Baloyi continued to post about the deejay during their court appearance a week ago. Photo: Darren Stewart
The case was brought to the same court by Raphala in November after he claimed that Baloyi made defamatory allegations against him on Twitter, accusing him of unduly benefiting from government tenders because of his romantic relationship with Athi Geleba, who works as head of digital communications in the Presidency.
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Baloyi’s social media rant came just a few days after the then minister of tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, hosted a “ministerial cook-off” at Raphala’s Tembisa restaurant Hang Awt, where media personality Somizi Mhlongo was also booked as a guest in May 2021.
“Fix your corruption … Tembisa is a shit hole, and you can’t even call out the local government for the lack of service delivery because you benefit while our family members in Tembisa live in squalor.” Baloyi posted:
He continued: “Khusela Diko was fired for allowing her husband to win PPE tenders and he later died from Covid-19. Athi’s toy boy will cost her.”
Raphala initially sent a letter of demand to Baloyi in May 2021 after the post, stating that the former artist manager’s words were wrongful and defamatory, and demanding an apology. He also asked Baloyi to remove and retract the statements and pay him R500 000.
After failing to retract the post, Raphala then approached the court in November.
Baloyi responded by filing a plea, asking the court to dismiss the application stating that he posted the comments because it was in the public’s interest.
Baloyi continued to post about the deejay during their court appearance a week ago.
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In a post directed at the star, Baloyi said: “I was in court with Shimza the whole week. Not once did his mother come to support him.
It made me so sad, and I asked my dad to come for his lawyers’ closing arguments. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t know if the best DJ in South Africa had a present father to love and support him.”
Baloyi also went as far as taking a jab at Raphala in an aftermath of a service delivery protest in Tembisa, which took the lives of four people.
Commenting on a picture of Raphala at court, Baloyi said: “Four people have lost their lives in the service delivery protests that started on August 1 in Shimza’s native Tembisa and he is cracking jokes on the timeline instead of sending condolences.”
Raphala, who is on his way to the UK for a world tour, will not be in court when the judgment is handed down.
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