Founding member of the South African Men’s Forum, Mbuyiselo Botha, says he believes Gqom musician, Mandla Maphumulo known as Mampintsha, is attempting to divert public attention away from himself by claiming that his musician girlfriend had assaulted him previously.
Mampintsha was arrested for allegedly beating Babes Wodumo, whose real name is Bongekile Simelane.
He appeared before the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court and was released on R2000 bail. A video, that shows him allegedly assaulting her, has gone viral.
Mampintsha thereafter claimed that he was attacked countless times by his girlfriend whom he accuses of struggling with alcohol use and says she had provoked him.
Botha has questioned why Mampintsha never reported this to the police.
“I think the strategy is to move the attention away so that we begin to discuss what does not even exist. The attention is no more on him, he did this because she did this first, as if that justifies or rationalises why he beat her up. Why did he not report this matter to the police if this was happening? Why now? Why wait until everybody has seen your violent action? Is it because you want sympathy?” asks Botha.
Pat Magwaza, Mampintsha’s lawyer, says Mampintsha had told him that he acted out of self-defence.
“The charges have been laid and they were completed yesterday. The confusion was that when he went to the police station in the morning yesterday, while he was in the process of doing everything there was a task team from the SAPS who interrupted the process. They arrested him and they could not finish what he was doing at the time. He was arrested and taken to court on the spot. After that, he was released and he went to the police station and completed what he started. So charges have been laid and everything was finalised yesterday.”
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