FOR a while it seemed as if the Miriam Makeba Tribute Concert, set for August 10 at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg to celebrate Women's Month, was in jeopardy.

FOR a while it seemed as if the Miriam Makeba Tribute Concert, set for August 10 at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg to celebrate Women's Month, was in jeopardy.

This after Graeme Gilfillan, who is one of the trustees of the Makeba legacy, blew the whistle on Morris Roda Productions for not asking for permission to go on with the show.

But it is on. Roda, who had been consulting Makeba's grandchildren, said he had their blessing.

A Department of Arts and Culture source said: "Graeme wrote a letter threatening legal action if the department went ahead with the authorisation of the concert.

"Then the director-general got in touch with the people from the Miriam Makeba Foundation.

"Zenzi and Lumumba Lee even wrote a letter to the department describing Gilfillan as a nuisance who claimed to be protecting Makeba's legacy.

"They said he was causing a lot of embarrassment by claiming to be a trustee of the Makeba legacy."

Delia Hobson of Gallo Music said: "I represent Gallo and anybody who wants to use our artists must get clearance from us.

"Miriam's trust has the sole rights to all her intellectual property to protect her body of work, her name and reputation.

"The trust holds the rights of everything she has done. " She confirmed that Gilfillan was one of the trustees.

"When anybody wants to use anything of Miriam's they have to pay licence fees," Leanne Billett, legal counsel for Avusa, said yesterday.

She said Makeba's grandchildren had no rights to the trust and were just beneficiaries. The show will be free.