South African actress Itumeleng Bokaba has withdrawn charges against music executive and entrepreneur Nhlamulo ‘Nota’ Baloyi.
Bokaba, widely recognised for her role as Mampho on Rhythm City, shared a press release on her Instagram page to make this announcement.
She filed a case of rape against Baloyi in September last year at the Douglasdale police station, who later surrendered himself to the police.
Choosing blessings over curses
After enduring a lengthy back-and-forth and a whirlwind of conflicting narratives, Bokaba ultimately decided that she wants to start with her life purpose first then deal with drama later.
Expressing how she feels on Instagram, Bokaba mentioned the reasons behind her dropping her rape case against the controversial music executive. She emphasised that her career requires her full focus and that she wants to be in a positive headspace to give it her best.
Although she is stepping back now, Bokaba emphasised that she will revisit the case at a later stage when she is in a better position to do so.
She wrote on her press release:
Netizens respond to the press release
As the number of reporter gender-based-violence (GBV) incidents continues to rise daily in the country, many may find it disturbing when a victim decides to withdraw a case.
For Bokaba, this decision has sparked a wide range of reactions. Some have applauded her for the choice she made, while others have expressed doubt, with some using emojis which may imply that she might have fabricated the entire ordeal and is now backing down.
There are also those who have been vocal in their disagreement, openly stating that they do not support her decision to drop the case.
*These screenshots were sourced from Itumeleng Bokaba’s Instagram page
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