Rea Gopane to Bonang – ‘She’s not getting a cent’

If Bonang Matheba thought that podcaster Rea Gopane was going to pay her after winning her defamation court case, she might be disappointed.

In May 2021, Rea made damning allegations on his YouTube channel about the presenter, alleging that “everyone” in the entertainment industry knows that Bonang “introduced AKA to cocaine”. 

The very confident Rea posted a video bragging that despite his loss in which a court ordered him to pay R300,000 for the damages he has made to Bonang’s reputation, he won’t pay a cent.

“Let me tell yall something real quick… She is not getting a cent, she’s not getting a cent from me… I’ve had this planned since last year.”

Watch Rea Gopane brag about not paying Bonang damages:

Hours after her victory last week, Bonang issued a statement welcoming the judgment by judge Petrus Malindi of the Johannesburg High Court and said the money will go to her foundation.

ALSO READ: Bonang ‘wins’ R300K, plans to leave SA again

“It is with a great deal of humility that I acknowledge and welcome the vindicating and groundbreaking ruling…  on January 27, 2022,” her statement read.

Bonang said she instituted legal action after two written requests for him to pay R500,000 in damages were ignored.

“After hearing arguments relating to the unlawful conduct of Mr Gopane the court upheld my claim for damages, and in a precedent-setting judgment, ordered that Mr Gopane pay damages in the amount of R300,000 plus the legal costs of the action.

“It is not my intention to benefit financially from the ruling, rather I wish to uplift those less fortunate than me and I will be donating the damages received to my philanthropic endeavour, the Bonang Matheba Foundation, which I established to advance the tertiary education of young women.”

Bonang said her extensive action to get justice was in the hope of teaching individuals like Rea that there are “consequences for abusing public platforms to defame and humiliate others”.

She further stated that it is important that women’s voices are used constructively to ensure that “untrue and inflammatory” statements are not tolerated.