Veteran DJ and radio personality DJ Fresh has addressed his court battle with Ntsiki Mazwai.
The 94.7 FM host filed papers in the Johannesburg High Court, applying for a court interdict against the poet.
This comes after Ntsiki posted on her social media platforms accusing DJ Fresh, whose real name is Thato Sikwane, of being a rapist.
She was reacting to social media posts by radio personality, Penny Lebyane, who claimed that her ex-boyfriend, whose name she did not reveal, abused her. Penny and Fresh dated 19 years ago.
In a statement released by his management, Fresh said that as someone who has been in the entertainment industry for over two decades, he has strived to serve as a voice for, and ally of, the unheard and disaffected.
He said that as a man he can never presume to fully understand the physical and psychological impact of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) on women. However, as a son, husband and father, he feels strongly motivated to stand against GBV in every form.
“It is for this reason that I would never ever attempt – or desire - to silence those worthy activists who stand against all legitimate and substantiated cases of GBV.
“In fact, I endorse their actions fully. However, as Judge Spilg stated on Tuesday, 'Being an activist comes with great responsibility'.
“Social media plays an important, positive role in our information landscape if it is used for responsible and verified discourse”, he said.
Addressing his case against Ntsiki, Fresh that things only escalated when the poet refused to take down a “false post”.
“In the recent example of my quest to ensure the facts were honoured, Ntsiki Mazwai was contacted by my legal team and asked to remove her unsubstantiated posts.
“She declined to do so. The matter was escalated as the information posted was not only false, it was significantly, personally harmful and hurtful to me and my family.
“I rarely respond to false accusations because often in doing so, it provides the perpetrator with a sense of legitimacy.
“However, for someone to post something so damaging – especially as it directly subverts my work on behalf of a cause so close to my heart – I felt moved to take a public stand”, he said.
He added that he would have wished for this matter to be settled in a better and more private manner, however, when the falsehoods were not rescinded, he felt his only option was to take it before the due diligence of our court system.