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Fans angry over 'late' singer Dana

SORRY, SORT OF: Simphiwe Dana left fans frustrated after she got on stage 'late' at the Bassline in Newtown, Joburg PHOTO: SUPPLIED
SORRY, SORT OF: Simphiwe Dana left fans frustrated after she got on stage 'late' at the Bassline in Newtown, Joburg PHOTO: SUPPLIED

A mini protest over Simphiwe Dana being late broke out at the Bassline in Johannesburg on Saturday night.

Unimpressed fans complained that they had to wait for two hours to see her perform.

The singer, famous for her gentle yet strong vocals, threw a bash to celebrate a decade in the music industry on the very stage where she made her debut.

Over the years, Dana has set herself apart not just as a musician but also as an activist and an ardent social media commentator.

But at the weekend things went southwards when the impatient but eager crowd became restless and sang struggle songs while waiting for Dana to serenade them.

This was after and during opening acts such as poets Thandokuhle, Yazmin and Naima Mclean and singer Nakhane Toure took to the stage.

Comments on Twitter and Facebook were not forgiving as fans vented their frustration at feeling "disrespected".

Tshepo Aluta Mathari screamed on Facebook: "A riot has erupted at Bassline! Simphiwe Dana 2 hours late and yet to be seen! Masses chanting struggle songs!"

Lusanda Dlamini tweeted: "South African artists should really respect their fans. Waiting an hour and 49 minutes for @simphiwedana isn't on."

Bongani Cuba Dlamini wrote on Facebook: "This is just pure disrespect. Simphiwe you cannot be 2 hours late for your show."

In her defence, Dana said her fans' impatience could have been triggered by the length of her opening acts.

She said the messages on social media were untrue. "No, people didn't wait for two hours after the opening acts. The opening acts went on for two hours," she said.

Cassandra Gudlhuza, the singer's publicist, said Dana's loyal fans were expecting to hear Dana and no one else.

Kaya FM boss Greg Maloka whose station was behind the show said things were not as bad as people were now making them out to be.

When Dana finally got on stage to belt her signature tunes such as Ndiredi, Nkwenkwenzi and Ilolo, she had the audience begging for more .

The noise of the crowd singing along overwhelmed the recording so badly that the live DVD that was being recorded had to be scrapped.

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