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Revelers at a Rage festival.
- The Plett Rage was canceled due to Covid-19 risks after organizers decided it was ‘the right thing to do’.
- The January rage would have marked 21 years since the end-of-enrollment explosion in Plettenberg Bay.
- The ticket would also be valid for the festival of 2021, and the class of 2020 would get a special area.
The Plett Rage was canceled after organizers failed to obtain permission from Garden Route officials.
Organizers also decided it was the morally correct thing to do given the information available on Covid-19, especially on Garden Route, where there was a resurgence of the virus.
“Obviously for the business, for the staff, it’s disastrous,” organizer Ronen Klugman told News24.
READ | All Rage Festival events postponed ‘until further notice’
Plett Rage is not run by the same organizer as Ballito Rage, which was labeled a super spread event after an increase in positive tests in KwaZulu-Natal.
He added that they had invested heavily in preparing for the 21st Plett Rage and could have contested the refusal to go ahead in court, but felt that morally they could not continue with that.
“I feel good that I made the decision [not to contest]”said Klugman, its founder and owner.
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He added that the decision came at a price due to loss of business for suppliers, while at least 900 festival staff members would be left without work.
“It’s difficult for people in this industry,” Klugman told News24.
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He added that the decision could have been contested in court, as they could have safely housed the allowed number of people, arguing that they had the right to earn a living.
“We got over that. It was between what was right and what was wrong. We made the right decision.”
He said that after the positive cases associated with Ballito Rage and the increase in cases on the Garden Route, there was no other decision.
“Not once did we think this day would come,” Klugman added, recounting the journey since the close of March and the uncertainty and widespread stress that followed.
READ | Covid-19: second wave ‘exceeding first peak’ on Garden Route
He thanked the team that supported them in their planning and apologized to the 2020 matrix class who had had a difficult year.
As for returns, they were in a difficult situation given the work already done and the reduced salaries that the staff had already taken, and could only afford a 50% refund, given the advance of expenses.
They asked people to consider keeping their tickets and reselling them to get 75% back when it was safe to get the Plett Rage back.
The ticket would also be valid for the 2021 festival, and the class of 2020 would get a special area.
