Prestige People's Festival marred by violence, disorganisation
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Tuesday November 28, 2023 06:00
It was supposed to commence in the morning with a football tournament and a family fun day while the main activity was scheduled to start at 6pm. However, some of the activities were affected as some items such as setting up stage were done very late which affected the time slot for the show.
Whilst revellers had waited patiently for the festival to begin or performers to take the stage, it seems the issue of time mismanagement would come back to haunt the organisers as some artists could not enjoy their moments on stage as they had to pave way for others.
For example, Jojo had to pave way for Latty to perform and later on taken off stage as the organisers wanted the headliner, Makhadzi, up on stage. However, Makhadzi would then take her time before she got up on stage much to the disappointment of some revellers who already felt they were being taken for a ride.
It seemed there was no stage manager as MC's had to debate as to who is next up on stage after every performance. As if the issue of time mismanagement was not enough, the security also had a tough time trying to deal with the fighting that broke out at every little corner every few moments, nearly spoiling the show. Revellers had to take cover as missiles flew around. In terms of performances, it was not bad as most revellers stayed on until morning and seemed to enjoy themselves despite these hiccups.
Rocksy, Slizer, Mingo Touch, Dalom Kids and ATI were among some of the artists which revellers stayed up all night to watch, and they did not disappoint. Matsieng brought back the memories with their hits from their iconic album, Setswana sa borre much to the delight of their fans. The headliner, Makhadzi who is still grieving the loss of one of her dancers who died on Friday, gave a good account of herself. With a rich catalogue, Makhadzi had revellers dancing non-stop. She also used the chance to pay a special tribute to her late dancer. Although Makhadzi's previous shows in the country have attracted huge crowds, the Saturday attendance was just sizeable.