Chicco Twala reckons the funds in question were meant to help struggling artists through the pandemic, whereas Mafokate had achieved “tremendous success” over the years. In the open letter on 19 March, Chicco Twala begins by congratulating Arthur Mafokate on the contribution he has made to the music sector. He then acknowledges Mafokate’s hard work over the years, noting that he does not have an agenda, but wants to see equality and fairness served. “My brother, it’s common knowledge that both our record labels being 999 and Chicco Music have made tremendous success over the years,” Twala wrote.

The renowned South African music producer said Mafokate’s record label had also benefitted from working with government institutions and receiving funding. “Your company made more money than any other record label and I really commend you for that,” Twala alleged. “However, queuing for stimulus that [is] meant to benefit our struggling colleagues makes a mockery of your success.”

The National Arts Council grants were put into place to assist members of the arts community were struggling due to the knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Chicco Twala believes that Arthur Mafokate unethically applied for this funding. Mafokate, he reckoned, had the necessary resources to survive the financial effects of the pandemic, while there were many artists out there that were facing tremendous hardship. “It is practically not ethical to be asking for government COVID relief assistance at the expense of our struggling colleagues when we both know that we have enough resources to sustain ourselves during this pandemic,” Twala wrote. “Government also made it clear that not all applicants will receive funding, which obviously meant that the majority of our colleagues were going to struggle financially,” he continued. “Is it not common sense that established artists like you and I should step aside?”

Chicco Twala further showed his outrage by comparing Mofokate’s alleged actions to moneyed folks applying for the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant. “This behavior is more like a retired person who earns R50,000 per month from his pension fund and still applies for Sassa’s R350 social grant. It’s unethical and totally goes against ubuntu, my brother,” Twala wrote.