eThekwini to spend R3.7m on Nicki Minaj, T.I concerts

EThekwini Municipality has received widespread criticism after reports that it plans to fork out R3.7 million to help bring American rappers T.I and Nicki Minaj to Durban.

T.I is expected to perform in Durban for the first time during his T.I Durban Tour on Friday at the Durban Botanical Gardens.

According to a report by News24, eThekwini is expected to pay R1.5 for T.I’s performance.

Rapper Minaj is expected to grace South Africa for her Nicki Minaj’s Pink Print tour. The tour is in support of Minaj’s third album which topped the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Hip hop Albums.

The rapper took to Instagram to share that an extra day was added to her tour, which is scheduled to take place from March 17 – 18 March in Johannesburg. The Pink Print tour will be taking place at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, Moses Mabhida Stadium on March 20 and the Grand West Arena in Cape Town on March 22, according to Total Exposure.

EThekwini has allegedly planned to spend R250 000 on marketing and advertising the Durban tour, with R1.5 million going towards hiring the Moses Mabhida Stadium and logistics for the concert.

The city is expected to pay R3 705 000 on both artists including VAT.

This did not sit well with the Twitterati, with some saying it is too much to spend on American artists when local artists never get the same treatment. They started calculating how many RDP houses the amount could build, with some saying the government should get its priorities rights as students are still protesting over free education. Some however, were in support of the spending, saying it was worth it.

What are your thoughts on eThekwini Municipality spending R3.7 million to bring these American artists to SA?