Popular South African polygamist and reality TV star Musa Mseleku is reportedly accused of not paying two of his former colleagues, Zakhele Gumede and Musa Ntsebesha. The pair allege that Mseleku owes them R200,000 for their assistance in launching his production company, Thanks Ma, which later became responsible for producing the hit TV series, UThando Nesthembu.
How It All Began: The Creation of UThando Nesthembu
Ntsebesha first met Mseleku in 2016 through a local municipality engagement where Mseleku was working as a consultant. At the time, Mseleku was accompanied by his wife, Thobile, who was involved with a local radio station. Ntsebesha recalls how they quickly developed a professional relationship, eventually leading him to manage Thobile’s career.
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Later that same year, Mseleku approached Ntsebesha with the idea of producing UThando Nesthembu, a reality show about his polygamous family life. However, Mseleku admitted that he lacked the necessary expertise to bring the concept to life and sought Ntsebesha’s help establishing the production.
During their initial discussions, Mseleku made grand promises, assuring Ntsebesha and Gumede that their involvement in the project would lead to substantial rewards. He vowed that their contributions would secure them a 2% ownership share in the production company. Encouraged by these promises, they agreed to collaborate and began working on the show’s development.
M-Net Approves the Show
In October 2016, the trailer and first season were submitted to M-Net, a major South African broadcaster. By January 2017, the team was invited to Johannesburg to present their work, which impressed the M-Net executives. Ntsebesha recalls how Mseleku received a congratulatory message on their journey back to KwaZulu-Natal, confirming that M-Net had accepted the show.
A few weeks later, Mseleku was informed that they needed to return to Johannesburg to finalize and sign the deal. However, things took a troubling turn shortly after this point.
Problems Emerge: Musa Mseleku Allegedly Shuts Out His Colleagues
According to Ntsebesha, following the invitation to sign the deal with M-Net, Mseleku became distant and secretive about the arrangements. He claims that Mseleku proceeded to sign the agreement without including him or Gumede in the process. Despite this, Ntsebesha didn’t immediately question the situation, trusting that their previous deal with Mseleku was still intact.