Late kwaito star, Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo’s sister, Pinky Gumede, is demanding payment for a new reality show that is scheduled to be broadcast on pay TV DStv’s local content channel Moja Love.
So serious is Gumede that she is threatening to take Moja Love to court should she not get what she deserves.
Moja Love is planning to flight the new show, Wena Wodumo, but the Gumede family was allegedly not paid.
New reality show
The reality show is produced by renowned actors and TV producers Thomas Gumede and Lungile Radu under their company, Parental Advisory Production. It is set to premiere on March 29, channel 157.
“Hell will break loose if this show is aired without my payment,” warned Pinky.
She said that they were approached by Thomas, asking to shoot uThando Lodumo.
“Mampintsha and my mother were still alive. Initially we wanted nothing to do with that reality show because we were still trying to resolve our internal issues. But Thomas kept pestering us. He said we will be paid for the show, and we eventually agreed. We didn’t want to disappoint Mampintsha.
Season 3
“We shot two seasons with them and we were badly paid. Even then we were ill-treated, and we had to fight for our money,” she alleged.
When Mampintsha died, Thomas approached the Gumedes again, and this time around he wanted to shoot Season 3.
“Again we refused. We didn’t want to be exploited and we just didn’t want to be part of it anymore. Besides, there was already too much drama happening, so we wanted out of it.
“But again, Thomas begged us, he apologised and even promised to do things right. He said we must think of Mampintsha’s child. And he said if we refuse to shoot, we might jeopardise the child’s future. Based on this we agreed, but we never signed any documents,” she said.
Contracts issue
She said she asked Thomas about contracts and he told her to relax and leave everything in his hands.
“After Mampintsha’s funeral, I never saw them again. They disappeared and they were no longer taking my calls. I sent text messages to them but they never responded. And I was hurt because I knew we’d been exploited again,” said Pinky.
On Thursday morning she was shocked to see a trailer of the show being advertised on social media.
“I’d already moved on when I saw the trailer on Thursday morning. And I was shocked and angry, mainly because my late mother and myself were never paid for this show. It’s clear that they wanted to make a quick buck out of our misery,” she said.
Wants late mother’s money
“But I will not stop demanding money. I also want my mother’s money if they fail to pay me, I’ll sue them,” said Pinky.
Thomas and Lungile were approached for comment and they did not answer their phones. They also failed to respond to text messages.
Nonwakazi Cekete from Moja Love was also approached for comment. She acknowledged the inquiry but she failed to respond. Their comments will be included in the story when they respond.
