10 hours agoMusic festivals and nightlife face existential threat

The golden era of open-air music festivals and the vibrant nightclub scene, once a haven for patrons seeking to unwind and celebrate youth, is teetering on the edge of a profound transformation, if not outright collapse. The core of the dispute lies in the policy’s unintended consequence: bars, now able to serve patrons for longer hours, are drawing large crowds away from nightclubs and music festivals. This shift, critics say, undermines the viability of venues that rely on peak evening and late-night attendance.

Dlamini Thebe, proprietor of the Gaabo-Motho Music Festival (GMMF), expressed his frustration in an interview. He accused MTE and Minister Tiroeaone Ntsima of deliberately undermining the entertainment and nightclub industries. “They should just close us down because they have already closed it down,” Thebe said, his tone heavy with exasperation.

Attempts by showbusiness and nightclub operators to engage with Minister Ntsima have so far gone unanswered. Despite writing two letters requesting dialogue, no meeting has been arranged. The financial toll has been severe.

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Thebe disclosed that GMMF suffered losses approaching P500,000. He attributes much of this failure to the Ministry’s timing—announcing a December-specific alcohol policy just two days before the festive music festival season, discouraging patrons from attending. “Just imagine how many people we hired,” he said.

“Usually, Batswana buy tickets at the last minute, but this year, the mood was so bleak, attendance plummeted, and now we’re drowning in debt.” “We opened for a single day and served no clients. We chose to close at a loss,” he recounted. “We only managed to pay our nightclub staff around January 10th, and it’s likely some of them will soon be seeking work elsewhere.” Despite the setbacks, Thebe remains committed to dialogue and negotiation with the Ministry, though he acknowledges the government’s firm stance on its policy direction.

He questioned the rationale behind the government’s approach. “The current ‘six to six’ policy operates in a linear way, giving liquor outlets a share of the market pie, from bottle stores to bars, and finally nightclubs serving patrons afterward. It’s hard to understand their drift,” he said.

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