Just as she was slapped with a fat bill for defaming DJ Fresh a few years ago, controversial poet Ntsiki Mazwai is in trouble again. This time, after making allegations about his former manager and music executive Vusi Leeuw. On Tuesday 12 December 2023, Ntsiki made several “false, malicious and defamatory” statements against music executive Vusi Leeuw on the social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter.
The accusations include that he ruined her career and manipulated her into joining his newly formed record label whereinafter he sold her music to another record label thereby cheating her out of your work. Vusi has since sought legal action, saying Ntsiki needs to remove the posts within 48 hours and apologise, publicly. Ntsiki further went on to say that Vusi was fired from his previous place of employment.
ZiMoja has seen a letter sent to Ntsiki by Vusi’s lawyers stating that the allegations are baseless statements which he believes were only mentioned in a further attempt by the poet to tarnish his credibility. The letter states that Ntsiki said, “He cheated you out of a large percentage of your earnings by pocketing more than 75% of the proceeds generated by your music sales while paying you a pittance for same.
That he absconded from his rental office leaving behind copies of your album while further implying that he breached the terms of his contractual obligations to you. 3.5.” The legal team further says, “You also tagged the Minister of Sports, arts and Culture of South Africa in the false allegations brought before our client and it is unclear whether this was a further attempt to establish some credibility and/or to bring your allegations before a wider audience. These allegations are false, malicious, and defamatory. They diminish the long-standing reputation of our client, in the entertainment industry, which he has worked tirelessly to establish in a period spanning well over twenty years.
He further states that Ntsiki intended that the statements should defame Vusi on her platform which has over 400 000 followers as she knew that the statements would be understood by the public to mean that our client is an unscrupulous businessman who cheated you out of large sums of money. “The vexatious intent of your actions was further solidified by your dissemination of a video on your Youtube platform “Moya” where you allege our client exploited you to over eleven thousand subscribers and other members of the public which may have viewed same. Our client vehemently denies all the allegations you have brought forward against him and will readily defend his name, business practice, and reputation.” Ntsiki was not available for comment.
