RedPepper left with egg on their face

The upcoming Bot50 celebrations continue to be dogged by controversy after controversy, as evidenced by a recent turn of events where some dancers have indefinitely pulled out over pay disputes.

Information gathered by The Midweek Sun indicates that approximately 80 participants refused to join the rehearsals on Sunday and Monday after they had a fall out with RedPepper over payment contracts for the performance. The company is said to have offered the dancers P1, 500.00 each, while they demanded P7, 000.00 per participant. On Monday the company allegedly offered the dancers P2, 500.00 each in attempt to pacify them but some still turned down this amount.

The participants started their rehearsals on Saturday from 6pm until 10pm. The rehearsals follow workshops, which were conducted by famed South African celebrity choreographer Somizi Mhlongo, at The Paddock in Phase II, Gaborone.The Midweek Sun has established that some dancers from the formidable local group, Mophato Dance Troupe, which has 15 participating members, are among those who withdrew their service. One participant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the whole withdrawal could affect the whole planned routine.

“Members of Mophato group and other individuals stood their ground that the would not sign the contracts unless they are each given P7, 000.00. Given the magnitude of the event this should be the minimum amount offered. Some of us agreed only because we come from far and it would be our first time to participate in this kind of event so we would not want to miss out on the opportunity. The formation and routines could be affected given the fact that most of those who pulled out are not participating for the first time in this kind of event and replacing them could prove to be a challenge.”

The participants came from various parts of Botswana and those who do not reside in the city were booked to a local guesthouse in Gaborone.Mophato Dance Troupe Manager, Kealeboga Motsumi, confirmed the group member’s decision to pull out. He said they had agreed that the amount offered was too little hence their decision to withdraw.

Motsumi said they had since decided to channel their energy towards another capacity building project aimed at giving back to the dance industry through offering mentorship training. He insisted that there were no hard feelings between them and the organisers and they were confident that the remaining dancers would ensure that the choreography routine is a resounding success.

However, the Managing Director of RedPepper PR, Thapelo Letsholo, has insisted that Mophato Dance Group will continue to be a part of the Independence Opening ceremony celebrations. In a late response to a questionnaire sent to him on the matter, Letsholo wrote: “In so far as Mophato Dance Group is concerned, we have since the talent search began, enlisted the services of Andrew Kola who is the Director of Mophato Dance Group. Andrew is a senior choreographer in the production and is working with the team to deliver a superb product for Botswana on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of independence. In the context, we can confirm that Mophato Dance Group through its director Mr Kola, continues to be a part of the team.”

Letsholo acknowledged however that there were some participants who along the way opted to pull out of the ceremony rehearsals, adding that participation in the ceremony was a matter of choice. “As naturally expected, and due to a variety of reasons, out of the more than 400 participants, about 30 individuals who initially expressed interest in participating  in the production through auditions have changed their minds, and we have respected their decision.

These individuals have been replaced with other equally competent young Batswana,” Letsholo stated. The Bot50 Committee was reportedly allocated a P100 million budget, which has been shared between local districts and Botswana missions abroad. RedPepper  PR was awarded a contract for P12, 753,440.00 to provide the choreography for the opening ceremony. This service will be provided on the 29th September 2016. The tender was awarded on 11 March 2016.