The Free State province has missed out on the opportunity to host ‘Fillup2019’, one of the biggest Hip-Hop events in the country.
Show organiser Cassper Nyovest broke the hearts of many Free Staters when he made the announcement through Twitter videos this week.
Following several delays, Cassper finally announced #FilledUpRoyalBafokeng as his official “homecoming”, explaining in a video that it is “his province”.
Tickets for the show at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in the North West on December 15 range from R100 to R400 (golden circle).
His one-minute clip on Twitter has already received more than 169,000 views.
Free State fans expressed their disappointment following the announcement, after they had raised their hopes that the province would be chosen to host the mega show.
Prominent promoter and entertainment manager at The Thoughts Lounge, Omphile Nkoane, said the writing was always on the wall.
“I kept telling people that Free State is not ready for an event of this magnitude,” he said. Quizzed about his views, he explained, “It’s important for people to separate negativity from honesty. Everyone who knows me will tell you that I subject myself and those around me to positive thinking, therefore, it’s important to address that.
“Therefore in this case and having hosted and being part of some of the biggest events in Bloemfontein, I can safely say we still need to sort ourselves out in filling our local events first before anything else. Numbers don’t lie. The entertainment industry is about numbers and the moment we fully comprehend the importance of supporting our own first, we won’t understand the reason behind this decision,” noted Nkoane.
His remarks were echoed by Hloni Mokoena, known as King Payo in the entertainment industry. Mokoena who is also co-founder of Alah Yeh music group defended the decision to snub Bloem, saying: “Thank you Nyovest for teaching them to first fill up their own local artists events before they can have your fill up in Bloemfontein.”
Mokoena said it was high time Free State wakes up and support their own before jumping on to support, let alone fill up national events.
“We must start supporting our own. That’s the basic principle which many people in this province are yet to understand,” he indicated.
Duma Pule, affectionately known as Mr. Singles Braai, expressed his sadness following the announcement. “I truly believe we needed this type of event to showcase that we are indeed capable of hosting and filling up events of this magnitude in the province.”
Nyovest, who had met with provincial leadership to discuss the possibilities of bringing the event to the City of Roses, did not dwell much into why Bloem, which is one of his strong fan bases, was snubbed.
