Grammy-winning producer Lebo M has broken his silence in a scathing statement aimed at veteran sports broadcaster Robert Marawa, accusing him of publishing misleading and defamatory claims in his 2022 book.
The book, Gqim Shelele: The Robert Marawa Story, was released on October 26 2022 and details aspects of Marawa’s personal and professional life. However, Lebo M, born Lebohang Morake, says certain claims made about him in the publication are “demonstrably false” and have now prompted legal action.
In the book, Marawa alleges that during maintenance proceedings involving actress Zoe Mthiyane, Lebo M “took the stand to give evidence about what share of the DStv [Marawa’s son] Awande was using and the cost of the garden service and the nanny”, adding that the legal bid to justify R35,000 in expenses failed and that “they lost the case with costs”.
But in a strongly worded response, Lebo M disputes this version of events.
“Contrary to the assertions made in Marawa’s publication, the judgment of the magistrate’s court for the district of Attridgeville, which is a matter of public record, does not support the claim that Zoe Mthiyane ‘lost the case with costs’,” the statement reads.
According to Lebo M, the court order directed Marawa to pay monthly maintenance towards Awande’s upkeep, covering expenses such as lodging, groceries, clothing, schooling, and transport.
The statements published about Morake in Marawa’s biography are not only misleading but demonstrably false, and any attempt to now reframe legitimate accountability as ‘attention-seeking’ is intellectually dishonest and legally precarious
— Lebo M
He further questioned Marawa’s public narrative around his role as a father.
“Marawa would have the public believe that assertions relating to his absence as a father are recent fabrications. Yet the question remains: why did Zoe Mthiyane institute legal proceedings against Marawa at the time during the period in which her son was under the care, support and presence of Lebo Morake if there was no dereliction of paternal responsibility?”
Lebo M emphasised that the matter is not based on speculation but on what he described as “lived reality” that predates current public discourse.
He also dismissed any suggestion that his response is attention-seeking.
“The statements published about Morake in Marawa’s biography are not only misleading but demonstrably false, and any attempt to now reframe legitimate accountability as ‘attention-seeking’ is intellectually dishonest and legally precarious.
“Protecting one’s name, reputation, and lived truth is not theatrics; it is principle.”
As a result, Lebo M confirmed he has instructed his legal team to pursue formal legal recourse to correct what he calls the public record and to hold those responsible accountable through the courts.
“We trust that moving forward, this matter will be engaged with where it properly belongs in a court of law, where facts, not biographies, carry evidentiary weight,” the statement concludes.
At the time of publication, Marawa had not publicly responded to Lebo M’s latest remarks.
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