Promoters want Zodwa Wabantu to pay back the money
A GROUP of event promoters are set to drag reality TV star and entertainer Zodwa Wabantu to court for taking money upfront and then failing to show up to gigs.
The promoters have united and are mobilising others and owners of entertainment venues. They say they have given up rescheduling the star of “Zodwa Wabantu Uncensored”, and are demanding their money back and approaching the court to attach her assets. United under the campaign #Zodwamustpay, they opened a Whatsapp group with promoters from Soshanguve, Hammanskraal, Winterveld, Rustenburg, Limpopo, North West and Gauteng.
Legal practitioner Solly Golele, also a promoter as well as entertainer, and DJ Maizer, said Sedibe Attorneys and Shela Attorneys were building a case against the star. They are bringing together all aggrieved promoters to establish exactly how much they would demand from Zodwa or recoup the money by attaching her assets if she failed to react positively to a letter of demand, default judgment and summons.
He said it was still early days, but they had already surpassed R200 000 because a lot of promoters were coming out from all parts of the country, and they did not know what else to do because after she failed to pitch, she did not return payments, they said.
“We are putting together all the evidence in the form of proofs of payment, agreements and text conversations, and we will use that in court to prove that she was paid to render a service but failed to do so.
“It is really a lot of money because each person paid a minimum of
R20 000. Some paid it several times for different events,” said Golele.
Speaking to Pretoria News, the promoters said Zodwa Wabantu also damaged their credibility and placed them in situations where they had to face the storm of angry crowds who waited for her for hours on end, only for her to not show up and ignore calls.
Spokesperson for the movement is former SMU FM radio personality and podcaster Percy Sleash SA, who said he had to secretly leave a gig where he was the MC because the crowd was angry, thinking they used her name to promote their event.
“We booked Zodwa Wabantu for the Maunde City event in Winterveldt for September 27, but she did not show up. Then there was a time I was an MC at an event in Funky Inn, Soshanguve, and she did not show. This was already a rescheduled gig she missed.
“It is not right what she is doing. Everybody has evidence that they paid her, she even posted videos that she was coming at times, but she did not show up.”
A heartbroken Vuyo Kubo said they paid Zodwa Wabantu R70 000 for “doing no work at all”. He said they first paid her R30 000 for an event in Lovies Braai Chillas and Carwash in Allanridge in 2020, but she did not arrive.
“With another team of promoters, we booked her for a show at Upperton in 2020, around those Covid-19 days, for R35 000. We then decided to host Moja Music Festival and booked her for that instead, and added R5 000, but she did not come.”
The Pretoria News could not get a comment from Zodwa Wabantu as her phone rang unanswered. A text message to give her an opportunity to tell her side of the story was not read.