By Edgar Legoale

Do not organise events simply to please people, compete with others or prove that you are still relevant. Public attention is temporary, but debt, stress and damaged relationships can remain with you for many years.

Some people borrow money from friends, family members and businesspeople because they are afraid of disappearing from the public space. They continue announcing events even when they do not have proper funding, confirmed partnerships or a sustainable plan. This can eventually affect their finances, health and peace of mind.

There is nothing wrong with postponing an event until you are properly prepared. Having a good concept and being known in society does not mean that you must host an event every year. Your value does not decrease because you have decided to pause, conduct research, restructure and raise enough funding.

The first Ngwathe Easter Experience was hosted in 2023. We did not get everything right. Instead of pretending that everything had gone well, I told my team that we needed to step back, conduct proper research and honestly examine where we had made mistakes.

We asked ourselves difficult questions: What did we get wrong? What did we underestimate? Which systems were missing? What partnerships did we need? How could we improve the experience for artists, service providers, sponsors and the public?

We did not rush to host another event simply to remain relevant. We used that time to learn, build networks, strengthen relationships and establish meaningful partnerships. We studied the industry and worked on creating a stronger and more sustainable model.

That process contributed greatly to the success of the 2026 Ngwathe Easter Experience. The success did not happen overnight. It was the result of research, patience, planning, discipline, teamwork, partnerships and the willingness to learn from our previous shortcomings.

Failure is not always the end. Sometimes it is an important lesson showing you what must be corrected. A mistake only becomes a permanent failure when you refuse to learn from it.

Events must be treated as businesses. They require proper budgeting, cash-flow management, marketing, security, infrastructure, compliance, insurance, artists, production, transport, accommodation and many other services. People normally see the stage, artists and crowds, but they do not see the millions required behind the scenes.

Ticket sales alone are not enough to sustain most major events. In many cases, ticket income does not cover the full cost of production. A sustainable event requires different revenue streams, including sponsorships, hospitality packages, branding rights, exhibitions, stalls, broadcasting partnerships, tourism packages, accommodation partnerships and food and beverage agreements.

A sold-out event can still make a financial loss when the expenses are higher than the income. That is why organisers must stop measuring success only through attendance. Real success also includes financial sustainability, local economic development, job creation, skills transfer, tourism growth and the ability to host the next edition without starting from zero.

At the Edgar Legoale Foundation, we are not hosting events for fun, popularity or competition. We are building networks, developing institutions, securing strategic partnerships and negotiating key deals that will sustain this vision for many years.

We do not borrow people’s money simply to create the appearance of success. We would rather build slowly, correctly and sustainably. Every programme we host must contribute towards something greater than one day of entertainment.

Our vision is to build something bigger than Macufe and more than a once-off lifestyle event such as the Durban July. We are building an experience that brings together music, tourism, business, sport, culture, education and community development.

People may not fully understand the vision today, but in the coming years they will see what we have been building. Great institutions are not built overnight. They are built through patience, discipline, sacrifice, partnerships and consistent work.

I will always thank everyone across South Africa who continues to support this growing movement. Your support is helping us build something powerful, sustainable and historic.

We are not chasing relevance. We are building a legacy. We learned from 2023, succeeded in 2026, and the journey is only beginning.