Popular socialite and dancer Zodwa Wabantu is facing scrutiny after reportedly skipping a paid performance at Stengas Place in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni the club’s owner, Stenga Shabangu has publicly demanded a refund, claiming that Zodwa Wabantu took a booking fee but failed to show up for the event.
According to Daily Sun, Stenga revealed that he and Zodwa Wabantu agreed on a R13 000 performance fee. He paid her an R8 000 deposit in June and in July, she demanded the remaining R5 000 to create a promotional video for the event. Stenga provided proof of payment for the balance. However, after Zodwa pulled a no-show, he lost a lot of money.
Stenga expressed his disappointment in the news publication, stating, “I’m hurt she did this to me. What hurts me more is she didn’t communicate with us that she wouldn’t be available. She was the main act. I lost a lot of money that day, as many people came, stood outside, and said they would buy tickets only when they saw her. Unfortunately, she didn’t show up.”
Stengas Place further released a statement on Facebook: “We are currently in communication with Zodwa Wabantu’s management team to reschedule a new date for her performance, which we hope to host soon. As a token of our apology[..]The new date will be announced shortly. Zodwa will also release a video apology to our clients.”
This issue of artists not honouring their booking commitments seems to be growing more common according to Zimoja, Oscar Mbo was initially booked with flights arranged; however, he later instructed the Eastern Cape promoter to change his flight to an earlier time due to a conflicting gig in Johannesburg due to that he ended up missing his gig.
Similarly,amapiano star DJ Maphorisa also faced challenges in fulfilling his booked show in the Eastern Cape due to a flight delay. The hitmaker released a statement on his Instagram page under his record label, Lawk Communications, apologising to fans for the inconvenience.
Also see: Zodwa Wabantu defends her work: ‘My work feeds a lot of people’
