Influencer Mihlali Ndamase has gone public with a deeply personal statement, alleging months of harassment, intimidation, and stalking, which she says have left her fearing for her safety and that of her family.
“I am issuing this statement as a matter of safety and self-preservation,” Ndamase wrote.
“I am deeply concerned for my life and for the wellbeing of my family. Should anything happen to me, it is important that the truth be known.”
In the statement shared on her social media account, Ndamase alleges that a man she identifies as Michael Brits, also known as “Mike”, subjected her to ongoing harassment after she rejected his advances.
“After I rejected his advances, his behaviour escalated into something obsessive and frightening,” she said in a statement posted on Instagram on Sunday.
Detailing the alleged conduct, Ndamase claims she was followed and monitored, with her privacy repeatedly violated.
Reputational damage
“I have personally witnessed him following me. He has appeared at my place of work without reason and shown up in spaces where I am parked or seated as though monitoring my movements,” she wrote.
She further alleges that members of her family were approached in public and that people have been paid to follow her around and take photographs of her without her consent.
Ndamase also addressed what she describes as a coordinated effort to damage her reputation.
“At the same time, false and damaging stories about my life have been circulated through blogs and online platforms,” she said, adding that some publications repeated these allegations without verification, resulting in significant reputational harm and further endangering her safety.
Ndamase confirmed the matter’s escalation beyond social media and announced her pursuit of formal protection measures.
“I am currently engaging with law enforcement and taking the necessary legal steps to protect myself,” she wrote.
Call for societal change
She emphasised that her decision to speak out was not for attention. “I am speaking publicly not for attention and not for sympathy, but because silence has become unsafe.”
Ndamase contextualised her experience within a broader conversation about women’s autonomy and consent.
“As a person with influence, I understand scrutiny. Influence, however, does not equal consent. A woman does not owe access to her life, body, or time because she was pursued. Rejection is not provocation.”
She ended with a call for societal change. “We need to come to a point where men understand that courting a woman does not entitle them to you or your body. No means no.”
