Media personality Minnie Dlamini has detailed the financial damage she says was caused by derogatory and degrading statements made about her on the MacG podcast, revealing that a Nivea campaign worth R897,000 fell apart in the aftermath of the controversy.
In a 79-page statement filed at the equality court sitting at the high court in Johannesburg last month, Dlamini describes the impact of the April 2025 episode of Podcast and Chill and its effect on her reputation, livelihood and emotional wellbeing.
Dlamini is seeking R2.5m in damages from MacG, whose real name is MacGyver Mukwevho, with R1.5m to be paid to Women for Change, a nonprofit organisation, and R1m in damages for herself.
Dlamini says her career depends heavily on public trust and brands being comfortable associating themselves with her name, image and public personality. She says the Nivea campaign provided the clearest example of how the fallout translated into a potential financial loss.
Dlamini says she had been working with Nivea since about 2023, with the relationship continuing through various campaign phases. By late 2024 and early 2025, she was involved in promoting products including Nivea Radiant & Beauty, Even Glow and Rich Nourishing Lotion.
She says the relationship had developed into a substantial commercial arrangement, with the agency handling the campaign, Dentsu Creative CPT, providing detailed feedback on scripts, captions, voice-overs, product positioning and content.
Dentsu allegedly told her team that the client had sought information and context about the controversy and that the global team was monitoring brand mentions through a social-listening tool
Around April 7 2025, Dentsu sent her team a proposed package for the Radiant & Beauty campaign, including half-day appearances, Instagram reels, Instagram carousels and exclusivity in the body-care category, she says. Her team accepted the proposal later that month, subject to adjustments to the rates.
Dentsu subsequently confirmed arrangements for a Mall of Africa activation and told her team it was “excited to kick off the campaign with Minnie”.
A written influencer agreement followed, Dlamini says. The agreement recorded a campaign fee of R897,000. The deal included four Instagram reels, three half-day mall activations and a half-day e-commerce appearance, with payments spread over eight months.
But the timing of the arrangement became crucial.
Dlamini says that around April 24 2025, Mukwevho’s podcast aired the episode in which derogatory comments were made about her body and genital hygiene. The comments sparked a major social media reaction, with users repeating and amplifying the claims.
She says the controversy was particularly damaging because she was in the middle of activating a campaign for a brand operating in the skincare, body-care and personal-care space.
The Mall of Africa activation nevertheless went ahead on May 1. But shortly afterwards, she says, the campaign began to unravel. Meetings were cancelled or postponed, while her team repeatedly sought clarity from Dentsu.
The comments were speculative in nature and were not meant to cause any harm to her. The comments were not said as a known fact or belief
— MacGyver 'MacG' Mukwevho in affidavit
On June 2, according to her statement, representatives from Dentsu discussed the controversy surrounding Mukwevho’s comments and explained that it had become a point of concern for Nivea and its parent company Beiersdorf.
Dentsu allegedly told her team that the client had sought information and context about the controversy and that the global team was monitoring brand mentions through a social-listening tool.
Dlamini says Dentsu then informed her that the campaign would not proceed with her, citing a change in budget. She disputes that explanation, saying the campaign had already progressed substantially, the commercial package had been agreed, the budget had been discussed and approved, and she had already performed work under the agreement.
She says she saw Nivea continue to use other influencers in campaigns relating to Radiant & Beauty.
“The timing speaks for itself,” Dlamini says in her statement, arguing that Mukwevho’s comments created a social media storm just weeks before the brand decided not to proceed with her.
Mukwevho says he is prepared to take steps towards resolving the dispute. In his answering affidavit, he acknowledges that Podcast and Chill can make mistakes and says the show has previously issued apologies when this has happened.
He says he is also open to subjecting himself to gender-sensitisation sessions as part of efforts to mediate the dispute.
“The comments were speculative in nature and were not meant to cause any harm to her. The comments were not said as a known fact or belief,” his affidavit states.
Mukwevho says he has already issued a genuine apology to Dlamini and is prepared to amend or rectify the apology if she is dissatisfied with it. He is also willing to mediate the dispute.
After the April 2025 episode, Dlamini says, she experienced severe anxiety and did not leave her home for about a month
The dispute is not limited to the April 2025 episode. Dlamini’s complaint also refers to previous conflicts between the parties, including comments Mukwevho allegedly made about her private parts in 2022.
She says the repeated nature of the attacks contributed to what she describes as a sustained period of professional and personal harm.
Dlamini says she was effectively “blackballed” in the entertainment industry, with some industry figures becoming reluctant to engage with her professionally and new brands potentially deterred from working with her.
She says the podcast’s online permanence has compounded the problem because clips and episodes remain available long after their initial publication and can accumulate millions of views.
The impact, she says, has extended into her personal life.
After the April 2025 episode, Dlamini says, she experienced severe anxiety and did not leave her home for about a month. She says the comments about her hygiene made her self-conscious about something she had never previously been concerned about and left her humiliated.
Her mother, Gloria Queen Dlamini, filed a witness statement describing the effect of the controversy on her daughter and the family.
Gloria describes Dlamini as a major financial supporter of the family, saying she had helped the family during difficult financial periods with renovations, purchases and monthly payments.
She says the family therefore not only depends on Dlamini emotionally, but also on her ability to maintain her reputation and continue earning.
Gloria describes receiving a call from her daughter after the podcast episode, saying she was in tears and asked, “Mommy, what am I going to do? How am I going to face the world?”
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