By Celani Sikhakhane
American gospel superstar Shirley Caesar snubbed her Durban fans at the eleventh hour, where she was scheduled to perform at the controversial reSURGEnce concert on Saturday night at the Durban ICC. The announcement was made by the City of eThekwini on the day of the event.
“We wish to announce that renowned first lady of gospel music, Shirley Caesar, will not be performing at the reSURGEnce Gospel Fest, scheduled for Saturday, 20 July 2024, in Durban. This is due to unforeseen logistical hindrances,” the statement read.
The reSURGEnce concert has been marred by controversy over allegations that the City of eThekwini spent over R30 million for officials to go to the United States of America just to meet church leaders there. This was revealed by the DA eThekwini caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa, who called on City Manager Musa Mbhele to explain why the city invested in the reSURGEnce trip, as they believe it was a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Mbhele stated that the partnerships expected to emerge from the reSURGEnce Conference in Durban should yield USD 4 billion worth of investments for South Africa over the next ten years. Chairperson for Banking and Investment in the state of New York, Senator James Sanders Junior, revealed that legislative reforms in the US would hopefully allow for the easy flow of investments targeting Black Africans.
“Plans are in place to amend legislation and have policies and laws that will allow them to invest their pension money in African cities, especially Durban,” he said.
Despite fans’ disappointment over Caesar’s no-show, American Grammy award-winning gospel star Hezekiah Walker left fans in a high revival mood with his famous songs. He only performed three songs with his choir before leaving the stage.
South African gospel artists Ayanda Ntanzi, Dumi Mkokstad, and former Joyous Celebrations stars Xoli Mncwango and Mnqobi Nxumalo also had the opportunity to entertain the fans until midnight.
Pictured above: American First Lady of Gospel Shirley Caesar was supposed to perform in Durban on Saturday but was a no-show.
Image source: X
