‘I’ve never stolen a show in my life’: Legend Manqele accused of stealing (again)

TV producer and director Legend Manqele has once again had to dispute claims against him after a series of tabloid articles fingered him in some shady behaviour. 

Manqele took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to state three things: 

• He has never leaked anything to anyone or any media platform. 
• He has never stolen a show in his life. 
• He won’t give up (working, presumably). He will continue until he can’t do it anymore.

These statements were made in response to recent articles published by Sunday World. 

The publication reports that a man named Musa Buthelezi is at loggerheads with Manqele over the ownership of an upcoming reality show, starring Maskandi musician Khuzani Mpungose.

This after claims that Mpungose’s show was “hijacked from him and sold to public broadcaster SABC without his consent”.

KwaZulu-Natal-based producer Buthelezi told the publication that he and his colleague Thuli Zulu met Mpungose in Umhlanga, north of Durban, in 2017 to seek his permission to film a reality show titled Khuzani: The Maskandi King.

He listed a series of meetings and signed documents to this effect. 

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Buthelezi then contacted MultiChoice about the show and was invited to make a presentation to them. 

He told Sunday World that he was shocked to see SABC1 promoting the show produced by Manqele’s company, BarLeader TV, and added that he was seeking legal action. 

Mpungose’s manager Mthokozisi Zuma, however, said though Buthelezi was the first to approach them with the show concept, they later worked with Manqele because Buthelezi failed to meet the deadlines they gave him to produce it. 

“I did not even know that the guy you are talking about was working on the show with Khuzani, but then again you can’t claim an IP [intellectual property] on a reality show,” added Manqele in his initial response to the publication.

Despite this, the publication subsequently published two shwashwi articles titled Does Legend Manqele produce anything original?, dated 25 September, and Hook up for Simz Ngema? Legend Manqele must do something.

The articles were published practically two weeks after Manqele’s initial denial of Buthelezi’s claims, which were backed by Mpungose’s manager. 

Last year, a man named Hastings Moeng claimed the show Dinner At Somizi’s was originally his idea and instituted legal action against Somizi Mhlongo and Manqele ended up embroiled in the saga as the producer of the show.

The matter remains unresolved as the discussions between Moeng and MultiChoice, as well as all those involved, have not been made public. 

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