Update: Bonang gets her apology but still wants the 500k

Bonang Matheba has received the apology she demanded from podcaster Rea Gopane.

Gopane made damning allegations about the media personality that she introduced musician AKA to cocaine. Bonang sent a legal letter to Gopane on Sunday demanding he apologise by Monday (17 May) at 4pm.

The apology came with Gopane also releasing a video apologising to AKA and Scoop Makhathini. Gopane says he has “learnt from this mistake”.

Bonang was happy with the apology but did not take it lightly when people thought she was bullying the young man. Gopane is a rising star and 22 years old. Some people thought Bonang’s actions were too harsh and she was acting like a bully.

She responded: “I’ve dealt with heads of states darling…..a 22-year-old thinks this is a game?! Not on my watch. Not anymore!”

Bonang added the allegations were hurtful and not funny at all.

In the letter Bonang also demanded R500,000 in damages within 10 days. She still wants that money.

Gopane’s apology may have not be genuine, because hours later he tweeted and then deleted: “ITS KNOWN!”

Bonang was not impressed.

Bonang’s name has been dragged in the mud in the AKA and Anele Nellie Tembe saga. The claim she introduced AKA to drugs started circulating online once again on Sunday.

Gopane alleged on his podcast The Rea & Blvck Steph Podcast that Bonang was the one who introduced AKA to cocaine and that “Scoop told us that”.  The clip has been widely circulated since 9 May. Siyabonga Ngwekazi, known as Scoop Makhathini, appeared on the podcast and made the allegation.

Gopane further alleges it “is known that AKA is into hard drugs”. Co-host Steph denied the veracity of the claims, saying these were pure accusations.

Bonang and AKA dated for about two years from 2016 to 2018. The claims of drug use are not new and have been reported in the past, but Bonang is having none of it.

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She has sent a defamation proceeding letter, against Gopane by her attorney Thomas Wilks.

“In the context of what is being discussed in the video clip, this defamatory allegation was exacerbated by the shocking insinuation that the death of AKA’s girlfriend Anele (Nellie) Tembe was due to AKA’s alleged use of cocaine,” says the letter.

Wilks says the allegation was defamatory “intended to humiliate” Bonang and her reputation, adding that the allegations are false. Bonang said she contacted Gopane when the video was first released and gave him the opportunity to retract his statements and apologise.

“You expressly undertook to do so on the same day,” says Bonang about her interactions with Gopane who apparently did not fulfil his promise. Bonang claims Gopane instead “went into public hiding” and didn’t respond to her calls or messages.

Read the full legal letter below:

Gopane could not believe Bonang went to this length. He responded: “Hebann. I just cannot believe this woman right now.”