Gqom queen Babes Wodumo is facing legal threats from a KwaZulu-Natal eatery.
The Endaweni Shisanyama, a lifestyle drinking hole in Durban, wants to take Babes Wodumo to court to recover the R11 000 she was paid to perform at an event.
The eatery is accusing her of a scam, saying she failed to grace a show she was booked for with her presence.
The Endaweni said it booked the Wololo hitmaker three weeks ago for the All Black birthday celebration.
“After she confirmed her availability, we promised to pay her on the 25th, but we ended up paying her on the 24th as she kept on doing follow-ups,” said Endaweni Shisanyama.
“To our surprise, after payment the following day, she came back with a voice note saying that her sister Nondu, who does her bookings, has mixed up the dates with Johannesburg, and she has three gigs on that side.
Refund demanded
“We suspected this, as she didn’t make a promo video. But we told the person we were booking through her that if she doesn’t show up, we would like to get a refund, as we won’t need a new date or replacement.
“Up until now, she has yet to receive a refund. We believe all along she’s been in Johannesburg and did not have the intention to come to our event. She took us for a ride and scammed us.
“Since she’s not taking our calls, we will take legal steps against her.”
Babes Wodumo, born Bongekile Simelane, admitted to Sunday World that Endaweni Shisanyama did book her on January 27. However, she blamed her manager for mixing up the dates.
“I did convey my apology to them, explaining that on the very same day I was supposed to be performing at their event, I had gigs and had to shoot for my TV reality show,” said Babes Wodumo.
Asked if she would pay a refund to avoid possible legal action, she did not respond.
Dodging make-up payment
In a separate incident last week, Babes Wodumo and her sister were accused of failing to pay a budding make-up artist based in Johannesburg.
Kuhle Plaatjies took to her Facebook on Friday to express her frustration after the musician and her sister failed to cough up.
This is not the first time that Babes Wodumo finds herself entangled in a financial dispute with a make-up artist.
In 2021, media reports surfaced that Pearl Mhlongo of Pearlisiwe Make-Up and Skincare from Durban alleged that she was owed a modest sum of R1 200 for services rendered.
