What would motivate someone to fake a lavish lifestyle that they can’t afford in reality, or fake having a problem? Is it peer pressure to live up to a certain standard? Perhaps it's the desire to be perceived a certain way? Or is it people just trying to be more than they really are at the moment? Fake it till you make it, they say.
Well, whatever the reason, we guess some of our own Mzansi celebs would be able to tell us the answer, as they were accused of living a fake life, be it moneywise, or in other ways.
Here is a list of ZAlebs who were accused of faking their lifestyles.
DJ Sbu
Dj Sbu is undoubtedly one of Mzansi’s foremost hustlers. Seriously, it’s almost like there’s nothing the man cannot do. From his energy drink, to his published books, to his other businesses, it is no wonder he is loaded!
Which is why it makes no sense that he would fake a Forbes Magazine cover. In 2015, an issue of the renowned magazine, which celebrates the richest people in the world and tells their stories, did the rounds of social media. The DJ was on the cover of the magazine, with the headline “Mofaya Made In Africa; Beverages From Africa and Produced In Africa”.
Image credit: ZAlebs
It wasn’t long before the institution came forth with a statement announcing that they knew nothing of the cover that was circulating, and released the real cover of that issue, featuring then Twitter CEO, Dick Costolo.
It can be very embarrassing to be caught wearing a fake designer brand, usually because it’s not that hard to verify a collection from a designer brand, as they are found online. Even so, to the unseasoned eye, mimicry can look close enough to the real thing to avoid detection.
Which is why an Instagram page, Fake Gucci Community, has dedicated its time to exposing celebrities wearing fake Gucci items. Actress Omuhle Gela was one of its early casualties, as a Gucci bucket hat in one of her pictures was exposed as fake.
She never responded to the claims, but they were enough to hurt how people see her. Do you think she knew it was fake when she bought it? I mean, these knockoffs are really doing the most nowadays, you know?
He hosted a show called Fake It Till You Make It, but nobody ever thought Lasizwe Dambuza would actually take the title to heart. Towards the end of 2021, the comedian opened up about struggling with depression and needing a little extra help to manage it, which he said as he checked himself into a mental health hospital.
However, just a few days later, he was seen partying up a storm in Sun City, and it was not inside the facility. Tweeps were enraged as they descended on him, accusing him of faking his depression. They could not imagine that he left the facility so soon, and it made no sense to them that a mental health institution would let patients out for a day to go to a party.
He apologised saying the video was posted after he had left the facility, and took responsibility for not updating his fans on his condition. He reiterated that none of it was fake, and he was only out because his psychiatrist cleared him to return to the world and do what he loves. And we are so glad that he is doing better.
Mzansi has seen few divorces as dramatic as that between actress Enhle Mbali and DJ Black Coffee. While the two dragged each other in and out of court, the rumours mounted, and Enhle was alleged to have gone broke without the DJ, to the point of being unable to afford her electricity bill.
At the time, City Press reported that the actress and her family had gone without electricity for a week because of defaulting on her payments. But the actress and her mother came out to set the record straight and shame the publication for publishing lies about her.
Enhle said she and her kids were on vacation in Dubai when the newspaper’s reports were “stalking her house”, which explains the darkness. She and her mother shamed the reporters for “perpetuating patriarchy” by suggesting that a woman like Enhle couldn’t survive without a man.
Some didn’t buy the explanation, though, as Black Coffee too had hinted before at her brokeness. But we’ll never know the truth, will we?
This may perhaps be the strangest one yet, but not too long ago, rapper iFani was accused of faking his Twitter followers. Media personality Sizwe Dhlomo exposed him for having bots as his followers, driving up his numbers with accounts that were all fake and bought.
Why would he want to fake having many Twitter followers, you ask? Well, we couldn’t answer that either. It is well known that having many followers on social media attracts brands for marketing partnerships, so that’s a plausible explanation, but iFani is really the only one who can explain his motivations.
He never did come out to address these rumours, though, so there’s no telling whether it was all a glitch, or he really did buy bots accounts to follow him.
This one made headlines for quite some time. Cassper Nyovest, after he bought his latest most prized possession, the McLaren GT worth R4.5 Million, was accused of renting it and pretending to have bought it.
In an ensuing conversation, he was challenged by music entrepreneur Nota Baloyi, to post his bank account totals, which he obviously refused. The conclusion drawn from his response was that he is broke and living in debt to maintain a successful image, hence his hesitation.
But Cassper will move in his own way, and he ignored both Nota and an Instagram page purporting to be the dealership that rented out the car to him. The allegations have never surfaced again, so that may be a hint to their validity.
If you’re considering buying knockoff things or faking a lifestyle, remember, those who care don’t matter, and those who matter don’t care. It’s your money, you are allowed to be broke in peace. Don’t go into debt or stress yourself trying to impress people who don’t even know you in person, okay?
