Unathi pulls out of EC Awards over payment
Singer wanted full fees to be paid upfront
THE Eastern Cape Entertainment Stars Awards (ECESA) gala in East London tonight will go ahead without singer Unathi Msengana as the event host.
The awards gala will be held at Abbotsford Christian Centre from 7pm tonight.
Msengana, scheduled to host tonight’s event and perform at the ECESA music festival on Sunday, took to Instagram yesterday to inform people she would no longer be coming to East London for the show.
“East London, I’m really sorry I won’t be performing at the ECESA music festival on Sunday and I won’t be hosting the ECESA gala tomorrow night!
“The promoter refuses to pay us any kind of deposit! I CANNOT do that to my band that has to feed their families too. I’ll be there 31st for the Last Dance,” she wrote.
The mastermind behind the awards is actor Tazz Nginda and the idea is to honour Eastern Cape entertainers who have put the province on the map.
Nginda yesterday denied he had refused to pay Msengana a deposit.
“She said she wants a full payment and I told her I don’t have the money right now,” he said.
Other artists such as Nathi Mankayi, Vusi Nova and Amanda have confirmed they will perform at the ECESA music festival on Sunday.
Buffalo City Metro (BCM) has sponsored the event to the tune of R750 000.
Shortly after Msengana posted on Instagram, a Johannesburg-based company contracted by Nginda to handle public relations said the event had been cancelled due to logistical and contractual issues.
The company later retracted the statement.
“The only issue we had was getting the media people down but everyone is coming down [today],” Nginda said.