South African DJ Simza has defended the DStv Delicious Festival after organisers were widely criticised for poor planning due to poor weather.
The festival, known for its vibrant mix of music, food and entertainment, was heavily affected by the unpredictable weather, leaving many attendees frustrated.
Complaints flooded social media, with critics saying organisers should have been better prepared for bad weather.
Suggestions ranged from adding a large tent to protect attendees to postponing the entire event.
Many felt that the lack of contingency planning detracted from the festival experience, especially given the scale of the event.
However, Simza responded to the backlash in a detailed post, offering a different perspective.
He explained the challenges promoters face when dealing with unpredictable weather, especially when the weather changes shortly before an event.
“From a promoter's perspective, with all due respect, there is really not much you can do when the weather worsens 2-3 days before an event of this magnitude. By that time, all work is about 80% done. It is very unfair that people expected Delicious to 'hype it up and postpone it'. Very disappointing but hoping for the best,” Shimza wrote.
His comments sparked a debate about the realities of planning for the event, with some agreeing that last-minute weather changes are often beyond control, while others thought more could have been done to mitigate the impact.
From a promoter's point of view, if the weather suddenly changes 2-3 days before an event of this magnitude, you really can't do anything about it. By that time, everything is about 80% done and it's so unfair that people were expecting it… https://t.co/s9imkwenVx
— Shimza (@Shimza01) September 21, 2024