Durban Music Festival with Rick Ross a success despite stadium security glitches

The Durban Music Festival was a success, despite disappointments. The festival took place on Saturday and featured US rapper Rick Ross and local artists.

A video clip is doing the rounds with some people voicing their dissatisfaction with the organisers. It's alleged some artists weren't given tags to enter suites or gain access to the venue.

A source told TshisaLIVE the event went well but the organisers were disappointed by stadium security.

“At some point the organisers were prevented from entering a suite. Imagine you can't gain access to a VIP area at an event you're hosting,” said the source.

Another source said: “Some artists couldn't buy refreshments because the stadium failed to give the vendor a designated area to sell refreshments. Security at Moses Mabhida was a huge disappointment.”

Blue Screen Entertainment issued a statement, saying: “We were overjoyed that we sold out Moses Mabhida Stadium for the Durban Music Festival, and all the artists gave their best and left nothing to chance on stage. We want to thank all our staff, partners and artists for their hard work and dedication to the event.

“We were saddened to hear about the challenges stemming from stadium security not allowing some of our VIP guests and artists into the approved areas, and almost shutting down the show at 11pm instead of our agreed on time due to pressure from those who didn’t want us to be successful. However, God and perseverance always prevails — and we proved that on Saturday night.

“Rick Ross rocked the crowd as he always does, shining a spotlight on Durban as a city and South Africa as a vibrant country.

“The show was our proof of concept as a company, and we did exceptionally well. It also boosted tourism for Durban and positively impacted the local economy, with all flights out of Durban sold out on Sunday and Monday after the event and hotels filled to capacity from Friday to Monday. We are proud to call South Africa home for Gregory Wings and Blue Screen Entertainment.

“While we are grateful for the success of the event, we wish Durban Tourism and [the department of] arts and culture had supported us more as our event highlighted tourism and championed arts and entertainment. We understand the silent pressure they may have received not to support us, but we hope for a more united front in the future.

“Stay tuned for our next event on September 6. It will also be epic.”

eThekwini municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said: “We are pleased that there was no chaos and no incidents were reported during the event, which speaks volumes about the thorough preparations made by the organising team.

“The organisers are responsible for issuing accreditation for access to various restricted areas, including suites, during events — not the city or stadium management. For the Durban Music Festival similar operations and procedures were followed. 

“Allegations that Gregory Wings was prevented access are false and untrue. Mr Wings as the organiser carried an all-access accreditation which allowed him unrestricted access across all suites. The head of stadia was personally on site and witnessed operations.

“Mr Wings moved freely from one suite to the other without any problems, including identifying those who may not have received accreditation. Any allegations to the contrary are therefore untrue and unfounded.”