It was reported that DJ Maphorisa and his partner in crime Kabza de Small would be arrested in Zimbabwe after failing to attend a gig they had reportedly been paid for. The High Court of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo issued a warrant for their arrest but their lawyers have since fought back.
The Scorpion Kings were booked to perform at the Victoria Falls Carnival in Zambia back in April. They and Amapiano vocalist Sha Sha had apparently failed to pitch for the event hence the warrant of arrest.
The court papers which have made rounds on social media Read in part:
“To the sheriff for Zimbabwe and all constables and other peace officers whom it may concern … whereas an order was made by the Honourable Mr Justice Dube-Banda ordering arrest of the first and second respondents and committing them in prison to confirm jurisdiction of the respondents”.
“Now therefore you are required and directed that you take Petrus Kabelo Motha and Themba Sonnyboy Sekowe of which they are found in Zimbabwe and deliver them to the keeper of the gaol at Bulawayo Prison, together with a copy of this writ, there to be safely kept until they are served with the summons against them issued by the High Court in Bulawayo …”
According to a source who spoke to Newsday, there was no formal communication from the artist's part.
“All three artists were fully paid their charges and contractually bound to perform at the carnival, but surprisingly they failed to turn up. There was no communication to the carnival organisers by the artists.”
With the help of their lawyers, both Maphorisa and Kabza were able to return to Johannesburg.
“It was a civil case not even a criminal matter. The sheriff has authority to arrest someone in terms of a writ of (execution) and then hand them over to correctional services. There are no criminal charges here,” said Zibusiso Ncube speaking to Sowetan Live.
“The application was granted without notice to them because these people don’t have property in Zimbabwe and they will be leaving the country any time soon.”
Artists not pitching for events is not a new thing. Just recently artists like Makhadzi saw themselves getting dragged to court because they failed to pitch for events. An event she did not pitch for was the Northern Cape Heritage Festival.
Open Mic had to issue a statement apologising to her fans.
"Open Mic and Makhadzi would like to apologise to the Northern Cape Heritage Festival and all her fans in the Northen Cape for her failure to make it to the show this past Saturday (24 September 2022).
"Makhadzi had a packed schedule this past weekend, a Jet was organized to ensure a smooth travel from all her shows, later in the day she encountered an aviation obstacle which made it impossible for Makhadzi and crew to land a private Jet in either Bloemfontein or Kimberly as both airports close operations much earlier than her anticipated arrival," the statement continues.
"Several other efforts were made to transport Makhadzi and crew to this event, these efforts where however not successful taking into account the time of the day, Makhadzi's safety and that of her crew.Makhadzi apologises with no reservations to all her beautiful fans in the Northen Cape and the organizers of this precious events. Makhadzi was looking forward to this event and she promises to come to the Northen Cape very very soon," they concluded.
Image credit: ANMG