Hofmeyr costs 'Afrikaans is Groot' concerts

• South Africa

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  File: Performers Steve Hofmeyr (pictured). Afrikaans is Groot (AIG) thanks two sponsors, Pick ‘n Pay and Landrover, for their contribution to Afrikaans music. Both indicated that they will not be sponsors this year. Photo: WERNER BEUKES

  
  

JOHANNESBURG - Pick n Pay and Jaguar Land Rover South Africa have decided not to renew their sponsorship of the Afrikaans is Groot (Afrikaans is big, AIG) concerts, Beeld newspaper reported on Tuesday.
AIG spokesman Barnard Beukman thanked the companies in a statement saying, “Afrikaans is Groot (AIG) thanks two sponsors, Pick ‘n Pay and Landrover, for their contribution to Afrikaans music. Both indicated that they will not be sponsors this year. Through their AIG-sponsorships they made a huge contribution to the development of Afrikaans music.”
Beukman added that AIG was looking forward to an imminent announcement of the 2015 sponsors.
Last year, both companies had said they would review their sponsorship of the festival following controversial comments by one of the main performers, Steve Hofmeyr.
Jaguar Land Rover SA media relations manager Lesley Sutton, said the company would focus on its international ties with the Rugby World Cup and the Bloodhound SSC world land speed record.
Both take place at the same time as the Afrikaans is Groot concert, said Sutton.
Pick n Pay, a sponsor since 2012, said it had informed the concert organisers a few weeks ago of its decision.
In October Hofmeyr caused a storm on social media when he tweeted, "Sorry to offend but in my books Blacks were the architects of apartheid. Go figure".
AIG has taken a stance of implicating that the artist is engaged purely to perform and is required to stick within the mandate of the program saying, “Their participation is subject to an agreement not to involve AIG directly in controversial issues. On stage they also have stick to the prescribed programme of the production.
“AIG’s only involvement with the artists is the performance of their music. Therefore it is not the function of AIG to get involved or comment on the personal or public viewpoints of any artist," Beukman said.
Beukman said their goal was only to further Afrikaans music, and as such Hofmeyr would still perform at their concerts.
Comedian and ventriloquist Conrad Koch and his puppet Chester Missing questioned the companies' relationship with Hofmeyr in a series of tweets and on a blog.
Dan Roodt on behalf of Hofmeyr, unsuccessfully sought a protection order for Hofmeyr against Koch and the puppet.