Lekwa artists add fuel to music festival fire
Their secretary in Lekwa, Themba Dube, said one of their biggest duties was to fight for the rights of all local artists as creative practitioners.
A music festival at the Standerton River Park on November 5, as published, opened up a can of worms.
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency presented the event where various artists and MCs entertained the crowd.
DA-councillor, Alberto Franco, previously said the Gert Sibande District Municipality and provincial government did not confer with the Lekwa Municipality.
“It did not promote tourism as tourism is a misnomer. It was tourism by proxy.”
Franco added that requirements such as security, insurance, ablution facilities, a liquor licence application and engagement with the joint operations command (JOK) did not take place.
The latter includes the involvement of the police, fire department and traffic department for law and order purposes.
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This residential area falls under the jurisdiction of the municipality. The Standerton Advertiser tried to contact the agency on their landline on November 9, to no avail.
An email, outlining the situation, was subsequently sent to them the same morning. A government organisation called Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa contacted the newspaper the past week.
Their secretary in Lekwa, Themba Dube, said one of their biggest duties was to fight for the rights of all local artists as creative practitioners.
Dube said they were not contacted and are the only local structure with a proper database of artists in Lekwa.
He referred in his email to the arrogance of the organisers, saying they arrived in Standerton, hold an event to supposedly help the town’s creative sector, economy and tourism without going through the proper channels and protocols.
“Our office has received numerous complaints from local artists complaining about the lack of involvement from local artists, that the festival only benefited a few individuals,” Dube also said.
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According to him, they were told at one point that the organisers’ legal advice was not to release public information.
After receiving the complaints, they made contact with the number posted on the festival’s advertisement and were directed to a woman at Genius VIP.
According to him, they wanted simple public information about the system or criteria used to select or choose artists who could participate in the festival. He concluded by saying their telephone calls and text messages were ignored.
The Standerton Advertiser made a telephone call to Miranda Lyone of Genius VIP on Thursday, November 17 in which the allegations were outlined. Lyone explained that she is the events coordinator.
“Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency hired us and told us who they want on the programme,” she said.
According to her, they hold four such events annually and have done so for the past three years.
“We have a database of local artists,” she also said.
She concluded by saying the company and organisation came to an agreement that they will work together at future events.
