Blu Label Sells Ticketpro

Blu Label, a JSE-listed telecommunications group, has sold Ticketpro to a woman-owned empowerment consortium linked to Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie. The exact ownership details of the transaction remain unclear.

The sale was concluded in May, and Bakang Lethoko, McKenzie’s former chief of staff, became Ticketpro’s new CEO in June. A new corporate structure, Ticketpro Group, was formed in August, with directors including a self-proclaimed PA member.

Andrew Duffield, a Blu Label executive and Ticketpro’s former CEO, said he had no idea that his successor, Lethoko, and the other PA-linked individuals involved in the takeover were linked to McKenzie and his party.

The EFF has called for an investigation into the sale, demanding that the public protector fast-track its probe into PA-linked appointments under McKenzie’s department. The party also wants Cricket South Africa and the organisers of the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup to disclose how Ticketpro was appointed as a ticketing vendor.

The sale has drawn scrutiny ahead of the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The EFF said the timing of the transaction raises further questions, given the scale of the upcoming cricket tournament.

Two shareholders identified in the new ownership structure, Astrid Harrison and Omphemetse Mokgosi, also have links to the PA or McKenzie’s department. Mokgosi was appointed by McKenzie to the boards of the National Film and Video Foundation and National Arts Council.

Blu Label said it wasn’t in a position to divulge the identity of Ticketpro’s new owner, citing confidentiality agreements. The company sold Ticketpro for R5m.