Media personality and former model Babalwa Mneno fears for her life after receiving threats following reality TV starlet Innocentia “Inno” Morolong’s claims that she is a drug dealer, a human trafficker and a prostitute.
The actress, club hostess and event planner says she has also lost lucrative contracts as a result of Morolong’s allegations.
The startling tidbits were revealed by Mneno in an application she filed in the Joburg High Court last week for an urgent interdict to bar Morolong from continuing with her elaborate charade.
In the application, which will be heard on May 7, Mneno said Morolong, who is synonymous with trolling other celebrities on social media platforms, said the controversial influencer took to TikTok and Facebook last month and published derogatory, false, unlawful, and defamatory statements about her under the topic “I want to destroy Babalwa Mneno.”
She said in the posts Morolong went on “to announce that I am a drug dealer, a human trafficker and one who recruits women for prostitution and sells them abroad”.
“This is done maliciously for her fame and personal glory, jealousy, destroying my profile, and bringing my business into a quandary to the extent that I have to lose service contracts, which I rely on to feed my family,” she stated in the application.
Mneno stated that her contracts went up in smoke as a result of Morolong’s comments because the lifespan of her deals relies heavily on credibility, legitimacy and authenticity.
“Furthermore, she organises mobs to attack me on the basis that somehow she believes I am a drug dealer and human trafficker.
“Threats to my life have become routine as a result of the unfounded allegations perpetrated by the respondent.
“I fear for my life and the lives of my loved ones, especially when I notice that the respondent is out on bail after she destroyed another media personality’s (Tebogo Thobejane) career and organised people to shoot her after she had a protection order against her,” Mneno said in her affidavit.
Morolong has also unleashed people to intimidate her with threats of violence, Mneno said.
“Barely three days after her release on bail, she is on to me, making threats and organising people to intimidate me with threats of violence and death when I am conducting events.
“I have to bring to the attention of this honourable court that the conduct of the respondent amounts to a serious defamation of character, as her false allegations could have the effect of destroying my life, including being subjected to mob justice and being humiliated in public,” Mneno’s application read.
She expressed her inability to understand why Morolong was targeting her, given that they had not been involved in an altercation.
Mneno said that if the court does not issue an urgent interdict to stop Morolong from spewing gibberish about her, she would lose more lucrative contracts and her marriage.
“The false publications by the respondent have resulted in serious reputational damage and have also resulted in business partners severing and/or cutting ties with the applicant, and as a direct result, the applicant has suffered serious financial loss.
“Should the applicant delay the bringing of this application and not be before this honourable court on an urgent basis, serious damage will continue to be done, and the applicant stands to be prejudiced in this regard, she will lose more sponsors, business associates, friends, and, more seriously, her family and her marriage,” she further stated in her affidavit.
“Moreover, the threats directed at me are so scary and make me live in fear of an eventuality that only the respondent is in control of, especially when she vows to meet and deal with me decisively because I am a witch.”
Mneno said even the companies she is associated with have borne the brunt of Morolong’s defamatory utterances.
“Not only did the respondent’s recklessness affect the -applicant, but the companies and programmes she is affiliated with have suffered a knock as with the allegations directed against her.”
