to pre-Covid set-ups for Fact Durban Rocks.
“However, we appreciate what we receive as it helps us support artists and try to keep prices for entry down for FactFans. The last time we did an independent media report on the event was in 2019.”
DJ Tira was unable to confirm or refute the sponsorship of Gumba Fest. Mpungose acknowledged the sponsorship but expressed shock at the accusations.
“We are not going to answer all the stories of the haters. I don’t have time for this. I was funded with R500k,” Mpungose said.
The department was supposed to respond to the accusations early in December but failed to do so.
