Singer, actress and sangoma - Letoya Makhene-Pulumo. Picture: Instagram
Actress and well-known sangoma Letoya Makhene-Pulumo addressed claims that she had been running a crypto-currency and bitcoin investment scheme scam and vehemently denied any involvement therein.
“I do not do bitcoin!” read the caption of the live stream video which was later shared on her Instagram profile.
The video was shared in response to a recent IOL article titled “Free State man loses R200K, car to Letoya Makhene’s Bitcoin investment scam”.
The article claimed that a man by the name of Tanki Mathubanyane “was forced to dig into his savings after he was approached by the actress under an alias of Zanele Mpande”.
The actress said she did not initially take the claims seriously because she is “so deep in dlozi work” and as a result, the things that happen in the world around her aren’t that serious to her. She also said she initially ignored the claims made about her because they were initially published in a gossip column before being published on IOL.
Letoya said that her work as a sangoma keeps her so busy that she has no time to invest in bitcoin and cryptocurrency.
She poked holes in the allegations levelled against her because she found it ridiculous that a person would believe that she would ask to be referred to by a different name (as claimed in the article).
Mathubanyane told The Star (IOL) that he thought he would soon make his dreams come true after learning about this investment scheme.
He insists that the actress insisted on being referred to as Zanele Mpande (a name she allegedly introduced herself as on social media).
Mathubanyane also says he initially ignored Mpande’s attempts to get in touch with him but somehow ended up on a video call with this person who looked like Letoya but insisted on being called Zanele.
After being convinced by the video call, he began with an initial investment of R3 000 which, according to him, has now left him R200 000 in the hole.
Responding to the article, Letoya denied speaking to the author of the IOL article who had included a statement attributed to her.
“This is a smear campaign of some sort and I’m starting to think that it has to do with my work as a sangoma.”
She explained that she had been in touch with IOL and said they were “confused” about what is going on.
Letoya demanded to speak to the man levelling allegations against her and the journalist who compiled the article because she would like to get to the bottom of what is happening.
“I am going to give you a business line that my PA is in charge of and I am going to expect a call because I want to know for sure what is happening.”
She requested proof of the details of the people Mathubanyane spoke to and the accounts he made deposits into in order to show that she is not affiliated to any of it.
“I am not going to rest until we figure out what is going on. I am tired of people constantly bringing me under attack… I live in peace, I live a peaceful life… So I am trying to figure out how the hell I got here…” lamented Letoya.
“I do not need to go to my nduna, I do not need to go to my msamo, I am leaving this all in God’s hands,” she said, after warning people about the law of karma.
“I have verified accounts so if you are stupid enough to TikTok, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or whatever it is and you decide that you want to make a quick buck and you decide that you do not even check whether or not that account is verified, that is your problem and do not make your problem my problem.”
She then cited the various instances in which she warns her followers about fake accounts opened in her name in an effort to fleece people out of money.
Letoya later claimed that she believes the man making claims about her is not a real person.
“How do you see my face on TV so many days a week and get on a video call with someone who claims to be me…” she asks before ridiculing her accuser for not being more sceptical about the situation.
She concluded by acknowledging that the pandemic was a tough time for people, especially in relation to their finances but insisted that their financial woes were not her fault.
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