‘You were a sacrificial lamb’: Somizi and other celebs rally behind Minnie Dlamini amid SIU probe

Mzansi celebrities have expressed support for Minnie Dlamini following her response to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) over allegations of financial misconduct.

This follows a statement from the SIU earlier this week, which said she received funds unlawfully from a non-profit funded by the National Lotteries Commission.

The organisation added that she had fully “cooperated with the investigation and acknowledged that the money was not lawfully due to her.”

However, Dlamini responded to the SIU, calling its statement “irresponsible, unfair and deeply damaging”.

‘This was a target’

Media personality Somizi Mhlongo questioned why Dlamini’s name had been singled out.

“Babe, you were the sacrificial lamb. You are Minnie Dlamini. They had to use your name to distract us from the actual thieves.

“I mean, make it make sense. How could they publicly go crazy about R50k over R29 million? Who stole the balance of R28 950 000?” he wrote on social media.

DJ and radio personality Ayanda MVP said Dlamini was targeted.

“Very unnecessary of them to make a statement if you’re the only one they mention. This was a target,” she said.

Former Skeem Saam star Amanda Dupont also weighed in, highlighting challenges artists face in verifying every booking.

“As if we earn enough to do background checks for each booking. Half the time, we have no in-depth understanding of who the client is beyond a general Google search. Only for huge deals can funding be allocated to research and background checks.

“Terms should be no refunds whatsoever, as the dates booked are locked off a schedule, meaning you cannot take other bookings on that day, resulting in a loss of income,” she said.

Minnie Dlamini: ‘I did not steal any money’

In her statement on Tuesday, Dlamini said she had been booked for a professional engagement in 2016 and was paid a fee of R50 000 for services that did not take place because the event was cancelled.

She said she repaid the money to avoid reputational harm, not because she had done anything wrong.

“Given the minimal amount involved, and in order to avoid prolonged association with a matter that I was never involved in, I made the pragmatic decision to repay the amount, not because I did anything wrong,” she said.

“I did not steal any money. I was a service provider booked for a job.”