Somizi Mhlongo has asked to be taken off air following allegations of domestic abuse against him by his estranged husband, Mohale Motaung.
In a shocking audio interview obtained by Sunday World, Mohale Motaung accused his husband, Idols SA judge Somizi Mhlongo, of physical abuse.
The leaked audio clips are an interview between Mohale and the producers of Living the Dream with Somizi. The audios are 9:42 minutes and 42:14 minutes respectively and you can listen to them in full here.
In the interview, Somizi allegedly sabotaged Mohale working with Connie and the late Shona Ferguson.
Also, Mohale recalled a situation where he had lied about doing an influencer campaign, and Somizi Mhlongo beat him up. This resulted in the ribs and broken teeth that circulated media headlines a few days ago.
Because of these allegations there has been growing calls by social media users for actions to be taken against Somizi. They argued that media personality should be treated the same way that other public figures, such as DJ Fresh and Katlego Maboe. These two were immediately taken off air over abuse allegations.
Socail media user’s anger was propelled by the fact that on Somizi’s show, which he co-hosts with Dineo Ranaka on Metro FM, there’s a segment called Ask A Man. In this segment, listeners call in asking for relationship advice.
Most people feel that Somizi should not be offering advice when he has his own problems to deal with.
Was Somizi’s Request Accepted?
After a meeting with Metro FM management and the SABC, the public broadcaster has granted his request for time off and is distancing itself from the allegations.
“The SABC can confirm that Metro FM management did meet with Mr Somizi Mhlongo, and he has requested time off from work and that permission has been granted for him to be off work. We did note the comments on social media about Mr Mhlongo, and we would like to point out that the public service broadcaster does not condone any acts of abuse, and of violence,” said SABC’s corporate affairs and marketing executive, Gugu Ntuli.
Will He Remain as an Idols SA Judge?
Somizi’s participation as an Idols SA judge on M-Net’s Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel has become uncertain following the serious nature of the allegations.
MultiChoice on Tuesday told Channel24 in a statement in response to a media enquiry: “We are aware of the allegations made against Somizi Mhlongo. As a strong proponent of a violence-free South Africa, we view these allegations seriously and are giving them the attention they deserve”.
Somizi and Mohale were married in a traditional wedding on 28 September 2019. This was later followed by a white wedding on 30 January 2020.
The allegations comes after months of Somizi and Mohale denying rumours that their marriage is on the rocks.