Musician Sjava has denied raping Lady Zamar.
In a statement released by his record label Ambitiouz yesterday, Sjava refuted the rape allegation and also hinted that Lady Zamar might have opened the rape case against him in a bid to evade the defamation lawsuit he filed against her in the Johannesburg High Court after claiming on social media that he sexually violated and abused her.
An article by Sunday Sun on Sunday detailed the alleged incident, which took place in 2017 while the pair were still an item.
According to Banda, Makhubo raped her in a hotel in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, after both performed at a concert they were booked for.
A case was opened at the local police station in November 2019 and it has been passed on to the National Prosecution Authority for a decision on whether to prosecute.
In his statement Sjava wrote: “There are a number of reasons I have not spoken about this matter in public and chose to rather follow the legal process, kodwa (but) it has now become impossible to remain quiet. At the same time, I am only going to share information that is necessary to share due to the latest news reports. It is not my intention to stand trial by social media.”
He added: “Okokqala, angimudlwengulanga uLady Zamar. I did not rape her.”
He went on: “People are saying that I made empty threats to take her to court after her allegations last year. Ngithe mina (I said) last year I would follow legal processes to protect myself. This was not a threat. Its something that anyone would do to protect themselves if they are accused of doing something that is not true.”
He then proceeded to share a timeline of events that occurred since the first allegations were made.
See the full statement below:
Sanibonani. pic.twitter.com/za08CXpHF2
— Sjava indlalifa (@Sjava_atm) March 3, 2020