POLL | Do you think it’s OK to use a deceased person’s social media account to promote your work?

Babes Wodumo recently promoted a music single on her late husband’s Facebook account that has 1.4-million followers

03 February 2023 - 13:00
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Musician Mandla 'Mampintsha' Maphumulo died on Christmas Eve and his wife Babes Wodumo has been using his social media account.
Musician Mandla 'Mampintsha' Maphumulo died on Christmas Eve and his wife Babes Wodumo has been using his social media account.
Image: Instagram/Babes Wodumo

Musician Bongekile “Babes Wodumo” Simelane has been criticised for using her late husband’s social media account to promote her music.

Babes' husband, musician Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo, died on Christmas Eve after suffering a stroke and she has been using his social media account.

She promoted her single Indoda no Sisi, featuring TNS, on her husband’s Facebook account which has 1.4-million followers.

TshisaLIVE reported that Babes’ sister and manager Nondumiso Simelane defended the gqom musician, saying she had a right to use the platform.

“She has every right to use her husband's Facebook account. Even my brother-in-law would not have had a problem with her using it. He was also promoting Babes' music on his social media, so that means this wouldn't have been a problem.”

Robbie Malinga Junior suffered the same criticism in 2017 when he took over his father's Instagram account with more than 100,000 followers. This was after his father died in December 2017 and he had his mother’s blessing to go ahead with it. 

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