Crime postpones South Africa's Oppikoppi festival

Oppikoppi, held near the mining town of Northam in South Africa's Limpopo province, has been an institution in the country's music industry for the past 24 years. The festival is responsible for almost single handedly launching the careers of hundreds of South African musicians and its stages are known for hosting the country's alternative music scenes, including rock, metal, experimental, electro and hip hop.  

But the festival's organisers say that tough economic conditions and a wave of crime that hit the even last year have forced them to cancel the event until 2020.

"Unfortunately, in 2018 we experienced the rampant crime currently impacting events and festivals across South Africa," Matchbox Live CEO Theresho Selesho said in a statement. "For us to present the 2019 event with the increased security measures that are required to curb this crime to present a safe and enjoyable festival, the production costs also increase drastically. By taking a gap year, we are giving ourselves the breathing room to redesign the festival and bring in the necessary changes without impacting the festivalgoer by increasing ticket prices."

In 2018, News24 reported that countless revellers had been targeted by pickpockets, while others had their camping equipment stolen and cars broken into.

"We've had some crime issues in the past, but this year was the worst," Selesho told the publication then. "There are a few syndicates that have been targeting live events and festivals. These past few years have been crazy for us in terms of containing the criminal activity, especially at a tented camping event [such as OppiKoppi]. "We've put safety measures in place, we've been working with the SAPS, we had undercover security guards and canines to try to combat these crimes." But despite employing more resources and a bigger security budget, "the crime increased as well", he said. 

The tented festival, which has deep Afrikaans roots and whose general camping area is referred to as 'Mordor' by diehard fans due to its high levels of dust and harsh terrain laden with thorn trees, ran with full force in 2012 with big international acts like Bullet for My Valentine, Enter Shikari, Eagles of Death Metal and Seether, who started their career in South Africa as Saron Gas before finding worldwide fame, gracing its stages in front of some 23 000 fans. A year later, American alternative metal powerhouse Deftones headlined the event.

Selesho's statement, released yesterday, says that Matchbox Live, Oppikoppi's holding company, will also be looking at the possibility of "bringing the festival to a venue closer to a major city, to enable day tickets, less travelling and other options for the attendees".

Anyone who has been to Oppikoppi in the past would agree that taking the festival away from its current location would do away with its biggest drawcard: to escape everyday city life for the allure of the South African bush. The cancellation, and possible relocation, of the festival would also have dire consequences for Northam's local economy, which relies heavily on festivalgoers' patronage.

"There are people who sell firewood, others that sell liquor and meat," Hezron Louw of Sumting Fresh told Times Live. "Even supermarkets [will feel the pinch] because people travelling from outside don't usually stock up on what they will need until they get to the area. We also employ local people from Northam for the festival, train them on food safety and get them on board to work with us. We have had regulars who have worked with us for three to four years but this year, there will be no work for them."

Selesho said: "We realise that a festival like OppiKoppi has a significant role to play in the South African music scene, along with a critical social cohesion role that it has been playing for many years. We are 100% up for it  but we want to do it right. Thank you for the support over the last 24 years. We’ll see you in the trenches again in 2020. In Dust We Trust."