ALI MPHAKI

A tug-of-war has erupted between the organisers of the Hansa Festival of Legends and the SA Roadies Association (Sara) over the technical and production side of the much-awaited concert scheduled for Orlando Stadium on March 10.

Sara president Freddy Nyathela has accused SABMiller of using companies which “show little or no commitment” to skills development and training, and demanded that Sara members be included in the technical side of the concert.

Nyathela says his organisation approached SABMiller late last year, asking that its members be included in the production side of the festival.

“But to date we have been sent from pillar to post,” he says. “We are tired of a situation where our people attend festivals just to come and dance without being involved in the technical side of the show, which is where the money is.”

He says the continued marginalisation of Africans in the production side of the music industry is a “pre-1994 agenda”.

Hansa Pilsener general manager Mosidi Seretlo says Sara’s desire for its members to become involved in world-class productions in order to better their own craft is admirable. But there are “a few challenges in this particular instance, with the methodology employed in pursuit of this cause”, she adds.

“At this late stage it would not be prudent to jeopardise the execution of such a significant project by trying to interfere with its management and making fundamental changes. Once a plan is agreed and execution is under way, it’s ill-advised to change tack with only a few weeks to go.

“Please be assured that SA Breweries is fully committed to South Africa’s national agenda concerning transformation, skills development and employment equity. It would be unfortunate if this situation would be construed as SAB turning a blind eye. Nothing could be further from the truth,” Seretlo says.