Vendors, ticket holders left stranded after beauty fair is cancelled

Vendors and ticket holders who travelled from distant countries like Botswana and Zimbabwe for the African International Hair and Beauty Fair found themselves stranded in Sandton after discovering the event had been cancelled. Organisers had expected around 1,000 attendees over two days, but due to alleged non-payment to the venue, the fair was called off.

Among the unprepared attendees was Kroes Rocks ambassador Simone Thomas, who had purchased two tickets for R300 each in February via Quicket. She had travelled roughly an hour to reach the venue on Saturday, only to encounter a cancellation notice upon arrival. Disappointed, Thomas reached out to organiser Peace Mthethwa, whose contact information was listed on the cancellation notice, seeking information about her ticket and a possible refund.

After hours of attempts, she finally received an email confirming the cancellation and the processing of her refund within seven days. However, Thomas was puzzled as she had not provided her banking details, leaving her to question how the refunds would be handled. Venue representatives informed attendees that they had been attempting to contact Mthethwa for three weeks due to payment issues.

Exhibitors had reportedly paid between R25,000 and R75,000 for their respective stands, with many having already journeyed to the venue. Thomas revealed that people had travelled from Kimberley (Botswana), Zimbabwe, and Cape Town, with a group of about 75 individuals from Kimberley even turning back upon learning of the cancellation.

Some exhibitors reportedly attempted to mitigate their losses by relocating their products to other areas in Johannesburg to capture new customers. Thomas expressed deep concern over the repercussions for small businesses, emphasizing the lack of apology, message, or communication from the organisers. When contacted for comment, Mthethwa stated that it was not an appropriate time to discuss the matter.