Mohalenyane Phakela
THE organiser of the ill-fated “Kids Party” held on Saturday at Maseru Central Park says the Cool Catz characters reneged on their agreement by not showing up for the event.
The characters of the popular etv children’s programme had been billed to entertain and educate youngsters during the show organized by local events company, Loxion Entertainment. However, the Cool Catz, who consist of four main characters, Catnap, Wildcat, Smartycat and Kittycat did not pitch up, much to the chagrin of the expectant children and their parents.
As the day wore on, the bemused parents dragged Loxion Entertainment boss, Mamphasa Makhomo, to the Pitso Ground Police Station demanding refunds and her arrest for allegedly scamming them.
However, Makhomo told the Weekender this week that the Cool Catz characters were the ones at fault for not pitching up for the show despite being paid in advance.
“I made the payment to the Cool Catz’s account last Tuesday. I also emailed them the deposit slip as proof of payment last Thursday since they had said the money was not reflecting in their account,” she said.
“We had arranged for them to sleep in Maseru on Friday night and had booked a local guest house for 11 people, including the crew, but they never showed up.”
“I have since contacted them and made them aware of the situation they put me in and the costs I incurred in preparing for the show.”
Makhomo said after being hauled to the police station, she was made to refund half of the money to the seething parents.
“At the police station I was told to refund M50 of the M100 admission fee. Since we only refunded the parents who were at the police station, I was told to come back if more people demanded refunds so we can settle the matter there,” she said, adding that discussions with the Cool Catz are currently ongoing with a view to holding a free show to compensate for the blunder.
“This episode was really devastating for me, especially considering that I was nearly beaten up or even locked up in jail. I am working towards holding a free show in December to show people how remorseful we are and for them to be able to trust my company again next time we plan another event.”
An email sent to the Cool Catz for their comment was still unanswered at the time of going to print.
