The Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day was held in Soweto, an area of Johannesburg, on August 17th. This year was the inaugural event, and saw a variety of activities taking place in the FNB stadium (able to seat 90,000 people), including a special soccer match that saw South African and Italian star players facing off against each other.

The sporting events were followed by a concert, featuring a selection of local and international talent. But by the time the American singer Brandy Norwood took to the stage, there was - if word from the ground is accurate - barely anyone left. One South African singer wrote:

@SizweDhlomo it was late. People didn't know there was a concert after the games. No one knew Brandy was around. Maybe a 40 people audience

— Kabomo (@Kabomo) August 17, 2013

After a pair of songs, the frustrated singer is said to have left the stage and the three dozen-strong crowd that had stuck around to see her performance.

It’s been a good decade and a half since Brandy featured in the Irish charts with songs such as What About Us?, but she has continued to release albums (as well as featuring in several reality TV shows and maintaining an acting career). According to The Guardian, Brandy still enjoys a sizeable fanbase in Africa - it seems the empty stadium was a result of poor organisation and promotion as opposed to any indication of Brandy’s diminished popularity in South Africa.

Neither the singer nor the event organisers have commented on the reports, with information filtering out through the handful of people that are said to have attended the closing act (even the TV crew filming proceedings are said to have left prematurely). Whatever the truth behind the situation, the headline artist will probably be more prominently displayed on the posters for the second annual Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day. It seems especially unlikely Brandy will be back for the 2014 event.

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)