Maskandi artists are facing a bleak festive season after they were not paid for performing at a number of events.
They performed at various maskandi events, including Hlangana Theku, which was held on December 24 2023. It was held at Number 9, outside Pietermaritzburg. Ntokozo Zuma, a construction boss, was the organiser of this event.
They also entertained crowds at the Khuphuka Nezakho Festival, held on May 4 at Curries Fountain in Durban. Lungelo “Ngelo Vee” Vilane was the organiser of this event. Over 20 maskandi artists performed at this event.
Some performances date back to 2023
On August 17, they performed at the Impucuzeko Maskandi Festival held at the People’s Park in Durban. Xolani Mcineka was the event organiser, and he booked more than 50 artists.
They were also not paid for showcasing their talent at the Umbuso Wamaciko Maskandi Festival. This one was held on September 28. Geh Ngcobo was the event organiser, and more than 50 artists were booked.
All these events were allegedly funded by eThekwini Municipality.
A handful of artists approached Sunday World, crying foul that they have not received their performance fee from these events.
An artist who preferred to remain anonymous spoke to Sunday World.
“I performed at Hlangana Theku festival last year in December but I never received my performance fee. And I have been calling and texting Zuma, but he has failed to honour our agreement. It’s almost a year and I received nothing from that booking. I know that his event was funded by eThekwini Municipality,” said the artist.
Another artist who performed at Khuphuka Nezakho told Sunday World that he has been waiting for his payment since May.
Waste of time and resources for artists
“I was approached by Ngelo Vee, and I agreed on the basis that I’d get paid within 30 days. And I knew this was nearly impossible, nonetheless, I agreed.
“I thought he’d pay within two to three months. Unfortunately, this was not the case, it’s been six months already, and there’s not even an update or communication from Ngelo V. I’m angry and hurt at the same time. It means I wasted my time, my resources and the little money,” said the artist.
A leader of a Maskandi group said: “I can confirm that our group was booked and performed at Umbuso Wamaciko. We were hoping that by now we’d have been paid. Unfortunately, the event organiser is not even communicating with us. At some point we were told that eThekwini Municipality has not paid them, therefore we couldn’t be paid.
“This is hurtful because we are approaching Christmas. We’ve got school fees to pay and we’ve families to feed. Between the eThekwini Municipality and event organisers, we don’t know who’s fooling us. But clearly we’re heading for black Christmas,” said the artist.
One of the event organisers who asked not to be named spoke to Sunday World. He said: “I understand their frustration but this is beyond us. The eThekwini Municipality has not released the funds, and there’s nothing we can do.
“Every day I receive phone calls and text messages from artists. They want their money. I’ve been explaining the same thing every day. I even ran out of answers, I’m also frustrated by the delay.”
Organisers admit delays, some won’t be drawn into the issue
Zuma confirmed that there are artists who were not paid but refused to disclose details. “I had a limited budget and all the artists were made aware of this. Unfortunately, I cannot answer the questions unless I’m given the names of the complaining artists,” said Zuma.
Spokesperson for uMbuso Wamaciko, Sanele Hlongwa, also refused to comment.
“We don’t have a contract with media but with artists. Any artist who needs clarity about payment will approach us, not the media. Unless the contract is with the media.”
A media inquiry was sent to eThekwini Municipality, but they had not responded by the time of publishing. The story will be updated with a respond when it is available.”
