When it comes to matters over at the SABC sometimes you can only shake your head and wonder who’s in charge.
Then you remember it’s Hlaudi Motsoeneng, and of course it all makes sense.
We covered the build-up to the Thank You SABC Music Concert HERE, touching on the fact that there had been little to no advertising for the concert.
Despite this the SABC hoped to fill the 40 000 seater Orlando Stadium, which is what makes the photos from this weekend so cringeworthy.
Some pictures from TimesLive:
Insert cricket noises – the insect, not the sport.
So how is the SABC handling the disappointment? Denial, with this from HTXT:
“Why should we be responding to that?” SABC spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, said…when asked for comment.
“This was not an SABC event, it was by artists. Therefore, why should we be commenting on it?” Kganyago said, referring to the public broadcaster denying it was footing the bill for the concert, as “erroneously” stated in the press release announcing the concert.
Kganyago added that the SABC had nothing to do with the concert, other than being the official media partner for the event.
“If they want to investigate those artists, it’s fine, they’ve got nothing to do with us. The concert was honouring the SABC and I don’t know why we should get involved,” he said.
Yes, the SABC released a statement in the build-up saying they were paying for the concert, and have now claimed that was an error. It gets worse:
…promoter Morris Roda was one of the key role players in the concert.
Roda was previously investigated by authorities after a failed Miriam Makeba tribute concert which cost taxpayers millions.
Artists [said] that they had not been paid and would not perform unless payment was made.
Perhaps the wise Mr Jack Parow summed it up best on his Instagram:
The Citizen puts the number of people attending as low as 1 000, whereas other sources optimistically say it was closer to 4 000.
Thanks for the laughs, SABC, but when you can’t even organise your own congratulatory event it really is time to reconsider the credentials of those running the show.
