Unathi Nkayi's problems seem to be piling up as she reportedly gets dropped by GQ Magazine. The Idols SA judge was slated to host the upcoming Men Of The Year Awards but has allegedly been dropped by the company just days before the actual event.
The 2021 GQ Men Of The Year Awards will be taking place on November 27 at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff in Johannesburg. They decided to drop Unathi Nkayi just days before the event this Saturday.
Entertainment commentator Phil Mphela, announced that this decision was made based purely on the drama which unfolded at Kaya 959 between her and Sizwe Dhlomo, which subsequently lead to her dismissal.
REACTION: Seems unfair but from a brand perspective I understand why GQ would want to distance itself from the current storm around Unathi.
When it rains … hey.
And, though Idols will be renewed for season 18, there is no guarantee all judges will be rehired.
With Idols SA returning for yet another season, Phil expressed concern as to whether or not Unathi Nkayi will be allowed back.
When Kaya 959 dropped Unathi Nkayi, they did not divulge much about her dismissal. They only mentioned that their working relationship had been strained and tainted by mistrust.
"Ms. Nkayi’s contract has ended prematurely due to certain conduct that rendered the relationship intolerable going forward. Kaya 959 can confirm that certain incidents had occurred, which resulted in the breakdown of the trust relationship between the two parties.
"The business can further confirm that due process was followed and the decision was therefore made to part ways with Ms. Nkayi," reads a part of their statement.
The company suggests that they had a conversation about this and this was the best solution going forward, "The station would prefer not to be drawn into a debate around the details of what transpired in the interest of both parties. Safe to state that Ms. Nkayi’s version of events have been carefully considered and unfortunately found wanting."
After days of speculation as to what lead to this decision, it was revealed that it was due to false allegations of gender based violence that she allegedly made against colleague Sizwe Dhlomo.
A source told City Press that Unathi had claimed that Sizwe verbally abused her leaving her afraid. All of this allegedly happened because Sizwe got to the studio late, and Unathi got frustrated and started a verbal altercation.
A recording of their fight got brought to light and during a disciplinary hearing, it was found that Sizwe was actually innocent.
During a Twitter QnA, Sizwe Dhlomo told his side of the story and expressed how disappointed he was because Unathi is the reason he got the job at Kaya in the first place.
"Well, verbal abuse is a very serious allegation so I believe I would have been fired but more importantly, my reputation would have been in tatters. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to hear her side of the story but like I said, the City Press article is mostly true," he said.
A follower accused Sizwe of setting Unathi up but he defended himself by saying, "So how do I set something up in a studio that she was occupying for three hours prior to me walking in? Tell me that. Also, I didn’t take the matter to HR, she did. I wouldn’t have even commented publicly if this thing hadn’t leaked but here we are now."
Sizwe said he warned Unathi not to escalate things by going to HR but she insisted, "I’m not feeling anything, I’m answering questions & since you ask, I actually did tell her on email that going to HR would be a mistake but she insisted. I’ve got records of everything I have said here today. Kaya can back it up too & if I’m lying, then challenge me."
