The 22-year-old allegedly assaulted her former manager in Mbombela in Mpumalanga last weekend, where the 33-year-old opened a case with the police.
The battle lines have been drawn between social media influencer and DJ Honour Zuma, popularly known as Cyan Boujee, and her former manager Lerato Malete.
The 22-year-old allegedly assaulted her former manager in Mbombela in Mpumalanga last weekend, where the 33-year-old opened a case with the police.
While Malete has accused Zuma of being a broke bully who failed to honour a string of gigs last year, the influencer denied being broke and instead accused him of swindling her and pimping her to older men.
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This week, she took to her Instagram page to reveal that Malete was fired and made damning allegations against him, including that he stole her money.
“Why do you keep on saying I’m broke and in debt when you also say I’m planning to buy the latest Mercedes? You [are] exposing my plans for these enemies. Don’t tell them more about my success.”
She added:
Aren’t you the same person who comes to gigs with all these men to avoid sharing rooms with the team? Same [person] that literally steals key rooms and our rider in front on our eyes?
“A manager literally forcing his client to be with older men just to cover transportation. I would always refuse, but he never stops.”
Zuma also shared a WhatsApp screenshot she claimed showed messages sent to her by the former manager.
It showed that there was a person who told Malete that his friend wanted Zuma and he said he knew she was in a relationship. He said did not expect Zuma to do anything with the men, but should do it for transportation and bookings.
The pair teamed up last year in May when they met at the launch of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg and seemed to hit it off when he agreed to manage her.
But, in less than a year, they have fallen out, with Malete now claiming that the red flags were there from the start.
This week he claimed that Zuma owed several event promoters thousands of rands for failing to show up for gigs, and they wanted their money back. He said the influencer had more than 50 gigs last month but failed to honour some of them, with no communication or any valid reasons.
“We were in Cape Town and I left her there, having booked two gigs in Khayelitsha. But she did not go and her reason was that she did not know how to get there.” He said:
There are so many gigs she did not pitch for, to a point that some organisers have even sent letters of demand.
“Cyan would just randomly switch off her phone and apologise. She would ditch some gigs and not show up, until one time I went to her apartment and I found her sleeping.”
One of the clubs, De Branch, in Dennilton in Mpumalanga, sent a letter of demand dated, 6 November last year, for Zuma and Malete to pay back R15 000 for a gig she was booked for on 4 September.
The club paid a R10 000 deposit but she did not show up. It wants a full refund, plus R29 000 for her accommodation, the venue and her transport.
Podcaster and sangoma Patricia Motsoeng, popularly known as Gogo Skhotheni, had booked her for a gig in Harrismith in the Free State last month, but she did not show up. Zuma took to her YouTube channel and shared the news that her sugar daddy had passed on.
In a screenshot posted by the manager, Motsoeng said:
She did not show up to my event as well, then acted cocky when I wanted a refund. But I told her I will deal with it my own way and, trust me, I will.
Legal action
In a WhatsApp text sent to Malete, one promoter is pleading for a refund of the R5 000 booking fee. Malete claimed other promoters had sent letters and messages threatening legal action if they do not get their refunds.
In a voice note, City Press listened to, the 22-year-old influencer is heard telling the driver to give up and stop contacting her and Malete, as the money was spent on him for his birthday months ago.
Asked if he was not responsible for the refunds as the manager who sent invoices and accepted the money, Malete said Zuma should be held accountable as he sent all the money paid for gigs to her.
“Everything is Cyan; I have nothing to do with it. I am actually the one pushing these guys to demand their money [back], because she has to be taught a lesson. Other promoters need to know what they are dealing with.”
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Sunday World this week: “At first I was never on the road with them. I would only go to gigs when it was necessary. But most of the time she was pushing it and I did not want to be on the road. I was trying to avoid something like this. I have always said to her that I am just a manager.
“I’m disappointed. To think that, when I started working with Cyan, no one wanted to touch that brand; today she treats me like this. But it’s okay. I knew it [the relationship] was not going to last because nothing of hers ends in a good way. I just never thought we would end this badly.”
On Friday, when approached for further comment on Malete’s claims, Zuma asked for the questions to be sent to her via email, but had not responded by the time of publishing.
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