R1 million table charge at Saint Lounge, but where was Akon?

According to Cape Town’s Saint Lounge, Akon didn’t show up at their event, despite charging patrons a massive amount for tables.

By: Megan van den Heever

Despite promising a special performance by US singer Akon – and charging patrons up to R1 million for table bookings – Saint Lounge has claimed that Akon essentially “backtracked” on his end of the deal.

The entertainer was billed to perform at the  Harrington Street hotspot from 3- 5 January. But in a statement issued on Wednesday evening – the second night of his supposed performance – Saint issued a statement claiming that the singer was actually a “no show”.

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SAINT LOUNGE CHARGES PATRONS R1M FOR AKON NO-SHOW

In an Instagram post earlier this week, Saint Lounge revealed that Akon would perform at their venue for three consecutive nights: 3 – 5 January.

But like they did on New Year’s Eve, Saint Lounge revealed an astronomical fee to see the entertainer. While entry fees to the nightclub cost between R350 and R1000, the table booking packages had patrons gaping.

According to Saint, a basic table package starts at R5000 and runs all the way up to R1 million! And big spenders and “ballers,” those figures were just the “minimum spends.”

‘WE HAVE ALWAYS DELIVERED’

In their statement posted on their social media accounts, Saint Lounge claimed that Akon had failed to show up to his performance on Tuesday 3 January. The establishment also hinted that they had been duped into believing that the star would honour the deal.

It read: “We were approached by representatives of Akon with an opportunity for us to book him. After numerous meetings, we agreed on a sum to be paid. We then paid over the amount to the representatives as per our agreement in full and on time.

“We have now noticed that there seems to be an issue that we are still trying to ascertain the facts thereof between the representatives of the artist and his management which has caused Akon to not honour the booking”.

Saint Lounge then revealed that the remainder of the “performances” had subsequently been cancelled.

It added: “We are a reputable brand that has always delivered. You, our loyal customers deserve the best and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused”.

Saint made no mention of refunds to patrons who attended the event on Tuesday.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTACTED SAINT – THIS IS WHAT THEY SAID

Prior to issuing a statement on Akon’s no-show, social media users expressed their suspicions at Saint Lounge’s “false advertising” after noticing that the singer had failed to appear at the event.

The South African contacted Saint Lounge via their table booking contact details and was informed that “Akon had performed last night”. The establishment also promised to send through pictures and videos of the singer’s performance via WhatsApp.