Steve Hofmeyr withdraws from AIG 2020

Popular and controversial Afrikaans singer Steve Hofmeyr announced his withdrawal from the Afrikaans is Groot concert for 2020 on his Facebook page yesterday.

This follows ongoing threats by sponsors to withdraw from AIG because the organiser had decided to include the singer in the concert.

“After discussions with the AIG board, I decided to stand back so that the AIG concerts in Cape Town can take place in 2020.

“I am doing this in the interests of my fellow colleagues and the big production team. I understand the enormous challenges in terms of infrastructure and costs and what the loss of income may be for my fellow artists.

“I realize that Sun International will refuse us their venue in the Cape if I don’t make the decision,” Hofmeyr said in his Facebook post.

Last month Hofmeyr once again found himself in the middle of a media storm when Sun International Times Square asked the organizers of AIG to give him the boot.

READ MORE: Steve Hofmeyr ‘will perform at Afrikaans is Groot’

In a press statement in August, Sun International said they were legally bound to the Afrikaans is Groot event organiser, to host one upcoming concert featuring Steve Hofmeyr at Time Square this year.

Solidarity Helping Hand and organisers of AIG (Afrikaans is Groot) also responded to reports of a possible cancellation of AIG and the request to remove Hofmeyr from its line-up over the weekend.

Deputy managing director for Helping Hand Ernst Vorster confirmed in August that Hofmeyr will still be part of the show as planned

“Helping Hand noted Steve’s decision. We respect his decision and will respond with a media statement in due course,” Voster told Rekord on Thursday.

Hofmeyr further said in his post that it grieves him that money, sponsors and political narrative dictated our culture and our arts today.

READ MORE: ‘Dankie Steve’ konsert lok duisende

“I will not bow my knee to the haters of acquittal, and no boycott will make me silent about my people’s grievances.

“My tours will continue regardless and I will not hesitate to trumpet the names of our nation’s exterminators, while Sun International, Toyota, MTN and Multichoice have no word on the incitement to violence and hate speech against my people.

“If they can silence me, they can gently remove us from the picture,” Hofmeyr concluded his post.

More than 6 000 of his followers reacted to his post on Facebook.

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