Popular rapper Shebeshxt, whose real name is Lehlogonolo Chauke, is facing accusations of dodging a R45,000 refund after pulling a no-show at a New Year's Eve gig in North West.
The rapper was booked by businessman Tebogo Maribe to perform at the sixth-anniversary celebrations of his company, Bottles & Braai Sundays, held at the Lichtenburg Rugby Stadium on December 31, 2023.
Maribe, the event organiser, claims he paid Shebeshxt a deposit of R22,000 on November 17, 2023, and the remaining R23,000 was paid the day before the event, on December 30, 2023. Sunday World has seen proof of payment to the artist.
The event, which attracted an estimated 2,000 revellers, started at 2pm on December 31 and was scheduled to end at 6am on New Year's Day. Shebeshxt was booked to perform as one of the headliners, taking the stage from 12:15am to 1am.
However, the rapper's appearance never materialised, leaving thousands of patrons disappointed. Maribe alleges that he first received a message from Shebeshxt's booking agent, Mahlatse Thobejane, on the morning of the event, stating that the rapper would arrive in Lichtenburg at 2am instead of his scheduled 12:15am slot.
"I called him (Thobejane) that morning and we agreed on 12:30am as the time for the performance. I called him around 9:45pm to find out how far Shebeshxt was, and he did not answer his cellphone," Maribe told Sunday World.
"I called him again around 10pm and he said he would send me the cellphone number of Shebeshxt’s road manager to call. At 12:30am the artist did not pitch, and I only received the road manager’s number after 1am. I called the number but there was no response."
Following the no-show, Maribe contacted Thobejane to discuss the refund. Thobejane apologised for the rapper's actions and advised Maribe to speak to Shebeshxt's manager and girlfriend, Kholofelo Chuene, regarding the refund.
Maribe contacted Chuene on January 9, demanding the refund. In a series of WhatsApp messages seen by Sunday World, Chuene acknowledged the debt, stating: “Greetings. We didn’t forget about your refund please give us until this month end, we only covered half of events that we missed, the other half we can only cover month end (sic). Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Maribe responded that the company could not wait until the end of January to receive the refund, as they had debts to service. Chuene did not respond to him. Maribe claims that Chuene has since ignored his calls and text messages.
When contacted by Sunday World, Thobejane denied any involvement in the rapper's payments, directing the publication to Chuene.
"The payments were made to Shebeshxt’s bank account, which is managed by him and his manager Kholofelo. I have nothing to do with payments," said Thobejane.
Chuene did not respond to Sunday World's calls or text messages for comment.
Maribe cited a lack of funds and said he could not afford to take legal action against Shebeshxt.
He expressed the significant financial loss the company suffered due to the event, including high expenses, low turnout, and low ticket sales.
