Makhadzi barred from leaving Botswana over disputed booking
GABORONE — South African singer Makhadzi was cleared to leave Botswana on Wednesday, 4 November, after her lawyers and those representing promoter Gilbert Seagile reached an out-of-court settlement over a disputed concert booking. Her travel documents were returned, according to reports from the court proceedings. The promoter had sought P500,000 in damages, although the amount, if any, that Makhadzi agreed to pay has not been disclosed.
Makhadzi, whose real name is Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona, told fans in a video on Tuesday that she had been unable to leave Botswana since Saturday, 31 October. She said she was performing her fourth song when her road manager signalled to her from offstage. She later found herself without her passport, vehicle and personal belongings. South Africa’s High Commission in Gaborone assisted the singer and her team, and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation confirmed that they were safe.
The claim concerned a September show
The booking at the centre of the dispute predated Saturday’s performance. Seagile, who runs Gilbert Promotions, alleged that Makhadzi had failed to honour an agreement for a One Woman Show scheduled for 12 September. He claimed financial losses and damage to his reputation and obtained an urgent High Court order preventing her from leaving Botswana. The deputy sheriff held her passport under that order, the Botswana Gazette reported.
In her video, Makhadzi described the experience in personal terms, saying, “I feel kidnapped.” Gilbert Promotions rejected suggestions of a kidnapping and said the travel restriction arose from the court order. Makhadzi’s lawyers had been preparing to challenge that order at a hearing scheduled for Thursday, 5 November. Wednesday’s settlement cleared the way for her to travel a day before that hearing was due.
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