Inkabi Nation was forced to postpone their highly anticipated event due to a lack of ticket sales on Sunday. What was meant to be the biggest launch platform for Big Zulu and his Nkabi Records artists, turned out to be the biggest flop, post the Durban July gig. Big Zulu, real name Siyabonga Johannes Nene, had planned to have a big event, Inkabi Nation Sunday Invasion, having included popular acts like his Bergville homeboy, Sjava, and popular singer from Limpopo, Makhadzi.

TICKETS WERE NOT MOVING AT A FAST PACE 

The gig was supposed to be held at the Warehouse pub in Durban. General tickets for the event were R100 for general access and VIP tickets cost R300. The failure of the event might also be affected because of popular events that happened immediately after the Durban July. These events include gigs like Fact: Durban Rocks, Cotton Fest, Max’s Lifestyle, and Anywhere In Your City. A source close to the situation says Inkabi decided to "postpone" the event because tickets were not moving as they had anticipated. Artists from Inkabi Records, who were billed to perform include Lwa Ndlunkulu, award-winning Afro-Pop singer Mduduzi Ncube, Siya Ntuli, Xowla, and KwaMashu-born rapper Zakwe. The talented Xowla has just released a new song titled I Ntando, featuring contributions from Mduduzi Ncube. Siya Ntuli, who has also released a new track Ama Out, features Big Zulu & Xowla on vocals.

PEOPLE HAD OPTIONS

"It was a busy weekend people were spoilt for options," a source said, adding that the line-up was also confusing for the Durban market. "Durban crowd is hard to please, I don’t think they relate to the likes Makhadzi as we do around Gauteng and Limpopo, they still love Gqom maybe if they had mixed artists," adds the source. Another source says their concept was good but the timing was wrong. "People plan their lives around Durban July and pre-parties that are happening for the July weekend, not music concerts," adds the source. Inkabi Records could not be reached for comment.