MBABANE – Local young content creators clash with travel agency Time To Shine.
A trip to Mozambique organised by Mvelase Mthembu, the Founder and Director of the travel agency Time To Shine, ended in a major public feud with a group of well-known content creators, who are also actively promoting the upcoming Kota Festival, these including Takirra, Gugulethu, LaMngometulu, Usweet Girl, Snakies and Mzwandile. What was supposed to be a fun promotional trip quickly turned into a messy scandal involving public accusations and legal action.
The conflict began with different expectations regarding the agreement. Time To Shine reached out to the content creators via TikTok to help market the trips with the recent one being to Mozambique, scheduled from Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 11. According to both sides, Mthembu agreed to pay for their travel fees, accommodation and daily breakfast in exchange for promotional videos and posts. However, problems started almost immediately over the quality of these services.
The influencers complained about the breakfast provided, specifically mentioning that they were served cheap juice. One of the content creators went to the extent of taking a video showing the breakfast, which included the juice to prove her point. In contrast, Mthembu defended himself by explaining that he had bought Squash juice similar to Oros.
He also claimed that the content creators had unreasonable expectations and wanted him to buy them alcoholic beverages throughout the trip. “They were supposed to be grateful with what they had received, I am not their father to take care of everything,’’ he said. Beyond the complaints about food, the content creators alleged that the trip was poorly organised. They claimed that promised activities, such as horseback riding and quad biking, were never booked in advance.
Instead, they alleged that they saw Mthembu trying to negotiate prices with local vendors at the venue. When the creators confronted him about these issues, they alleged that he raised his voice and became angry. They alleged that at one point Mthembu threatened to leave the group behind at the accommodation and take separate transport back to Eswatini, though creator Mzwandile managed to stop him. Additionally, a planned night out at a club on Saturday evening was cancelled after Mthembu allegedly called a meeting to inform them he would not be attending.
The influencers mentioned that the highlight of their trip was actually the tour driver, who bought them meat and beverages for a braai. On the other hand Mthembu strongly defended his actions and accused the content creators of behaving irresponsibly in a foreign country. He stated that as the tour leader, he was responsible for their safety, but the group made his job very difficult. Mthembu claimed that the creators got intoxicated, vomiting in vehicles and entering cars belonging to strangers.
He also argued with one of the girls after finding out she was carrying an illegal substance, pointing out the serious legal risks of a foreigner being caught with drugs in Mozambique. Furthermore, there was an incident where she had to climb through a window to get into the accommodation with a local man. Mthembu also claimed he had to quickly remove one of the girls from a public situation in Boane because she was acting inappropriately while intoxicated.
When he tried to correct their behaviour, he said, the creators accused him of being abusive. By the time the group returned home, the disagreement had escalated rapidly on social media. Another influencer was upset after Mthembu posted embarrassing photos of her online. This led to a heated phone argument between Mthembu and one of the girls’ boyfriends. The situation grew worse when one of them posted a video online using a Time To Shine T-shirt to wipe her sneakers and mop the floor. Furious about the video, Mthembu reshared the clip and publicly listed all the bad behaviour the group engaged in during the trip to defend his company’s reputation.
There was also a back and forth live videos on TikTok about this matter, with Mthembu and the content creators arguing on the lives.
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