Based on advice from the local South African Police and security Services, Emerald Resort & Casino has made the decision to cancel the Afrikaans in die Vaal concert on 30 March 2019.

Mark Hands, the Managing Director, said earlier today (18-3-2019): “We apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused. This decision was not arrived at lightly and understand some of our community were looking forward to an evening of just being entertained but based on advice and discussions with the local police and their threat assessment on the potential for violence, we made the decision to completely cancel the show.

“Emerald Resort & Casino is a family resort and the safety of each person, both guests and team members, is of paramount importance to us. We will not tolerate or entertain any form of discrimination, hate speech or bias which may lead to the possibility of injury, emotionally or physically, no matter how slight, at the Resort.

“We are committed to offering experiences and entertainment to all ethnic groups and we will be looking at announcing a different Afrikaans show later in the month.”

All concert ticket holders will be fully refunded through Computicket, who will in due course be sending out an SMS.

• Two well-known names in South African entertainment, Steve Hofmeyr and Refentse, were to perform as main attractions in “Afrikaans in die Vaal” on March 30.