One of the Mzansi’s favourite radio and TV personality Bonang Matheba is coming for everyone who’s messed with her reputation and brand as she has taken legal action against Podcaster and Youtuber Rea Gopane who defamed her reputation by suggesting that she introduced AKA to drug.
Queen B’s name has been dragged through the mud several times and this time she is spitting fire with a lawsuit from her lawyers.
Rea Gopane is a Youtuber who is one half of ‘The Rea and Black Step Podcast’ and on the 9th of May he made defaming accusations about AKA and Bonang on the channel. Rea mentioned, during their conversation about AKA and his late fiancé Anele ‘Nelli’ Tembe, that TV and radio host Siyabonga ‘Scoop’ Ngwekazi had told them that AKA is on cocaine, and he was introduced to the drugs by Bonang Matheba.
With Nelli’s father, Moses Tembe, having mentioned drugs and alcohol as some contributing factors to her death during her memorial service, Rea went on to link that speech to the information he claims Scoop had told him and his fellow host after one of their episodes.
“Scoop told us that AKA is on coke, and Bonang is the one that got him into cocaine. Scoop told us that, bro, after the interview we had him right here at this place,” Rea had said to his co host.
These damning accusations were regarded as “defamatory and hurtful” in the letter of demand that Bonang served Rea on social media.
The lawsuit from Thompson Wilks Inc starts off by mentioning that it is regrettable that Rea is served on social media, but there is no other way of going about the matter as he had been ignoring Bonang’s and her team’s calls when they contacted him privately.
Prior to posting the letter on social media, Bonang had asked her followers to help her find Rea’s email address.
“…..does anyone have Rea Gopane’s email address???” she had written in a tweet. When Rea was tagged, the media personality asked, “Hi darling.. why are you running?” That was followed by another tweet, “Give us your email address & stop being a coward!”
does anyone have Rea Gopane’s email address???— Bonang Matheba
When he finally tweeted, subbing Bonang by saying “Hebann. I just cannot believe this woman right now,” she caught her sub.
Realizing that the jig was up, the Youtuber tried to worm his way out of the lawsuit by buttering Bonang up
“You have my number. I love you and appreciate you. You inspire me. Take care.” But she wasn’t having it
After several hours of waiting, Bonang posted the letter to her Twitter, which read in part:
“On Sunday 9 May 2021 you falsely and unlawfully accused Bonang Matheba in a widely published video clip of, inter alia, having introduced AKA (Kieman Jarryd Forbes) to cocaine. In the context of what was being discussed in the video clip this defamatory allegation was exacerbated by the shocking insinuation that the death of AKA’s girlfriend Anele (Nellie) Tembe was due to AKA’s alleged use of cocaine.
“The allegations were defamatory, hurtful and were deliberately intended to humiliate my client and undermine her reputation. The allegations are also, to your knowledge, false. Your false utterances are compounded by the fact that at the time of making them on a public platform, you knew full well that these utterances would be widely viewed given my client’s high public profile.”
The letter also reveals that Bonang’s lawyers contacted Rea to get him to retract his statement by apologising publicly and unreservedly on the 9th of May, however he failed to do.
According to the letter, Rea is to provide an immediate apology and unconditional retraction, which should be in writing and published on his various video platforms including You Tube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. He is also required to put in writing that he will refrain from making any further false, defamatory or hurtful statements about or concerning Bonang. His deadline is Monday, 17 May before 4PM.
It does not end there. Rea is also required to pay half million (R500 000) in damages.
“To this end, I am instructed to demand from you, payment of the sum of R500,000 within 10 days. Should this sum not be paid within the time prescribed, I have instructions to issue summons without further notice to you.”