Thanda Choir management admits financial communication failures after Carte Blanche exposé

· Citizen

Thanda Choir management has issued an official response to the fallout from a damning Carte Blanche investigation, acknowledging shortcomings in how financial information was communicated to members while pushing back on several of the programme’s central claims.

The two-part statement, dated 22 April 2026, comes days after the M-Net investigative show aired a segment titled “Choir Captured,” which alleged that choir members from Khayelitsha were paid as little as R400 a month despite the ensemble commanding booking fees of up to R40 000 per performance.

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Management addressed the R400 figure directly, stating that it was never intended as a performance fee.

According to the statement, the amount was a monthly subsistence stipend, paid consistently regardless of how many bookings the choir had in a given month, and was supplemented by an equivalent R400 food parcel. The statement notes that bookings are irregular, with some months having no gigs at all, and describes the stipend as designed to give members and their families a reliable financial baseline.

On the question of where performance income goes, management maintained that the choir is entirely self-funded, with earnings used to cover performance fees, subsistence stipends, gig-related expenses and broader operational costs. They added that audited financials are available to relevant parties and that full access to financial records will be provided to an agreed independent third-party auditor, a process they say is already being initiated in consultation with members.

The statement also pushed back on the narrative that management refused to be transparent with Carte Blanche, suggesting that key context was omitted during editing: “Many facts shared in the interview were omitted in the editing process, so the story did not reflect our hearts.”

On the matter of intellectual property – one of the founding members’ core demands – management acknowledged the issue remains unresolved.

“The question of how royalties and entitlements should be structured for past and present members is one we recognise has not been sufficiently developed to date,” the statement read, adding that it is now receiving “full attention” with legal and financial guidance.

Management also pointed to plans that they say reflect genuine long-term investment in the Khayelitsha community: the choir has acquired land in the area for a dedicated rehearsal venue, funded entirely through fundraising and donor contributions at a cost of R620 000. Title deeds are currently awaited from the Deeds Office.

Crucially, the statement stops short of denying that the organisation has been imperfect. “Is Thanda Choir operated perfectly? No. Our members deserved to know more about how the choir’s finances worked than we communicated. We own this oversight,” it reads.

The statement acknowledges that some members have chosen to part ways with the choir but expresses hope that those who remain can continue building on what the ensemble has achieved. The founding members, for their part, have declared all prior agreements void and are urgently seeking legal support to formalise their independence.

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