Top Gear Festival canned as city ‘has no money’

IT’S been confirmed: the Top Gear Festival is leaving Durban after three years.

The shock revelation was made by the organisers in a brief media statement yesterday afternoon.

However, the news did not come as entirely unexpected.

Last month, The Mercury reported that the deputy mayor and chairwoman of the municipality’s economic development and planning committee, Nomvuzo Shabalala, had told the committee that the city did not have the money for the event.

Joburg now seems to be the most likely destination.

The organisers said yesterday that they were “actively” looking for an alternative destination, and “hope to have more news very soon”.

Addressing members of the committee at the time, Shabalala abruptly said: “I forgot to mention that we don’t have money for Top Gear. We don’t have it… It happens in June. Also, the World Routes Forum (in September). Those are big events and we need the money.”

Shabalala was briefing the committee on tourism statistics.

Top Gear said it had over the past three years enjoyed a “great relationship” with its South African fans, and thanked them for being “understanding” about the situation.

This year’s event was scheduled to be held on the weekend of June 13-14.

Frustrated show enthusiasts took to the event’s Facebook page yesterday to request clarity about the cancellation.

Donella Wright wrote: “Can anyone confirm the change of venue for TGF (the Top Gear Festival) 2015 from Durban to Joburg?! If true, I find it completely disgusting!”

There was confusion over ticket sales, which were apparently meant to begin yesterday.

Kamil Ramlaul asked: “Tickets were to be launched today, but nothing is on iTickets. Will it really be today?”

A response on the page said tickets would go on sale on March 20.

The event’s chief operations officer, James Cooke-Priest, said Durban was one of the seven destinations which had been selected for this year’s international tour.

“SA has been one of our favourite destinations on the tour. We have a particular fondness for the crowds we entertain here.

“Although we will not be in Durban this year, we are taking steps to stage an alternative Top Gear Live event in Johannesburg, and we shall be announcing those plans shortly.”

He said fans who had already bought vouchers for this year’s event had already been contacted about their orders and offered alternatives.

Efforts to get comment from the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism were unsuccessful.

In June last year, the municipality’s executive committee announced that it had agreed “in principle” to continue hosting the festival, saying it had put the city on the map and given it “unprecedented” exposure.

In the three years in which the event was held at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, the city contributed about R12 million a year to it.

Returns on the investment were estimated at more than R100m a year.