DJs, workers quit over unpaid dues

. B-Metro Reporters
All that glitters is not gold.

This age old saying could apply perfectly to workers at the popular Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama who might have looked like they were coining it to outsiders who saw the brisk business the joint enjoyed during the festive season.

Tshisa Nyama was one of the go-to places in the City of Kings in the festive season, something that has become the norm in Bulawayo over the past couple of years. Ita��s combination of nice music, particularly deep and commercial house, and a friendly outdoor setting have made it an attraction to young people either resident in Bulawayo or visiting from their South African bases.

However, the jointa��s founder Mduduzi Mdlongwa of 3D Events stands accused of shortchanging some of the jointa��s workers,A� some who have subsequently decided to quit the establishment.

The two most obvious departures from Tshisa Nyama are DJs Crazy Black and Ras Obido, who both quit after allegedly failing to get their dues from Mdlongwa. The two have become attractions in their own right, with Crazy Blacka��s soothing, made-for-radio voice a proven crowd pleaser, while Obido has won over revellers with his house mixes.

a�?Good evening hapi pipo. It is with much sadness that we officially announce the release of DJ Crazy Black Tendai Mamombe and Ras Obido from the 3D family DJs. They are no longer part of the family. They have no more affiliation with Hartsfield Tshisa Nyama and 3D events management .We take this opportunity to wish them well . . .

Continue shining as the stars we know,a�? Mdlongwa posted on his Facebook page on 6 January.

While many took the post as an opportunity to bid farewell to the duo, it seems like the story runs deeper than a mere parting of ways between Mdlongwa and a pair of ambitious DJs.

According to a source, although payment of staff at the Tshisa Nyama has always been erratic, the duo were angered by the failure of the 3D supremo to make good on the promises that he had made prior to a few high profile gigs, including the oversubscribed and ill-tempered Black Motion gig at the end of last year.

a�?Those guys havena��t been getting paid. Just as an example for the Black Motion gig alone those guys grossed $19 000 and that is excluding money that was made at the gate. All in all they might have made twice that but he told those boys that he had made a loss so they didna��t get paid. He also sold the same story to his partner for the show,a�? said the source who spoke to B-Metro on condition of anonymity.

Things with Obido seem to have come to a head after Judgement Yarda��s appearance at the joint in December, after he was again told that the gig had made a loss and therefore he could not be paid, despite the fact that his Harare counterparts had already got their dues in full.

a�?Judgement Yard were paid $1 500 for their appearance at Tshisa Nyama and when Obido went to ask for his fee, which is $50, he was told that not enough money had been made from the gig. In fact the only person who is being paid is DJ Liz who enjoys an unclear special relationship with Mdlongwa,a�? the source said.

Contacted by B-Metro, Crazy Black said that he did not want to comment on the happenings at Tshisa Nyama, although he did confirm that he had indeed left.

a�?I cana��t comment on whata��s happening there. All I can say is that I no longer work at Tshisa Nyama and I now have an opportunity to work outside the country,a�? he said.

The two are not the only ones said to have left, as those who man the bar and butchery segment of the Tshisa Nyama are also said to have downed tools.

In response Mdlongwa said that the allegations were not true as most of his staff had been paid. He added that the figures being quoted for the Judgement Yard show were also misleading, as no one would pay that amount of money in this day and age. He however, acknowledged that he had clashed with his DJs recently.

a�?The DJs wanted more money than what they had been getting which couldna��t work for us because when they initially came to us looking for spots they said all they wanted was experience and exposure,a�? he said.