Sonia Mbele wins TV award after tax evasion fine

After reportedly signing an admission of guilt and paying the applicable fee, actress Sonia Mbele had reason to smile when her show The Real Housewives of Johannesburg (RHOJ) won the Best Non Scripted Series at the National Film and TV Awards this past weekend.

Last month Mbele missed court twice, after she was expected to appear at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court together with Yolisa Gqunta and Rebone Sesing for contravening the Tax Administration Act. The three are directors of a company named Real Housewives of South Africa (Pty) Ltd.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) gave the former Generations actress a final chance and she took it up as she reportedly appeared in court last Thursday.

Prosecutor Kamohelo Selepe said all charges against the three were withdrawn after Mbele reportedly signed an admission of guilt and paid the applicable fee of R41 000.

NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane had not responded to The Citizen’s request for comment at the time of publishing.

ALSO READ: Court grants Sonia Mbele last chance after another no-show

A winner

“My first night out in a while and it was completely worth it. Thank you to the NFTA awards for recognising the work, blood, tears, sweat and effort SMF put into RHOJ. Winning the ‘Best Non Scripted Series for 2023’ is the validation we needed,” the actress said after her win over the weekend on her Instagram.

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A post shared by Sonia Mbele (@thee_sonia)

The National Film Academy with a rich history of 25 years is one of the world’s largest film and TV academies, boasting more than 7.5 million members globally.

As the driving force behind esteemed awards such as the National Film Awards UK, National Film & TV Awards USA, and National Reality Television Awards, the Academy has today announced the launch of the annual National Film and TV Awards here in South Africa. The South African annual version of the NFTA took place at the Opera Theatre, in Pretoria on Saturday.

What a night to remember for the entire KINGS OF JOBURG franchise FAMILY! Season 2 took home the “BEST TV DRAMA SERIES 2023” award at the “National Film & TV Awards South Africa” last night.#TheShoGoesOn #Netflix #ExecutiveProducer #Showrunner pic.twitter.com/cO3ulwDCkZ

— samaddavis (@samaddavis) October 22, 2023

Some of the night’s winners included Wiseman Mncube, who took the Best Actor in a TV series for his portrayal of King Zwide kaLanga on Shaka iLembe.

Zari Hassan, who is the host of Netflix’s Young, Famous & African, won the Best Female TV Personality for her role on the show and the show itself won the Best Entertainment Show gong.

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