The dominoes continue to fall for 21st Century Group's now-dubious International Women in Media Conference 2018 with the event's website that has removed all information, with sources saying M-Net's 1Magic is out as as "official media partner", that Bonang Matheba definitely won't return as organisers claimed, and with the Sandton Convention Centre listing nothing for 5 and 6 September on the dates it's supposed to take place.
Meanwhile on social media 21st Century Group has now mysteriously backtracked and deleted all its tweets and posted statements it made, going back to 8 August last week.
That's when the touted conference derailed after the Hollywood actresses Taraji P. Henson and Halle Berry who were announced as part of the line-up, denied they're involved and slammed the organisers over "fake advertising" and that it's "shameful that 21st Century Group would advertise this way".
Bonang Matheba hastily withdrew and dumped the conference, with Webtickets that halted sales.
Impeccable sources told TVwithThinus that M-Net's 1Magic (DStv 103) channel that was announced as the "official media partner" and that has officially remained silent over it's involvement with 21st Century Group's conference, has now also quietly withdrew.
M-Net's general entertainment division of which 1Magic forms part, will now focus its efforts on the unit's DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards 2018 set for 24 November at the Sandton Convention Centre.
After Julie Schulte, 21st Century Group sales director, on Friday in response to a media enquiry over Bonang Matheba's withdrawal said that "we have engaged with her management and they have agreed that once we re-open the marketing strategy they will come back onboard because they support the initiative of woman empowerment", a source very closely connected to team Matheba told TVwithThinus that the star will definitely not be back.
Meanwhile 21st Century Group's website for the conference at iwim.co.za has deleted all information without any explanation, now simply stating "website being updated. Please be patient".
After organisers claimed that the International Women in Media Conference 2018 would take place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 5 and 6 September and Unathi Mhlope, 21st Century Group head of marketing and communications, again confirmed it in a statement on Friday, the convention centre's public events calendar for these dates continues to list nothing related to the event.
It's not yet clear whether other local personalities likes Amanda du Pont, Connie Ferguson, Carte Blanche’s Claire Mawisa, Salamina Mosese and Thabile Ngwato are still involved with the announced conference.
21st Century Group said that "a legal lawsuit" has been lodged against Superstar Agency and the Hollywood PR firm 42West that it called "Henson's management firm" to "be able to verify who has misled 21st Century Group in confirming that the booking was made".
42West told TVwithThinus that "There is absolutely no truth to any of the claims regarding 42West attributed to 21st Century Group. To begin with, 42West is not a management firm and we have certainly never managed Halle Berry or Taraji P. Henson."
"Moreover, we have never signed any contracts on behalf of Halle Berry or Taraji P. Henson. Finally, to our knowledge, no legal action has been filed against 42West with regard to this matter."
