GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Tshepiso ‘Kast’ Molapise has distanced himself from murmurs currently suggesting that he was denied a chance to earn his effort’s worth at Tlatsa Lebala by Webtickets, the online ticketing solutions company he engaged for the historical local music show he marshaled early this month at the National Stadium.
According to a source, Kast stood to make at least P1.5 million in ticket sales but received much less than he anticipated. “There were more than 22 000 people who attended the event and the money received was not even close to the anticipated P1.5 million. A conflict erupted between Kast and Webtickets as he demanded answers,” the source claimed also alleging that tickets were “re-cycled” to allow people illegal entry into the event.
Kast however flatly denied these allegations: “18 000 tickets were sold, mind you there were also complimentary tickets, people held on to 2500 tickets. I am still waiting for a report from Webtickets which I will only share with the ministry and some stakeholders because it will open a can of worms.”
While he did not elaborate on what he meant by “a can of worms”, Kast says he believes the rumours are peddled by people itching to know how much was made at the highly acclaimed 100% local music gig. “The money belongs to the Kast Foundation and it’s a pity there are negative stories coming up. Our Tlatsa Lebala campaign is meant to build,” he said.
These allegations were also rebuffed by a Webtickets “manager” who did not want to be named, only saying “There has never been a conflict between us and Kast regarding tickets sales and funds awarded. Matter of fact, we are done with Kast, he took the money with no conflicts.”
He however, said they would not be commenting on the matter, insisting on the confidentiality between them and their client.
Speaking to the media in 2014, Webticket Managing Director at the time, Cowell Habana, said the company which is affiliated to Webtickets South Africa, was “just what the doctor ordered” as it was expected to reduce problems in traditional ticketing for events by providing backend support for running ticketing hardware and data base.
Time Out has however noted complaints from some event managers who, while not willing to speak openly, grumble that an eye needs to be kept on ticketing companies because their system is not foolproof- saying ticket sales do not always correlate with attendance in some shows.