South Africa: The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Government is regrettably forced to respond to the false rumours being spread in social media regarding its financial support to the send-off for Kwaito and Gqom star Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo over the past weekend.
The regret arises from the fact that the family is still in a mourning period, and in line with UBUNTU, this period requires support and respect for the family as they come to terms with the loss of their son.
However, as a transparent and accountable government, KwaZulu-Natal wishes to clarify that the support provided by the provincial government to the bereaved families did not exceed R220 000.
The Office of the Premier contributed R170,000, and the KZN Department of Sport Arts and Culture contributed R50,000. There is simply no truth to the insinuation that the Province may have used R50m.
Fortunately, this statement which was meant for confusion purposes, has also been rejected outright as fake news by former Premier High Commissioner Sbusiso Ndebele, in whose name it was allegedly issued.
We welcome the statement from former Premier Ndebele, which settles the matter once and for all. This was clearly the work of wedge drivers who wanted to sow division between the ANC, the government on the one hand, and artists and society on the other, for their own nefarious intentions.
KwaZulu Natal appeal to the public to be circumspect and not to abuse the power of social media by spreading false information.
Similarly, they also urge the people of the region not to take everything seriously that is published on social media at face value. There are credible and reputable sources of news and media houses that are obliged to subject their news content to professional and ethical checks and balances and can be held accountable.
For the record, the KZN government has, over many years, been supporting artists in KZN, including Big NUZ and many others. There is demonstrable evidence for this fact. This reality has been attested to by the artists themselves on various platforms.