The Burna Boy concert that was supposed to happen on 23 September turned out to be a disaster. Many people lost money, service providers were not paid, Ticketpro cancelled the concert and Sedote Nwachukwu, the CEO of Ternary Media Group, was accused of fraud and running away. Gregory Wings, a US businessman and investor, was the biggest victim of the scam. He invested millions of rands in the concert and was cheated by Sedote, who promised him a partnership and a return on his investment.
A source close to Wings told ZiMoja that Sedote stole R9.1 million from Ticketpro and owes Wings 1.6 million US dollars. “Sedote’s accounts have been frozen because of this mess, but he is still living large and partying in Johannesburg. He also owes money to other US investors, such as Mike Harris, CJ So Cool and Cory Lamar, who are famous YouTubers and musicians,” the source said.
The PR companies that were involved in the concert, Khanya PR and Cake Media, also withdrew their services and denied any responsibility. Khanya PR, which is run by Helga Klizanie, issued a statement saying, “We have, as an agency, elected to withdraw our services which have up to now included PR and social media management. We have, following consideration of our business interests and working through the necessary legal advice, concluded that it is in the best interest of all parties concerned that we cease our role in the event. We wish the organisers well in their efforts and journey towards the concert and their future projects.” ZiMoja has seen a letter of demand from Wings to Khanya PR and Cake Media, which is run by Thabiso Tshabalala, asking them to pay back R410 000. This is the amount of money they made from selling tickets to the public without reporting to Wings.
“Greg is also suing Helga and Thabiso for damaging his reputation, lying about him and spreading rumours that he stole the tickets. That is not true. They sold the tickets and kept the money,” the source said.
Wings refused to comment when contacted by ZiMoja, but his lawyers from David Modise and Associates confirmed that they have opened a case of defamation against the PR firms. “I cannot comment further at this point, but legal action is being taken against the PR companies run by Helga Klizanie and Thabiso Tshabalala.” Wings has also opened a case of fraud against Sedote. Tshabalala and Klizanie did not answer their phones when ZiMoja tried to reach them.