For most of the concert, Seal raced from one end of the stage to the other, pounding the air with his fists or leading an exhilarated audience in fast-paced clapping from the stage centre at the Sun City Superbowl.
In a moment that captured the objectives of the four-day Sun International benefit, Seal abruptly lowered the energy level by describing his trip to the Tapologo HIV/Aids hospice over the weekend.
As soft fuscia lighting outlined artist and guitar, the Grammy award winner described his meeting with Aids orphans in a simple, unaffected manner before launching into Don’t Cry.
But Seal was just one of thousands of people who supported the benefit, titled Posi+ive, which ran from June 8 to 11 in various venues at Sun City.
On Saturday, 6 500 people attended Posi+ive events — which included the Seal concert and a Vodacom Golf Day — according to Philip Georges, the chairperson of the bene-fit initiative and a divisional director of Sun International Resorts.
About 1 200 people attended the Valley of the Waves Festival of Hope on Saturday, the majority being day-trippers, said Georges. The festival featured local artists Mandoza, Loyiso and Karen Zoid and an exclusive local fashion show.
On Sunday, about 5 000 people came to Sun City in support of exhibitions and the second Seal concert.
An Old Mutual champagne breakfast, Super Group Shebeen luncheon and Visa-sponsored picnic lunch on Saturday were all sold out, said Georges. Ticket prices ranged from R250 to R395.
Sun City accommodation was also sold out for the duration of the event. “We’ve hosted major and majestic events, but this is one of a kind,” said Georges. While he generally spends an hour a week on the Nedbank Golf Challenge, he found himself spending 20 hours a week in the past four months preparing for the Posi+ive benefit.
The benefit involved four elements: fashion, art, music and food. Each element is, on its own, simple to organise, but coordinating all four is not something for which the resort usually takes responsibility. “It was a high anxiety kind of a thing, but I would do it all over again a thousand times,” said Georges.
Sponsorship allowed Sun International to donate surplus funds to the Tapologo hospice, and many of the sponsors want to play an even bigger role in the event next year. “I have no doubt that this will become an annual event, as long as the total income exceeds the expenses,” said Georges.
While the revenue figures are still being finalised, he said a conservative estimation of the benefit’s net income is R1,5-million. This reflects total expenses in the region of R6million and puts total income at about R7million.
People paid R60 000 to R70 000 for tables at a charity gala dinner prepared by five Michelin-star chefs. An auction of artworks created by local and international celebrities such as Diana Ross, Westlife and Archbishop Desmond Tutu garnered R1,5million.
Georges encountered some anger from the press because it cost Sun International R6million to make R1,5million, but he said they did not understand the cost breakdown. For example, the technical set cost R800 000, labour cost R500 000 and flights to bring artists from around the world cost R2million. Many bene-fit events lose money for the first few years, he said, adding that “to do it the first time and make money for the cause was a pleasant reward”.
The money goes to the Tapologo HIV/Aids programme, which was established in 1993 to serve communities, especially squatter camps, near Rustenburg under the auspices of the Catholic Church. The programme includes home-based care, clinical care and hospice facilities.
The Posi+ive benefit seeks to promote several messages, said Georges. The first is to ensure that people with full-blown Aids can die in dignity.The second aspect is to support orphans who are alone, vulnerable and suffering. The third component is an outreach programme to publicise anti-retroviral treatment.
Sun City and its partners have donated about R3million a year to Tapologo over the past three years. Georges said that he hoped the event would increase their donation by a similar figure after the first or second year.