Katima rejects Yo Maps show due to clash with bream festival

The Katima Mulilo Town Council has forbidden local event organisers from hosting their Yo Maps headliner show during the same time as the annual Zambezi Bream Festival.

The ninth Zambezi Bream Festival will take place from 30 August to 6 September at the Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park at Katima Mulilo.

Zanami Investment have scheduled their show with Zambian musician Yo Maps for 5 September at Katima Mulilo.

Zanami Investment managing director Peter Chola told The Namibian on Wednesday that initially they were supposed to host their show at Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park. However, it cannot happen there due to the town council’s festival.

He added that they received permission from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to use the Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park as their venue for the show.

“In light of this, we proposed that we collaborate on our show with the Bream Festival; however, the council rejected the idea. We then went on to look for another venue and got approval from the education ministry to use the Katima Mulilo Sports Complex for our show. However, the Katima Mulilo Town Council wrote to us that we cannot have our event at the same time and requested us to change dates,” he said.

In a letter, dated 20 July and seen by The Namibian, Katima Mulilo Town Council acting chief executive Albert Sibeya says the bream festival is an officially Gazetted government event that cannot concurrently happen or be collaborated on with another commercial event.

The letter states that the town council is obligated to protect the integrity, safety, coordination and economy of officially approved council events.

“The council respectfully advises Zanami Investment to reschedule the proposed event to either take place before the festival or after its conclusion,” the letter reads.

Chola said it is not possible for them to change the dates as they have already entered into legally binding commercial commitments.

“We have also made substantial non-refundable payments already, including 50% payments to performing artists, stage production companies and other service providers whose contracts do not permit a change of date without penalties,” he said.

He added that the town council’s decision to prevent them from having the event at the same time as the festival is inconsistent with the principles of administrative fairness, equal economic participation and support for private sector investments without clear legal authority.

“The show must go on, so we sought a venue outside the town boundaries. However, the council’s decision is not really fair, and it would be great if they reconsidered,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from Sibeya have been unsuccessful.

The Namibian has also seen the official venue-use approval letters for the Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park and Katima Mulilo Sports Complex from the environment and education ministry, respectively.

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