Vendors, ticket holders left stranded after beauty fair is cancelled - IOL

Ticket holders and vendors were left stranded after the Africa International Hair and Beauty Fair was cancelled at a Sandton venue.

Vendors and ticket holders who travelled from as far as Botswana and Zimbabwe for the African International Hair and Beauty Fair were left stranded in Sandton after arriving at the venue to find the event had been cancelled.

The event, which was expected to attract about 1,000 people over two days, was cancelled due to alleged non-payment to the venue.

Among those caught off guard was Kroes Rocks ambassador Simone Thomas, who had purchased two tickets for R300 each in February through Quicket.

Thomas said she travelled for about an hour to the venue on Saturday, only to find a cancellation notice at the entrance. She said there had been no direct communication from the organisers informing ticket holders of the cancellation.  

Thomas said she contacted organiser Peace Mthethwa, whose number appeared on the cancellation notice, to ask about the event and her ticket refund.

After hours of trying to get clarity, Thomas eventually received an email confirming that the event had been cancelled and that her ticket refund would be processed within seven days.

Event organisers said refunds will be reimbursed in seven days.

She said the communication came only after she had already travelled from Pretoria to the venue and discovered the cancellation herself.

She questioned how the refunds would be processed as she had not provided her banking details.

Thomas said venue representatives told attendees that they had been trying to contact Mthethwa for about three weeks regarding payment.

She said exhibitors had reportedly paid between R25,000 and R75,000 for stands, with businesses having already travelled to the venue.

According to Thomas, people had travelled from Kimberley, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Cape Town, while a group of about 75 people from Kimberley reportedly turned back after learning of the cancellation.

Some exhibitors allegedly attempted to recover losses by taking their products elsewhere in Johannesburg to find customers.

Thomas said she was particularly concerned about the impact on small businesses. “It’s not right,” she said. “There’s no apology, no message, no communication.”

IOL media contacted Mthethwa for comment. He responded saying, “it is not a good time to talk.”