Musician Simphiwe Dana demands an apology from Minister of Sports, Art and Culture Gayton Mckenzie for the COVID-19 relief saga.
Within a few months of being appointed as minister, Gayton has made it his duty to do the citizens of South Africa right, where in recent posts he exposed all celebrities and people who benefitted from the COVID-19 relief money set aside for those struggling artists during that time.
According to entertainment publication, ZiMoja, Simphiwe wants the Minister of Sports to apologise to her after realising the list of beneficiaries with her name on it.
Taking to her Facebook page she wrote, “Gayton refusing to apologise for accusing me of taking 20k from artists who needed it is annoying me to no end. I don’t know why Titi put my name in her application and I’m thinking of taking it further.”
The above-mentioned source also reported that Titi was her music director who used Simphiwe’s details to get R20k from the fund. Simphiwe isn’t the only celebrity or public figure to be implicated on the list as Limpopo musician Makhadzi defended herself from the claims that she also received money.
She further explained on the platform that she did not benefit anything during the pandemic, adding that, she is looking into the issue with Titi using her details without her consent.
“The problem is that my brand is affected because people suppose I used government funds when there were qualified people who needed them. Also, he put the whole thing in an accusatory manner. As an activist, this annoys me greatly. I may let it go. But I need to know why my email was claimed to be in it.”
Speaking to the entertainment publication on the issue, Department of Arts and Culture spokesperson Zimasa Velaphi stated that Simphiwe had to lodge a formal complaint for the matter to be investigated.
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