Nathi Mankayi: I didn’t rob anyone, I’m the one who was robbed

Award-winning Afro-pop artist Nathi Mankayi has responded to the allegations that he spent Monday night at the Bramley police station in Johannesburg after being arrested in connection with a business robbery that allegedly took place last year.

The Sowetan reported on Wednesday that issues started when Mankayi’s manager cut ties with him, a decision that did not sit well with the award-winning artist. He allegedly took his friends with him to his former boss’ offices “to teach him a lesson” and allegedly took laptops, landline phones, printers, and cellphones. The items were recovered by police and given back to the owner.

However, Mankayi said he was never arrested and did not rob anyone. In fact, he was the one who got robbed, he said, without detailing the robbery he was a victim of.

He said: “It’s not true, I’m here, I didn’t rob anyone, I was the one who got robbed. You can’t hire someone and rob them because the person they’re talking about was hired by me to work for me, so why would I rob someone who I hired?

“I didn’t rob anyone and I’m not arrested.”

Mankayi said he responded to the allegations because he was protecting a career he had worked for, and claimed that black people were using his past to destroy his current life.

“It is worrying when people try to kill what you’ve worked hard for because I’m here because of my hard work. Why would I be here and rob people? What I’ve learnt is that black people use your past to remove you from your current position.

“Yes I was arrested, but it’s in the past and I don’t do those things anymore, so I’m not that person anymore. People on social media believe everything they read in the papers but they’re not true and it’s worrying.”

(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)

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