Durban - The entertainment industry could
take up to a year to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought a number of industries, particularly entertainment, hospitality and tourism, to a virtual collapse.
That is according to Osman Osman, managing director of Blu Blood Africa, which brings major international acts, as well as premier Bollywood performers, to South Africa.
Osman and his wife, Shaaista, who live in Dubai, said that it “was with a heavy heart” that Blu Blood have had to cancel their local and international shows, which were scheduled to be staged in South Africa in the next few months, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking from Dubai, Osman said: “There were some huge line-ups for 2020, for which we had entered into contracts with both artists and venues. We are looking to take those into 2021.”
On the recovery of the industry, Osman said it would likely take six to 12 months.
“I foresee a dark period in the entertainment industry. One factor, that may resonate, will be a fear of public gatherings,” he said, adding the flow of cash would also be restricted.
“The worst problem we had before this was load-shedding and the coronavirus was something no-one anticipated.
“People will have been stockpiling and they may be behind on bonds and car payments. Factors such as loadshedding, political uncertainty and crime have seen people in South Africa holding on to their money in the past, to buy items such as generators. While our shows sell out
ahead of time elsewhere, in South Africa, shows still sell on the day,” he said.