Sheriff Kgomotso Mangaba attached more than R6-million worth of equipment from Downtown Music Hub on Monday, including speakers, digital audio units, power amplifiers, CDs, DVDs, audio processors, and professional audio mixing consoles.
Mpume Mabuza, the CEO of Downtown Music Hub, and board member and legendary musician Blondie Makhene were present when the sheriff came knocking.
When Mangaba arrived, he asked Mabuza for the keys so he could locate the movable assets.
“I need the keys for upstairs so I can attach the assets. For today, it will take just under five minutes; I first need to see and identify them [movable assets],” Manqaba said.
Dire financial state
For now, assets from Studio One and Studio Three have been attached. Studio Three alone holds equipment valued at about R6-million.
“We plan to attach assets worth R191 724.63, potentially covered by Studio One. If the value there is less, we will move on to Studio Three.”
Mabuza confirmed the institution’s dire financial state.
She said: “We haven’t received our salaries for seven months, and all municipal services have been cut. Downtown Music Hub has 15 employees, none of whom have been paid since March.
“This attachment covers only the nine employees who took the matter to the CCMA [Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration], so at least they will finally be paid.
“But the problems remain; six more employees, including myself, are still unpaid. We owe the City of Johannesburg for services. We owe service providers, and we owe artists who had booked months in advance.
“It is heartbreaking that it has come to this, after all the hard work we put in. We had begun introducing policies to ensure accountability and transparency, and progress was being made. Now, it feels like all of that was for nothing.”
Department distances itself
Sunday World first reported on May 2 that Downtown Music Hub staff had gone unpaid for at least two months.
On July 13, when employees were still waiting for payment, Sport, Arts, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie announced the organisation’s closure.
McKenzie told parliament that his department was not responsible for employing or paying staff.
“The department is not responsible for appointments or salaries at Downtown Music Hub,” he said at the time, clarifying that the department’s role was limited to conditional financial support.
Employees, frustrated, escalated the matter to the CCMA, which issued an attachment order on August 26.
Despite this, the department continued to distance itself from the saga.
Asked if the department was aware of the ruling, spokesperson Zimasa Velaphi responded: “This matter falls within the internal operations of Downtown Music Hub.
“The organisation is better placed to provide a response, as the dispute is between it and its employees.”
