The officer of the premier, Job Mokgoro, late Wednesday night released a media statement confirming that the Mahika Mahikeng Cultural Music Festival will not be held this year. 

He says after careful consideration and consultation with various stakeholders they decided not to proceed with the event marred by controversy. It's alleged the provincial Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs MEC, Galebekwe Tlhapi, and other interested parties have locked horns about who should be awarded a contract. According to news reports, a source has revealed that the two frontrunners - companies from Potchefstroom and Rustenburg - had both been ruled out when Mokgoro intervened.

Small and big businesses used the event as a platform to display and attract business that had the potential to grow their scale of operation in the province. After the announcement, it remains to be seen how this will affect their operations and planning around the event that attracts hundreds of people across the country.

"Small, medium and micro businesses have benefitted from providing accommodation and other related services to visitors and music fanatics during the festival period. This contributed immensely to the economy of Mahikeng," Mokgoro says.

"We, therefore, would like to apologise to all patrons and business people, but we commit that the 2020 edition of the festival will be much better and much more inclusive than the previous editions, with better economic spin-offs for the people of Mahikeng and the entire province."

Meanwhile, supporters of the former premier, Supra Mahumapelo, have reacted with disappointment to the news, saying the administration of Mokgoro is trying by all means to erase the trace or work of former premier Mahumapelo.

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