Thabo Mnguni's character in the hit SABC 1 drama series Uzalo, Mr Mbatha, has him dominating headlines which seek to paint him as a sexual abuser in his personal life. Mbatha who on the show is a sexual predator who preys on young church members, ever since taking over the reigns as the pastor at Kwa Mashu Kindom Church, has had allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual abuse leveled against him.
Uzalo has issued out a statement which addresses these allegations and made it clear that their cast member is not a sexual offender in his personal life. He only plays an abusive character on screen.
In the statement they urged his supporters to also spread the word and falsify such damning claims.
"The talented Thabo Mnguni who plays Mr Mbatha has been the subject of numerous media headlines and stories tainting his professional and private image. While Uzalo has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to workplace misconduct.
"We just as strongly condemn media’s irresponsible behaviour in creating clickbait with false headlines. Thabo Mnguni’s character on uzalo is currently involved in some unscrupulous activities including a sexual abuse scandal.
"This is a fictitious storyline unrelated to his personal life. Uzalo is very passionate in presenting stories that keep its viewers aware of the many topical sociopolitical issues we face as South Africans. Uzalo continues to endure misleading and distorted write ups defaming their characters in light of this.
"We call upon our valued fans to assist us in stopping the spread of such stories. Analyze all news, identify and make note of any media biases. Critically challenge the accuracy of the content reputable sources – choose well established and trusted news publications read news, not opinion. Be vigilant of clickbait content. Verify content seek balance, accuracy!" the statement reads.
The show highlighted that they use their characters to tell stories that are happening in the country to shed light on their importance. Catch Mnguni in action.
Sexual misconduct allegations against senior actors is not new. Mangaliso Ngema has also faced the music but he still appeared on the television screens. Actress Lorraine Moropa who also stars in Lithapo last week, took to social media to allege that a senior male colleague had sexually harassed her in the statement she did not mention the actor by name.
In a lengthy post the 23-year-old detailed how the male undresses her, by the way, he looks at her and grabs their genitals on set whilst looking at her ass and laughs this off in the presence of colleagues. He has since been fired from the show.
