Yesterday, rumours of Minnie Dlamini cheating on her estranged husband Quinton Jones surfaced, claiming the media personality had been involved with tenderpreneur Edwin Sodi for a few months during her four-year marriage to Jones. Known for spoiling female celebrities and influencers with luxury gifts and private jet lifestyles, Edwin Sodi was said to have blessed Kefilwe Mabote, Thuli Phongolo, Mihlali Ndamase and plenty more. It's probably a mystery to you, but who is Edwin, and how many celebrities has he teed up with?
The former Rockville actress and presenter of Supersport’s Homeground released an official joint statement on Instagram a few weeks ago after separating from Jones announcing that they had filed for divorce following “post-traumatic distress of their individual losses that outweighed their wills.” The former couple who has a son named Netha together confirmed that they would still be supportive of each other, remain business partners and be healthy co-parents to their son even apart.
Rumour has it Edwin Sodi and Minnie Dlamini kept their spark alight whilst Dlamini-Jones was married. It is also said, that his private jet was put to good use entertaining Minnie Dlamini and her friends. pic.twitter.com/uzNoAOk83X
Yesterday, Edwin started to trend when Musa Khawula reported that he had been involved with Minnie Dlamini during her marriage. The entertainment commentator tweeted, “Rumour has it Edwin Sodi and Minnie Dlamini kept their spark alight whilst Dlamini-Jones was married. It is also said that his private jet was put to good use entertaining Minnie Dlamini and her friends.”
Soon after the viral tweet, Musa also shared a list of other celebs and influencers that the tenderpreneurs had been with and other users also weighed in on what they knew about Edwin’s past affairs. He also alleged that Thuli Phongolo, Lizelle Tabane, Mihlali Ndamase, Kefilwe Mabote, Matsatsi Rampa (Jub Jub’s girlfriend), Karen Zulu, Disebo Makatsa (DJ Sbu’s ex), Kat Ncala and more had been on Sodi’s “hit list.”
Who is Edwin Sodi?
Edwin is a property developer from Gauteng who gained notoriety and wealth from being a tender beneficiary of the ANC. As reported by Newzroom Afrika, Sodi acquired the asbestos roof tender in the Free State, with the responsibility to monitor houses with asbestos roofs and report back to the department of housing. Instead, the tenderpreneur, together with other HODs in the province marked up the project initially estimated to cost around R18 Million to a whopping sum of over R500 Million and then later to over R1 billion. These funds were distributed among their personal accounts, with a percentage going to luxury vehicles, apartments, and holidays.
Sodi owns a company called Blackhead Consulting that has made more than R1 Billion in turnover in 2014 and 2019. In 2020, Edwin sat for questioning at the Zondo Commission during a hearing that resulted in him and six of his colleagues being arrested for corruption and over R300 million in his assets being seized, including a Ferrari and a Bentley worth over R3 million each.
Images of influencers such as Kefilwe, Mihlali and Karen Zulu inside a house reported belonging to Edwin circulated Twitter along with Minnie Dlamini’s pictures in a private jet that’s also said to be Sodi’s.
Twitter users have since been sharing their many opinions about the businessman and him funding Instagram influencers. Some are celebrating him for living out his wild fantasies while others have continued to put him to shame with claims that he used tax payer’s money to spoil the said women. A user named Hlonipha tweeted, “Edwin Sodi funded these Instagram huns’ luxury lifestyles with our taxes but the main topic here is ubuf*be.”
Popular Twitter parody account, Man’s Not Barry Roux also shared, “Edwin Sodi is the tenderpreneur who ruined DJ Sbu’s relationship and idol’s presenter Proverb’s marriage. Remember when Proverb’s wife cried wanting to go with this guy to Dubai in front of her husband ko OR Tambo? It was Sodi.”
Edwin Sodi is the tenderpreneur who ruined DJ Sbu's relationship and idol's presenter Proverb's marriage. Remember when Proverb's wife cried wanting to go with this guy to Dubai infront of her husband ko OR TAMBO. It was Sodi.
— Man’s NOT Barry Roux (@AdvoBarryRoux) May 10, 2022
Another user highlighted all the marriages Sodi alleged fiddled in and helped destroy. He wrote, “He allegedly destroyed DJ Sbu’s relationship, Proverb’s marriage, and now he just destroyed Mr Jones and Minnie’s marriage. His name is Edwin Sodi.”
