Soul Brothers stranded in London

Soul Brothers stranded in London

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By Shepherd Sibanda
Showbiz Editor

ONE of South Africa's leading bands -- the Soul Brothers -- were stranded in Britain this week after promoters made off with their money, New Zimbabwe.com can reveal today.

The Soul Brothers flew into the UK on Thursday last week and held three concerts in London, Leicester and Leeds and were due to fly back to South Africa on Monday night.

Lead singer David Masondo and keyboard genius Moses Ngwenya only flew back to South Africa on Thursday night -- still without their performance fees.

"These people are the worst," Masondo told New Zimbabwe.com from Heathrow Airport. "They paid us half the total amount before we left South Africa and because we knew their agent Ezra Tshisa (Sibanda) from long back, we agreed to come here on their word hoping we would get the balance, but now they are playing hide and seek and telling us to go away."

The show was promoted by Apollo Productions, owners of London's Stratford Rex nightclub which has been the home for Southern African music for years.

Masondo further revealed that they had been forced to cancel two shows in Kwazulu Natal. They were also made to pay £1100 for cancelling their flight on Monday.

"We have been using Ezra's credit card to book a hotel and buy food since Monday," Masondo said. "If this is how these promoters work, I think they will find that artists will get more hardened and demand cash upfront."

There was no comment from Apollo Productions on Thursday night. One of the company's directors Jamaican Peter Popati could not be reached for comment as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

Sibanda who was left to face up to the crisis declined to comment, saying he was only a middle man, and referred all questions to Popati.

An industry source told New Zimbabwe.com: "This is a total disaster. We must gang up as Africans and make sure these people never get to promote an African show again."

The Soul Brothers were accompanied on the tour by Zimbabwean Leonard Zhakata who is also still in the UK but is said to have been paid in full. The Soul Brothers' UK tour came on the back of the release of their latest album Igobondela.

They have released over 30 albums since they started off as a five-member band before the others died, leaving Masondo and Ngwenya. They have treated us to such hits as Hluphekile, Isiphiwo, Ukhalelani, Umshado and lately Isthothobala.
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shapiro@newzimbabwe.com