More than 43,000 fans sign petition to 'bring back Katlego Maboe' after he was taken off air

27 October 2020 - 06:00 By unathi nkanjeni
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Katlego Maboe was taken off air pending the outcome of investigations into abuse allegations levelled against him.
Katlego Maboe was taken off air pending the outcome of investigations into abuse allegations levelled against him.
Image: Jaime Lizamore

More than 43,100 people have signed a petition to bring back TV presenter Katlego Maboe after he was taken off air after an investigation into abuse allegations levelled against him.

The SABC3 Expresso presenter and the face of OUTsurance came under fire on Friday after a viral video showed him confessing to cheating on his partner, Monique Muller. In the video, Katlego admits to cheating on her with another woman.

In a statement Katlego released after the video, he admitted to being unfaithful, saying that he and Muller were “undergoing an unfortunate and painful separation”. 

“I was unfaithful to my partner during a very important time of our lives — an act I regret to this day. We are currently undergoing an unfortunate and painful separation, which is being resolved through legal proceedings. As you can imagine, separations are quite a difficult thing to deal with, especially with a child involved,” he said.

Katlego denied the allegations of abuse that were levelled against him and leaked on social media.

“In light of the comments made against me, I would like to state that I have never abused my partner. I have always and will always stand up against the abuse of women and children — in fact, the abuse of anyone for that matter.”

As a result of the allegations, Katlego was suspended from the Expresso show, pending an internal investigation.

“Certain serious allegations have been posted on social media about Mr Katlego Maboe and, last night, a video was leaked showing Mr Maboe seemingly admitting to cheating on his partner,” the production company for the show, Cardova Productions, said in a statement.

“We have been informed that a legal process relating to the allegations is currently sub judice. We condemn any acts of violence and mistreatment, especially against women and children, and therefore take such allegations very seriously. Until such time as the matter has been fully investigated, and pending the outcome, Mr Maboe will not be appearing on The Expresso Morning Show.

Meanwhile, in a statement sent to TshisaLIVE, OUTsurance confirmed that all adverts featuring Katlego had been pulled.

“Following media reports of infidelity and an acrimonious marital relationship, including alleged physical abuse, involving Katlego Maboe, OUTsurance has engaged extensively with Katlego and it was decided that Katlego and his family should be afforded the space and time to deal with this matter. As part of that discussion, the proposal was to, in the meantime, suspend all advertisements featuring Katlego,” said head of client relations Natasha Kawulesar.

The petition to bring Katlego back to the TV screen said the presenter's life had nothing to do with his personal life.

“If OUTsurance doesn't bring Katlego back, this petition will be signed by South Africans to boycott OUTsurance until [they] bring the poor guy back on our screens again,” it read.

The petition was created this week with a goal of 50,000 signatures.

“This young man deserves a chance because he was not drunk, abusing any woman or taking drugs in the eyes of the public,” it said.


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