Music man gets death threats
THE husband of singer Nhlanhla Nciza and TS Records owner Thembinkosi Nciza has received death threats after recently speaking out against piracy in the music industry.
THREATENED: TS Records director and businessman TK Nciza and his wife Nhlanhla. photo: MABUTI KALI
Mabutho "Kid" Sithole, president of the Creative Workers Union of South Africa, warned when he revealed the threats on Sunday that a potential blood bath between artists and pirates was on the cards.
"We can't allow these guys to make our artists hungry by stealing from them," Sithole said. "This is no idle threat."
Confirming the threats after he spoke out against piracy, Thembinkosi Nciza said he had also enlisted the help of bodyguards after the threats.
"The safety of my loved ones comes first. I did what I felt was right," Nciza said. "I received threatening text messages last week but the police are dealing with the matter."
Honeydew police's Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs said they were investigating the threats against Nciza.
"In 2007 we had aR1-billion industry. Now it is worth only R350-million. I feel police should be doing more, but for them, piracy is just a petty crime," Nciza said.
Asked about the possibility of full-scale violence, Nciza said: "It's very real. All the signs are there. Zahara has sold 310,000 copies so far. If it were not for piracy, she could have easily sold a million."
Zahara's CDs are being sold for R10 by street vendors.
"We have been hearing reports that Zahara's album has sold a lot of copies, but most of those sales were illegal. That is why many of our artists die poor," said Nciza.
Sowetan bought two CDs for a measly R20, and when told about the artists' unhappiness, the vendor said: "I'm only trying to make a living."
Gospel artist Lusanda Mcinga revealed that his son was beaten up when he approached a man selling fake CDs in Idutywa in Eastern Cape.
"My son was also assaulted by police in Idutywa. They accused him of assaulting the street vendor," said Mcinga of Lusanda Spiritual Group.
Johannesburg metro police spokesman Wayne Minnaar said they had waged war against those behind the manufacturing and selling of the fake products.
"We recently arrested a number of suspects we found with equipment used to manufacture CDs. By arresting them, we will defeat them," said Minnaar.
David du Plessis, operations director at the Recording Industry of South Africa, said it would be difficult to fight piracy and warned: "As long as there is a market for it, there will be piracy."
DjEp
Mr. Nciza the industry is bigger than you! how d u expect me to buy an R80 CD without any message whatsoever, and you are realising your albums every month? What message is "hlokoloza" damn im comfortable with my R5 CD's i play it for 2days and another one is in the market.Report Abuse
ApelMankotsana
I am totally against piracy, but when i think of buying a brand new CD of "Hlokolosa",i have a problem. Today i am buying a new CD of Hlokolosa with R 100.00 and after two weeks there is another "Hlokolosa" CD by someone else and am expected to buy it again. No ways. The only CD's which i can buy with such a huge amount of money is for musicians such as Sello Galane, Selaelo Selota, the late Taiwa Molelekwa, Simphiwe Dana and others but not these useless junk music.Report Abuse
JUBJUB
@DjEp - you buy CD for R120 only to find that there is 1 song that make sense,as long as i've got my internet i'll download that 1 song finish....Report Abuse
HOOKMEUP
Johannesburg metro police spokesman Wayne Minnaar said they had waged war against those behind the manufacturing and selling of the fake products.Have you been to Noord taxi rank Wayne I doubt, any CD or DVD you can think of will only cost you R5 I am not proud of it but I must say I am a regular buyer over there however before blaming the people who support the business why dnt you close the tap before sweepind water on the floor
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RobinH
Racism of any form has no place in a land in which so many suffered in trying to overcome it, and McLoving, it is not only the fat boy responsible for this. It is everyone who discriminates against anyone who appears different in any way. It is a man who abuses his wife. It is a child hitting another in the sand pit. Intolerence will be what brings this once lovely country to its knees.Report Abuse
RobinH
Sorry, wrong comment here..... A comment elsewhere was rejected because of the use of a word signifyiong the violent demise of someone, and I fixed it a little and then enterred it here in error.Report Abuse
Bdoobs
@ DjEp"Hlokoloza" works for some of us, you could be the type that plays Johnny Gill to 'set the mood right' while some us work with izikhenke and 'hlokoloza' sets the mood for us. I do b.uy knock offs, I'm not proud about it, if you know how its feels like to be bored e-loxion and then you spot this not so pretty child, um'jure just for he thrill and never want to tell no one that you hit her, thats how I feel after b.uying knock offs.
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2shy2call
Piracy is killing our artists I agree. But Lusanda stop defending your rude sh!t boy going around assaulting and insulting people because his mom is a celebrity and you have a nerve of accusing police of assaulting him and you were not there? If they assaulted him thanx to sh!t cops. Bara Taxi rank Lusanda the latest normal price is R5 dude now is on special is R2.50 for 2. TL.TL.TL ShuuuZahara is still expensive she goes for R6. I'll wait for the special of R3
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RobinH
Abel, no-one is forcing you to buy the "useless junk". So don't. Save your money for the stuff you like. But the point is not to distinguish between what you like and what you don't like. It is that one needs to buy the genuine article when acquiring music, else people like Jub-Jub won't be able to afford the coke they used prior to erasing several children. But seriously now, musicians need to eat. Being a celeb and having everyone going gaga over you is one thing, but it's not much use when those same people deprive you of your deserved income by buying illegitimate copies of the music and thus depriving them of their royalties. SO let's treat our artists with the sort of respect one would expect, gievn the social profile we grant them. Let's be consistent.Report Abuse