Radio personality Thabo Molefe, better known as Tbo Touch, has argued in favour of his absence at the Royalty Soapie Awards. He said he felt disrespected that he was invited via his social media channels.
Tbo Touch did not show up at the 6th iteration to hand over the lifetime achievement award to veteran actress Connie Chiume.
He faced criticism for skipping out on the glitzy affair, held in Galleria, Kramerville on Saturday night.
During the event, which draws the elite of the celebrity world, the award was instead given to Chiume by comedian Mpho Popps.
Tbo Touch, on his Metro FM Touch Down show, defended his decision.
He claimed that when the awards organizers contacted him, they did not follow the required channels.
Tbo Touch said he was stunned when they called him cross-questioning him about his location.
“A few minutes before the awards began, I received a phone call asking me about my location, and I was shocked. There are people employed by that organization whose job it is to see that you reach me, that your message gets returned, and that you receive your desired outcome.
“There are correct procedures that must be followed. For instance, you wouldn’t expect Black Coffee to accept an invitation to present some awards by simply sending a DM [direct message]. With that stated, I would want to apologise to Mama Chiume and promise that the following year, I will make sure that I arrive on time and have received the appropriate invitation,” he said.
Publicist Simphiwe Majola confirmed that Tbo Touch did not attend.
“I do not know how Touch was invited but there must have been a misunderstanding at the office,” he said.
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Majola promised a more detailed explanation, but failed to respond at the time of publishing.
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