Ntsiki Mazwai refutes rape allegations as DJ Euphonik demands apology

Poet and activist Ntsiki Mazwai has moved to dispel online claims that she accused anyone of rape, after renewed public comments by DJ Euphonik, real name Themba Nkosi.

In a short video statement posted to social media, Mazwai said the circulating allegations were false and reiterated that she has never directly accused Euphonik, or anyone else, of rape.

She also said several tweets that led to lawsuits in her name were not authored by her and that the court actions do not stem from accusations she personally made.

“I have been made aware of the video circulating. I won't be long; I am just going to keep it short and sweet. I have never falsely accused anyone of rape. All the lawsuits that I have under my name, Ntsiki Mazwai, were tweets that I was not the original author of. This information you can verify. I was not the author of any of the tweets that I have been sued for. As a result, the allegations do not come directly from me. Once I get my businesses off, I will be able to pay the full amount. And that is what I have been ordered to do. I have also been ordered not to speak about the person; as you have seen for the past five years, I have respected the court order.”

“Where is the digital footprint of me calling him a rapist? Where is the tweet? Would it not have trended? Wake up, South Africa, and see this for what it is!” said Mazwai on another post.

She added that she has respected a court order preventing her from speaking about the matter for the past five years and that she intends to settle outstanding legal judgments once her business affairs allow.

The latest flare-up follows comments by Euphonik during an interview on Gagasi FM.

The dispute between Mazwai and Euphonik stretches back several years and has also involved DJ Fresh; both DJs have denied any wrongdoing in the past.

Euphonik said he repeatedly asked Mazwai to apologise and warned that failure to do so could result in further legal and financial consequences.

“Ntsiki Mazwai, we went through that whole thing, and we’ve asked her so many times to apologise. She has lost three or four cases with us, and she just does not want to apologise,” he said.

“All I said is, if she apologises on the same platforms where she made the claims and leaves it up for 30 days, that’s all it takes. If not, I’ll have to take it the whole nine yards; by the time I’m done, she won’t have a bank account. All she needs to do is apologise and say, ‘Hey Euphonic and Fresh, I’m sorry,’ on Instagram or Twitter.”

anita.nkonki@inl.co.za

Saturday Star