The reputable Hollywood PR firm, 42West, denies claims from the 21st Century Group, organisers of the International Women in Media Conference 2018, that it was ever involved in the now-dubious event and says it never managed Halle Berry or Taraji P. Henson as 21st Century Group claims.
The event that was announced to take place on 5 and 6 September in the Sandton Convention Centre, derailed on Wednesday last week after stars like Taraji P. Henson and Halle Berry who were announced as being part of it, said they won't attend and are not involved with it, and slammed the organisers over "fake advertising", saying it's "shameful that 21st Century Group would advertise this way".
Bonang Matheba has also bailed on the event and Webtickets told TVwithThinus that it has halted all sales.
Taraji P. Henson, who visited South Africa previously as part of a publicity blitz in mid-2016 for Fox Networks Group UK & Africa’s FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) channel, said that she is working on Empire, isn't part of the conference, and that she wants her name and likeness removed from it.
The 21st Century Group in a statement said it is suing and starting a "legal lawsuit" against 42West, a well-known PR firm in the United States, and something called "Superstar Agency".
TVwithThinus made a media enquiry to 42West who responded with a statement saying 21st Century Group is lying, that 42West never managed Halle Berry or Taraji P. Henson, isn't a management firm but a PR agency and isn't aware of legal action filed against it as 21st Century Group claimed.
"There is absolutely no truth to any of the claims regarding 42West attributed to 21st Century Group," says a 42West spokesperson in a statement.
"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."
It's not clear whether 1Magic(DStv 103), one of the M-Net channels supplied to MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, remains the official media partner because M-Net has so far refused to publicly distance itself from the organisers and the event or to affirm its ongoing involvement.
It's also not yet clear whether other announced talent like the Carte Blanche presenter Claire Mawisa, the Mzansi Magic producer and actress Connie Ferguson, Amanda du Pont, actress Salamina Mosese and Thabile Ngwato are still involved.
