‘Put yourself in my shoes’: Oscar Mbo speaks out after Makhadzi stage clash amid festival backlash

South African DJ Oscar Mbo has responded to the backlash after Makhadzi accused him of sabotaging her performance at the Macufe Festival in Bloemfontein.

The controversy erupted when Makhadzi claimed that Mbo or his team removed her USB during her set, forcing her to cut her performance short. This led to public outrage and criticism directed at Mbo, who has now come forward to share his side of the story.

The incident occurred during the annual Macufe Festival, held from 2 to 9 October, a major cultural and music event at which both artists were scheduled to perform.

Makhadzi took to Facebook to express her frustration, accusing Oscar Mbo of interfering with her set. She said she deleted the post after her conversation with Mbo.

In a live conversation with Makhadzi, Mbo shared his perspective and apologised if his team was responsible for any misunderstanding or disruption during her performance.

Mbo said that the issue stemmed from poor communication with the event organisers, particularly the promoter and the stage manager. He explained that he had agreed to share his performance slot with Makhadzi after she arrived late, but confusion over timing and logistics may have led to the incident.

“I’m saying again, you and I are having this thing, yes, my team; I’m apologising for them or him if he did that. I said it over the phone, and I’m repeating it now—if that did happen, I’m sorry, my sister,” Mbo said during the live.

He reiterated that the common denominator was the event promoter and called for them to release an official statement to clarify the situation.

Mbo also expressed frustration over the social media backlash he received after Makhadzi’s post went viral. He noted that he had been attacked online without the opportunity to share his side.

He said, “I have to say something as well. Please put yourself in my shoes,” urging Makhadzi to help rectify the situation by addressing the misleading nature of the post.

In a separate clip, Makhadzi acknowledged that Mbo had been shouting during their call but attributed it to his frustration over the public’s reaction rather than the incident itself.

She said, “Of course, maybe he was frustrated… The frustration was not because they didn’t do what they did. It was because of me posting about it and the public’s reaction.”

This controversy comes after Mbo faced similar accusations earlier this year when he was criticised for reportedly ending fellow musician Kharishma’s performance prematurely at FNB Stadium.

Similar to Makhadzi, Kharishma also took to Facebook to share her experience, prompting Mbo to apologise in the comment section of her post. “Apologies to you, my sister,” he wrote, attributing the situation to poor communication from the event promoter.

“The communication we had with the promoter of the event and the change of times was clearly not communicated. We were booked for three events, all done by one promoter. They changed times on one show, affecting all three shows,” he wrote.

Both artists,  Mbo and Makhadzi, have emphasised the need for the event organisers to release a statement clarifying the situation.

Mbo closed the conversation with an appeal to Makhadzi, requesting that they work together to hold the appropriate parties accountable.