As rap star Ludacris rocked the stage at Memorial Day celebrations in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas, the hopes of local fans seeing him return to South Africa were dashed. Reports by The Herald and Timeslive reveal that the MBay Megafest, which was due to happen this Saturday at the Nelson Mandela stadium in Port Elizabeth, had been postponed indefinitely.

The Megafest aimed to host the rapper alongside R&B artist Ne-Yo, and reggae stars Shaggy and Proteje. Local musicians such as Bucie, Eltonnick, Shoelace and recent SAMA winners Mi Casa were also scheduled to appear. Money is at the root of this problem: some insiders have told The Herald that only 4,000 of the total 35,000 tickets had been sold. Timeslive was told by a U.S. entertainment lawyer representing the international stars that key payments for performance fees have not been made yet. The local company hired to provide sound and stage-rigging services said that it is also owed payment.

Event organiser Zeranza has not commented on the news of a postponement, but it chief executive Andrea Wessels did recently tell The Herald that she wants the MBay Megafest to go ahead.

“I have personally been in touch with the artists and they are still keen to come. I have paid them their deposits for performing, and will pay the rest once they arrive,” she said. “We will be trying to get everything back on track on Monday.” Wessels added the artists’ travel tickets will be booked once final dates have been decided on and that she anticipates the ticket sales to skyrocket once the stars arrive in SA.

By James Francis
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