Nota Baloyi’s vitriol invalidated by industry powerhouses
A FEW weeks after Nota Baloyi shockingly likened Mihlali Ndamase to a dog he could “put down”, the social media troll continues to roam the Twitter streets spewing vitriol against black women.
If you missed his initial comments, he claimed during a podcast interview that he was baffled by people who find Ndamase attractive because he could “buy her”.
“There are some guys who think that Mihlali is attractive, and all I think is ningamuthenga (I could buy her),” he said. “They don’t understand that if Mihlali is for sale that means she’s an object. Which means you can kill her if you want to. It’s like buying a dog, you can put it down.”
To be clear, Ndamase is not for sale. She’s a successful black woman, and Baloyi can’t stand it.
Somehow, his vile comments have been brushed under the carpet and packed away into his growing archive of mind-numbing social commentary. And just like that, the show went on.
While Baloyi, much like his friends over at the Macg podcast, has always openly expressed disdain for black women, he seems to have switched to a new gear after his estranged wife, Berita, took to Twitter to clear the air on their relationship after his controversial statement on Ndamase.
She announced that they’d be separated for a while. “He simply does not listen to anyone,” she shared. “I cannot even begin to count the numerous times he has erred in his speech.”
On Tuesday, just two days into Women’s Month, Baloyi again took to Twitter to bizarrely attempt to twist the announcement of soccer coach Benny Mccarthy’s appointment to the Manchester United coaching staff and use it as yet another attack on black women.
“If he married a black woman he wouldn’t have gotten this far in life,” Baloyi said.
“A black woman doesn’t want a successful black husband because she thinks all black men are fools willing to abandon their family for tight p **** . Black women are so busy being victims they’re a burden to society!”
Oh boy. He is not okay. Berita warned us in one of her tweets: “This man is extremely irresponsible, reckless and unruly. He simply does not listen to anyone. I cannot even begin to count the numerous times he has erred in his speech … My one request is that Nota needs help with his mental health.”
Maybe the pandemic has had its way with the once reputable businessman. He wouldn’t be the first to lose his mind during these trying times.
Black women are NOT a burden to society. In fact, they are quite the contrary. Black women in the public eye have consistently stuck by and supported their partners, sometimes to a fault.
An appropriate starting point is the infamous Jay-z and Beyoncé cheating scandal. In the face of tabloid scrutiny, shame and humiliation when rumours of infidelity started to swirl after that elevator incident in 2014, Beyoncé, one of the most powerful women in the world, could easily and understandably have left Jay-z.
Instead, she stuck it out and expressed sorrow, rage and then determined loyalty in her revealing 2017 album Lemonade.
She chose to hold on, swallow her pride and see it through, which is far removed from Baloyi’s claim that “black women are so busy being victims they’re a burden to society”.
But that’s in America and Beyoncé was just protecting her brand, you say.
Okay, here’s another example closer to home and one more in line with Benni Mccarthy.
Pitso Mosimane, the hugely successful football coach who’s just come off the back of a great run with Egyptian giants Al Ahly that many pundits felt made him one of the best coaches in the world, just so happens to be married to a beautiful black woman, Moira Tlhagale.
Oh, and Tlhagale also happens to be Mosimane’s agent and is said to have been instrumental in getting the Al Ahly deal over the line.
That doesn’t exactly sound like a black woman who “doesn’t want a successful black husband”. Mosimane often speaks glowingly of his wife’s role in his continued success.
There are many other high-profile examples of black women whose husbands have praised them for their role in elevating them, from Connie Ferguson and Eniko Hart to Ciara.
Zakes Bantwini, whose massive single Osama has him touring the world, has spoken of the love and wisdom his wife Nandi Madida constantly imparts to him.
Veteran rapper Khuli Chana has often credited his wife, radio presenter and DJ Lamiez Holworthy, for her constant support and encouragement as a contributing factor in his recent late-career flourish.
In a recent Instagram post, Chana wrote that together they had reached milestones far beyond what he expected.
“I am a proud husband and I don’t know if saying that you’re an inspiration is new to you. But let me tell you what’s new. You’re an inspiration TO ME.” That sounds about right.
Baloyi’s statement is so far removed from reality that it should’ve led to widespread condemnation and a prompt apology. There were neither. Instead, he continues to utter whatever tasteless, sexist nonsense comes to his mind.
And incidents such as this aren’t rare in South Africa, and therefore don’t seem to warrant a constant spotlight, because it can get exhausting.
Just a few days before Baloyi’s recent comments, Minister of Police Bheki Cele commented on the gang rape of eight women during a music video shoot near a mine dump, with the shocking claim that one 19-yearold woman was lucky she was only raped by one man. Imagine.
Baloyi seems to be seeking retribution for his public humiliation at Berita’s hands by attacking black women as a whole. But the more he continues, the more he proves her right.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.