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AfrikaBurn 2020 cancelled

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Afrikaburn festival. (Photo: Sarah Duff)
Afrikaburn festival. (Photo: Sarah Duff)

South Africa's answer to Burning Man, Afrika Burn will not be taking place this year, due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus. The event organisers released a statement on Friday expressing their 'heartbreak' at the cancellation.

They also stated that refunds will not be issued at this time.

Afrika Burn was scheduled to take place from 27 April until 3 May in Tankwa in the Karoo.

The statement said in part: "...with the principle of Civic Responsibility in mind, and as a precautionary measure in light of the unfolding coronavirus situation, and in consultation with the relevant authorities, we've had to make the tough decision that the best course of action would be to hold off on our 2020 event."

They added about refunds: "Though the terms and conditions on our website and the ticket sales page for our event states that we do not offer refunds, our team is investigating all avenues that could make it possible to provide reimbursements. We have instructed our ticketing provider, Quicket, to hold this position and not issue refunds until we know more."

As to why they won't be issuing refunds the organisers said: "This means that the costs cannot be reclaimed, and this, in turn, informs our usual position on ticket refunds. We have begun a consultation with our event cancellation insurance provider to find out what claim we have in respect of funds being returned."

READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE:

Other global events such as SXSW and the F1 Grand Prix in Australia has been cancelled in the wake of the pandemic.

Music Festival Coachella has been moved to October, and various talk shows in America are now filming without audiences to encourage social isolation.

According to News24, there are now 24 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in South Africa (at the time of reporting.)

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