TicketPro, a subsidiary of mobile commerce technology firm Blue Label Telecoms, said the proceeds from ticket sales for performances on the Covid-Zero platform would go towards supporting the artists involved, as well as funding community care packages.

South African artists have not been able to stage traditional live performances during a lockdown imposed from March 27 to try and contain the coronavirus which has spread rapidly around the globe since first emerging in China last December.

As of Monday, South Africa had 4,793 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and had recorded 90 related deaths. The country has conducted more than 178,000 tests for the virus to date.

TicketPro said communities around the country would be provided with care packages including masks, hand sanitiser, food vouchers and information on staying safe, with the first 5,000 packs having already been donated by the Trust Blu Foundation.

“Against the backdrop of a devastating pandemic, we are determined to provide entertainment for South Africans, while also giving a much-needed boost to our entertainers and to communities in need,” TicketPro managing director Brandon Duffield said.

"From music to comedy acts, we’re inviting audiences to tell us what they want to see on their screens.”

Covid-Zero will effectively give artists a virtual concert stage to keep performing and engage with their South African fan bases during the lockdown. It allows fans, from their homes, to vote for the artists they want to see and post their stay-at-home concert outfits on the website and social media platforms. It will launch with a live performance on May 8.

African News Agency (ANA)