R8m and a home deposit: Open Mic lawyers up against Makhadzi

For the last week or so, South Africans were left buzzing after Limpopo-born songstress Makhadzi alleged that her record label Open Mic has been withholding her money and mistreating her. According to Makhadzi, the record label was treating her like a slave. She garnered a lot of sympathy — and criticism from her fans who lambasted her not reading her contract with the company thoroughly.

And now Open Mic has taken legal action against the singer who they say was paid around R8 million in the last three years. They are also demanding an apology from her.

ALSO READ: Makhadzi confronts Open Mic’s MD about her contract [listen]

Open Mic takes legal action against Makhadzi

Ghanama hitmaker Makhadzi — real name Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona — has landed herself in hot water over the statements she made about her record label company Open Mic.

Taking to Twitter, a clearly emotional Makhadzi wrote that the company was treating her like a slave and keeping her hard earned money from her.

“I signed with open mic only for three years. In this three years I dropped 4 albums . I have never recieved any cent of my sales . Some of my album reached platinum some gold . And a lot of hits songs that reached platinum and Gold. But I continue to work without complaining,” she wrote.

Cz all I wanted was to serve my contract , to avoid them saying I bridged the contract .

— Makhadzi (@MakhadziSA) May 6, 2023

ALSO READ: EFF’s Gardee to Makhadzi: ‘We are here to fight your battles’

The post garnered a lot of reactions from social media users who lambasted Open Mic for forcing Makhadzi to work with them despite how unhappy she is.

A lot of those tweeps are having a change of heart after Open Mic took legal action against the singer who they say has received over R7 million over the last three years.

The letter of demand

According to a letter demand that was reportedly sent to Makhadzi’s legal team on Wednesday this week by Open Mic’s attorneys, the company now wants an apology as well as a retraction of the statements made by Makhadzi online.

“We hold instructions that your client, Ms Ndivhudzannyi Decorate Ralivhona, has engaged in various social media tirades against our client, wherein your client published and repeated defamatory and damaging statements about our client, going as far as alleging mistreatment at the hands of our client and its representatives. These allegations are false and are denied.”

ALSO READ: ‘It better come with her singing’: Mzansi on Makhadzi’s R4k B&B

The letter continues: “Your client alleges that she is or was being treated like a “slave” and was not paid a single cent. These allegations are patently false and defamatory.”

Proof of payments of around R7.9 million plus an additional amount for a home deposit made to Makhadzi was also attached to the letter, reports Sunday World.

“We annex hereto a schedule of some of the payments advanced by our client to yours, totalling an amount of R7,956,084,86 as well as another payment of R3005000.OO made by our client to “TW Property” under the reference ‘Makhadzi House Deposit”.

According to Sunday World, she has now been given until Friday to retract her comments and has not said anything yet.

ALSO READ: Nota says Makhadzi ‘isn’t pretty enough for her attitude’