Man B Entertainment claimed their good intentions of putting together a show were met by “unprofessionalism and dishonesty” by Somizi.
What was meant to be a celebration of a businessman’s birthday has turned into a nasty blame-game between Somizi Mhlongo and Man B Entertainment.
In a lengthy statement, Man B Entertainment claimed that their good intentions of putting together the show were met by “unprofessionalism and dishonesty”.
Mhlongo and a middleman named Sgwili are being named as the culprits.
But Mhlongo claims that the organisers didn’t pick him up at the airport on time, didn’t pay for his accommodation, didn’t send him the show schedule on time, and didn’t arrange transport for him.
Blame-game
“Despite making full payment as agreed, Somizi and his team failed to deliver on their commitments, while all other booked artists fulfilled their obligations,” said the organisers’ statement.
“We are truly disappointed, as our only intention was to provide an unforgettable experience for our community.”
In his response, Mhlongo confirmed being booked for the two-day event over the weekend and that he was first paid the deposit and also the full amount.
“…and then my manager starts communicating with them to ask them ‘where’s the accommodation,’” said Mhlongo.
@somg63 ♬ original sound – somizi
Just as they were checking in at the hotel, Mhlongo said they were informed that their stay hasn’t been paid for. “My manager calls Sgwili. He says ‘wait for us at reception’”.
He said the hotel allowed them to go to their rooms despite being told they weren’t paid yet. After waiting for hours in his room, Mhlongo said they were told that his slot is at 6pm – the time which the organisers had claimed the event was ending.
Man B Entertainment’s claims
“Regarding accommodation, we initially booked an expensive presidential suite, but after discovering that Somizi would also be attending another event, we adjusted his stay to a more cost-effective 5-star hotel,” said Man B Entertainment.
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Mhlongo confirmed that their flights were paid for by Man B Entertainment. “But we specifically said I have a gig earlier that day in Johannesburg. Can I take the last flight around 5:30 to East London and I’ll come straight to the gig. They said ‘no the gig ends at 6,’” shared Mhlongo.
The organising company claimed that Mhlongo and his manager were supposed to return to Joburg on Monday but asked to return to Gauteng the following day.
“After we confirmed the new booking, we were suddenly informed that Somizi had a show at 9am, requiring a much earlier flight — information that should have been communicated upfront. We had to book another flight at our own expense.”
The former Idols SA judge said he then cancelled the Joburg gig to make it possible to attend the Eastern Cape event.
After ditching their Joburg commitments, Mhlongo and his manager took a flight at midday to the Eastern Cape but were stranded when they got to the airport but eventually booked himself an e-hailing transport.
Man B Entertainment claimed that they had organised a luxury vehicle for the media personality.
“We ensured that premium transport was available for Somizi through our Mercedes-Benz sponsorship, with a V-Class assigned to him. However, when our driver and bodyguards arrived at the airport, Somizi had already left via Bolt, despite the driver being only five minutes delayed.”
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The ‘Sgwili’ factor
The common thread in both statements is the middleman Sgwili.
The event organisers said Sgwili persuaded them to book Mhlongo because Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie’s attendance depended on it.
“This assurance later proved to be completely untrue. Throughout the process, we had no direct communication with Somizi’s team and relied solely on Sgwili as our point of contact,” said Man B Entertainment in its statement.
The former Idols SA judge said he cancelled the Joburg gig to make it possible to attend the Eastern Cape event.
After ditching their Joburg commitments, Mhlongo and his manager took a flight at midday to the Eastern Cape but were stranded when they got to the airport but eventually booked himself an e-hailing transport.
Mhlongo claimed that all the artists booked for the event were unhappy with the treatment.
“It’s just that artists will never be bold to talk or speak out. All the artists that were there were very unhappy – it was the most disorganised event that I’ve ever been too,” said Mhlongo.
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