The breakup of her friendship with Somizi Mhlongo was recently publicised by Unathi Nkayi, a South African singer, actor, and radio host. She said the reality TV star chose to pursue that relationship above her own.
Nkayi also accused Somizi of being the reason her Idols contract wasn’t renewed.As to Nkayi’s statement, Mhlongo a former friend and colleague had an impact on her decision to leave the program because of allegations of abuse made against him. During a recent episode of Podcast and Chill with MacG, the musician declared her strong opposition to abuse.
Mhlongo, a judge on the show as well, resigned in the face of public anger over the accusations. The show had weekly guest judges fill in for him while he was away, and they did so until he returned. But as Mhlongo’s legal troubles eased, rumours of his return to Idols started to circulate.
Nkayi claims he was approached by the show about coming back, and he was given the option to decide on his own terms. She says that being kicked off the show was one of those requirements. “I knew it was coming because Somizi was coming back; considering my attitude, I knew he wouldn’t want to work with me,” she said. She continued by noting Mhlongo’s 2008 conviction and asserting that she does not defend sexual offenders.
For many years, Unathi and Somizi were close friends and coworkers, but after Unathi’s 13-year marriage to Thomas Msengana ended in divorce, their friendship fell apart. According to Unathi, Somizi, a mutual acquaintance of her and Thomas, chose to support Thomas throughout and after the divorce.
The division between them grew in 2021, when Somizi was accused of sexually abusing his then-partner, Mohale Motaung, which caused a stir online. Around the same time, R. Kelly was convicted of many charges of child sexual assault. Unathi expressed relief on Instagram after R. Kelly was convicted, leaving some to wonder why she didn’t support Somizi.
Unathi revealed that she found out through the media that neither her nor Randall Abrahams’ contracts had been renewed, and she believes Somizi’s return to the show affected this decision. “I saw that Somizi was coming back for the final season, and I knew he would never want to work with me after the stance I took,” she informed the audience.
Unathi claims that Somizi had huge influence on the show, to the point where he requested her removal as a condition for his return. “The show took a risk of losing viewers by not renewing my contract to meet Somizi’s demands,” she stated, ironically adding that the show did lose viewers in the previous season.