Over the Easter weekend, Limpopo-based musician Benny Mayengani made headlines for all the wrong reasons after his much-touted #FillUpPeterMokaba concert flopped dismally.
It was supposed to be one of the biggest concerts that Limpopo has ever seen. Instead, Fill Up Peter Mokaba became the laughing stock of the nation after only a handful of people turned up to the concert in Giyani. This comes a year after the concert's headliner and organise, Benny Mayengani, fought (and won) Cassper Nyovest for the "right" to use the phrase "Fill Up" in promotion of his concert. Back then, Benny was celebrating the success of his blockbuster #FillUpGiyani Stadium concert and in 2019 he thought he'd do one bigger.
If it's any consolation; MORE people were talking about #FillUpPeterMokaba than last year's Giyani concert. But unfortunately for Maynegani, most of the talk was negative, as critics honed in on what can only be described as a monumental failure.
The concert was promoted for weeks, and the likes of Julius Malema and Prince Kaybee took the time to wish Benny and his team good luck for his would-be record-breaking concert on the day. So you can understand why we could barely believe our eyes as video footage from the stadium went viral showing an empty stadium with next to no atmosphere. In fact, it felt as if the stadium wasn't even open for business that day!
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To call this concert a failure would be a compliment; it was a full blown disasater and ZAlebs managed to speak to a few fans who attended the event. One anonymous fan said,
"I was there for a few hours. When it was clear nothing was happening I went back home. I would love my money back but I know I won't get it, this was organised badly!"
Which then begs the question: What on earth went wrong? How could such a high-profile event fail in such spectacular fashion?
Some people have their theories. There are those who believe that Mayengani chose a bad weekend on which to host his event (It's Easter and many people were at home with family or in Moria for the annual pilgrimage).
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Benny, however, believes he was downright sabotaged. The artist spoke to Tshisa Live and claimed that malicious intentions were at play on the day, suggesting that police were instructed to block people from entering.
He said:
"Yes, it was a failure but that was because the police were sent to stop us. They turned buses away and blocked people from accessing the venue."
As for who could have been put up to this, the Tsonga musician didn't mince his words and claimed his political affiliations had cost him the right to perform:
"It is because I am an EFF member and the ANC want me to be one of their members. It was only after I spoke to the EFF leadership that things were resolved and the show was allowed to start. By then, people had been turned away and they thought it was cancelled."
Do you believe Benny's side of the story or do you think it was a poorly organised effort? Also, what do you think Cassper Nyovest is thinking right now?
