Former National Social Security Authority (NSSA) chairman Robin Vela paid US$75,000 for American R&B singer Joseph Lewis Thomas, commonly known as Joe to perform at his 50th birthday gala dinner in July at the Sun City Resort in South Africa but the singer did not turn up and now Vela is suing him for US$1.5 million in the United States Vela also opened a case of fraud against Joe in South Africa after the singer received his money in full but failed to turn up at the extravaganza gig where the who is who in the business world were attending According to documents seen by Nehanda Radio, the 2003 Grammy award winner with his hit album “Better Days”, failed to show up to perform at Vela’s 50th birthday gala dinner extravaganza in the Superbowl at the world famous Sun City Resort He is said to have executed a performance agreement on or about 3 February 2022 and soon after been paid US$75,000 as appearance fee, in addition to payment for having his detailed security, technical & hospitality rider requirements met and having all travel and 5-Star accommodation expenses for the full band and tour group of 13 paid upfront
According to a letter of demand dated 4 August 2022 (the “Demand Letter”) sent to Gerald Isaac (from Gerald Isaac Management Group acting as Joe’s manager) by Eric Fishman a Litigation Partner from New York based firm, Pryor Cashman LLP the attorney representing Vela, the “My Name is Joe” hit maker was supposed to perform at the birthday gala on Saturday 16 July 2022 along with 2019 “America’s got talent” finalist group, Ndlovu Youth Choir; Zimbabwean award winning gospel diva, Janet Manyowa; South African gospel singer, Dr Tumi; South African R&B singer, LOYISO; South African award winning hit-makers, Micasa; and US R&B group SWV amongst others The extravaganza was hosted by South African personalities, comedian David Kau and Minnie Dhlamini, the latter having to break the news of Joe’s non-appearance to the disappointed guests Besides pursuing the civil suit route in the US, Vela has also filed a criminal case against the singer and his manager with the South African Police Service for “theft by false pretence” in South Africa, a development which will likely result in the musician and his manager being placed on the wanted list and declared a persona-non-grata The matter is being investigated by Sergeant MW Masetloa of Sandton Police Station under case number 425/8/2022 who has not ruled out potentially seeking the assistance of Interpol and engaging his law enforcement counterparts in the US
There has been recent precedent of arrests for non-performance by international artists in the South African region “As you are aware, Rob Vela hired an artist to perform at an event celebrating the 50th birthday of Robin Vela “The event was a celebration Scheduled to take place at the Sun City Resort in South Africa on July 16 and you understood that hundreds of the guests, most of which were global corporate leaders and ultra-high net worth individuals travelling from international locations, would attend the event You also knew that artist was one of the headline entertainers of the event,” wrote Fishman to Joe’s manager
“As set forth below the management and Joe Thomas have wilfully breached the express terms of the performance agreement, as a result, this letter constitutes our client’s demand for immediate repayment of all expenses that it had incurred as a result of your wrongful actions ,” read part of the letter But the Joe Thomas camp says it did not wilfully fail to pitch up as the artist was down due to COVID-19 American R&B singer Joe Thomas will be back in Zimbabwe…Aug 7, 202519,070Top Zim auditors face probeApr 5, 202127,972NSSA audit appeal postponedMar 31, 202116,470Vela piles pressure on BDO ZimbabweJul 29, 202026,482
American R&B singer Joe Thomas will be back in Zimbabwe…Aug 7, 202519,070Top Zim auditors face probeApr 5, 202127,972NSSA audit appeal postponedMar 31, 202116,470Vela piles pressure on BDO ZimbabweJul 29, 202026,482
Source: Nehanda Radio
All Zim News
All Zim News is a central hub for all things Zimbabwean, curating news from across the country so no story is missed Alongside aggregation, our team of nationwide reporters provides real-time, on-the-ground coverage
Stay informed and connected — reach us at admin@allzimnews.com.
Source: Nehandaradio
