Inter-varsity sees high action but little of Kwesta
Hip-hop star performs only one song at after-party
AWARD-WINNING hip-hop star Senzo Vilakazi, popularly known as Kwesta, left his fans high and dry after only one song at the inter-varsity tournament after-party held at the University of Fort Hare Alice campus on Saturday night.
Prior to his vanishing act, Kwesta pleaded with the bouncers to let the crowd come closer to the stage, a request that fell on deaf ears.
He then got off the stage and came closer to the handful of students who were present when he started performing.
According to the programme, Kwesta was scheduled to perform at 8pm, however it was only after 9pm by the time the hip-hop star eventually took to the stage.
Asandiswa Tshotsho was disappointed that his favourite singer performed only one song.
“I was looking forward to hearing Ngudu, Nomsyini and other songs,” Tshotsho said.
Kwesta said to the audience: “The whole point is to connect with you, there is no way I can connect with you when there is this distance between us.” Speaking the Dispatch after his performance Kwesta said he came prepared for a full show.
“I like the fact that people came to attend the show but I hate that I could not connect with them the way I wanted to.
“I tried to ask the organisers so many times, five or six times, and they just did not open for the people.
“I’m never booked to perform for grass, I people.
“People [organisers] must not think just because they booked me, they have power over me. The only people that have power over me are the [fans]. If you are gonna restrict my interaction with the people [fans] then you are messing up the whole show. I am not happy about it at all.”
He accused the promoter for forcing get booked to perform for his hand song.
“That is the promoter’s issue, it has nothing to do with me. I was here to perform the whole set.
“I was here with a band. It almost makes it look like it is my fault, but I was here for people. I told them that I was here for them [fans] and they know that I was here for them.”
Kwesta, who had another show in performing only one scheduled for 2am in Mthatha, said he had been waiting since 8pm to start his performance but there were no people around and that he was not going to perform for “grass”.
“I was not looking for a big crowd or anything like that. “I was just looking for interaction.” SRC secretary general at UFH, Ahlomile Mafu, said they did not know who had scheduled Kwesta to perform at 8pm.
“We are shocked he was the show opener. We also discovered that he was double-booked. We are still going to have a meeting where we hope to get answers to all these questions,” she said. —