Media personality Kuli Roberts has reportedly passed away on Thursday evening 10 February.
Image via Twitter @kuliroberts
Kuli Roberts vs Manyi: ATM leader hits back after ‘absolute lies’ interview
‘That basically cost me my job’: Kuli Roberts says she never stood for ATM ward councillor, but Mzwanele Manyi claims otherwise…
Media personality Kuli Roberts has reportedly passed away on Thursday evening 10 February.
Image via Twitter @kuliroberts
In September, it was announced that Kuli Roberts would be a ward councillor candidate in Tshwane for the African Transformation Movement (ATM). A few days later, the political party announced that Roberts would no longer be a ward councillor candidate, but did not provide any details. According to her, she never signed up to be a ward councillor candidate.
Roberts sparked a reaction from ATM leader Mzwanele Manyi who responded with his own “truth”.
ALSO READ: From politics to spinning decks: Kuli Roberts wants to be a DJ!
KULI ROBERTS’ SHORT-LIVED ‘POLITICAL CAREER’
In a now-deleted tweet, Mzwanele Manyi passionately announced that the former lifestyle editor of Sunday World would be standing for ATM ward councillor.
His tweet read: “The one and only Kuli Roberts has joined the winning team. Servant Kuli has signed up to serve the people of South Africa. Servant Kuli is ATM councillor candidate for ward 65 in Tshwane”.
Just a few days later on 3 October, Manyi announced that Roberts would no longer be a councillor candidate but did not give any specific details on the matter.
“It is no longer possible to have Nomakula Roberts as a member and ward councillor candidate of the African Transformation Movement,” read a portion of the statement.
MANYI ‘COST’ KULI HER JOB
Kuli Roberts joined Clement Manyathela on The Clement Manyathela Show on Thursday 18 November. Manyathela asked Roberts about her short-lived political career after finding out that she holds a political science degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT).
Roberts firmly stated that she never signed up to be a councillor and Mzwanele Manyi posted “absolute lies”.
“I was never standing up to be councillor for ATM and that basically cost me my job. I mean that hurts but sh*t happens.”
“The point is that I would never get involved in politics in this country because it is dangerous. It is like Mexico. It is a warpath and I’m very not into that.”
According to Roberts, a picture was taken of her wearing an ATM T-shirt at a function. The picture circulated on Twitter without her consent and led to her being fired from her job as the lifestyle editor at Sunday World.
“I am not a card-carrying member of ATM. I am not a member of ATM. All we were doing was talking about the safety in my area because I’m a single woman who lives alone and now I have no job because of that.”
MZWANELE MANYI RESPONDS
ATM leader Mzwanele Manyi had a different story to tell on Thursday 18 November. Responding to Roberts’s words, Manyele felt he needed to tell the “truth”.
“After careful thought and consideration, I thought I should just let Kuli Roberts get away with her lies because perhaps she needed that lie for her new job.”
In an e-mail sent to Manyi on 30 September, Roberts wrote: “I made an error in judgment which has created a conflict and I humbly request you accept my apology for stepping down.”
