Durban, say hello to Nicki Minaj's R3.7m bill
Durban ratepayers will have to cough up R3.7m to host US rap stars Nicki Minaj and T.I in the city.
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Durban - US rap stars Nicki Minaj and T.I’s performance in Durban will be funded by eThekwini ratepayers.
On Wednesday, ANC councillors on the economic development and planning committee gave city officials the nod to spend R3.7 million to host the two rappers in Durban this month.
T.I will perform at Botanic Gardens on Friday, while Minaj is expected to perform at the Moses Mabhida stadium on March 20.
A report to councillors said the money would be spent on the venue hire and marketing.
The report first came to the city’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday, but was deferred to the economic development and planning committee for a decision.
Despite protests from the DA, ANC councillors said the concerts benefited the city.
ANC chief whip, Stanley Xulu, said that funding events and bringing international artists to Moses Mabhida was a way of ensuring the stadium did not turn into a “white elephant”.
“When we were building Moses Mabhida, people said it was going to be a white elephant. Now that we are attracting events to the stadium, they are complaining. They are always complaining. We need to support these events in the city,” he said.
DA councillor Nicole Graham said it was outrageous that the city was funding events organised by private promoters.
“These events were previously scheduled and have been scheduled for a long time. These events were always going to happen, and all that has happened now is that we are now asked to either compensate for the losses of the event organisers, or we are bumping up their profits,” she said.
Committee chairwoman, Nomvuzo Shabalala, said it was important to market the city to an international audience.
“We are doing our job as a committee to approve such events coming to the city. We need to have such events,” she said.
ANC councillors voted for the event, the IFP abstained from the vote, while the DA voted against it.
Daily News