Conflicting reports over the past week had many wondering whether Lebo M was in or out. But according to an inside source, the composer and music producer was offered R5,7-million to walk away from the creative consortium working on the 2010 Fifa World Cup’s closing ceremony.
The reliable source claimed Lebo M’s partners in the consortium, the VWV group, had drawn up a contract offering the South African star the settlement to keep him away from the production after conflicts arose.
But Neo Motlhala, Lebo M’s spokesperson, said he could not comment on the matter.
“We have to stick to the confidentiality rules of the contract with the local organising committee,” he said.
Lebo M rose to fame after he arranged and performed the music for The Lion King. But he clashed with the creative brains at the VWV group. Differences apparently first arose when Lebo M became upset after British consulting producers were brought in to assist.
Lebo M had wanted the show to be produced by Africans, said the source, but Jack Morton Worldwide had a track record of producing opening and closing ceremonies, including the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
A VWV consortium insider said that Lebo M’s input had been minimal and Jack Morton Worldwide had been running the show.
“Lebo is a waste of space. He has never really been coming to rehearsals. He popped in to one or two rehearsals and started shouting at people for doing things wrong — but it was actually the other way around,” claimed the source.
“He’s just there for window dressing, pure and simple.”
However, Motlhala said Lebo M’s work on both ceremonies had started two years ago when his company Till Dawn and VWV won the contract. Lebo M’s creative input had been invaluable, he said.
The budget for the opening and closing ceremonies was R120-million.
Derek Carstens, local organising committee marketing boss, has promised that the 30-minute closing ceremony at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg on July 11 will be a high-tech extravaganza.
He said the Colombian singer Shakira and South African group Freshlyground were booked to sing their Waka Waka collaboration and the rest of the acts for the ceremony were still signing contracts.
Asked about the conflicts over the closing ceremony, Carstens said the “consortium must sort out their affairs”.
What he knew was that the closing ceremony was on track and was going to be spectacular.