Peace to all men.
That is the takeaway as gospel star Dumi Mkokstad and music promoter Aviwe Gqomfa spoke the peace pipe.
The pair have had a few days of name calling, which led to the involvement of lawyers and a letter of demand being sent.
Dumi, whose real name Mdumiseni Nzimande, instructed his attorneys at Mpungose Attorneys to send a letter of demand to Aviwe.
They went at each other, with Dumi saying Aviwe was a liar and accusing him of being a parasite.
“He’s such a liar, he thinks we have forgotten that he was a rich kid just yesterday,” Dumi said in part of the post.
In his post, Aviwe said, “Makhe ndiye e toilet ngempundu zam ezingazange zangena ncanca yenye indoda for imali (let me go to the toilet with my bums which have never been inserted with any man’s penis for money).
Dumi’s lawyer said: “This comment insinuated that our client engage (sic) sexually with other men for money.”
The letter, which Drum is in possession of, gave Aviwe seven days to retract and apologize for the derogatory post.
Now before the seven-day deadline is up, the two have apologised to each other and have released a joint statement.
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In his part of the statement, Aviwe concedes that if he had a “gripe” with Dumi, he should have addressed it with him directly, as brothers. He adds that he regrets that his anger got the better of him.
“I wish to particularly express my most sincere regret that one specific reply to a derogatory comment by another Facebook user did more damage to a brother who has for years battled against false rumours about his sexuality.
“I have since realised that I should have been more circumspect in what I wrote. That inconsiderate comment transformed my long-held sympathy for him relating to the false allegations into what many may have perceived as a direct confirmation of the rumours from someone who has been working closely with him.
"The truth is that I have worked with Dumi on numerous occasions and we have spent time together at various events.
"Not once have I ever seen any evidence of the rumours that he was gay. On the contrary, before he got married, as young single men we were openly attracted to women.
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“Having also accepted his apology towards me, I wish to extend my apology to his wife and family, as well as his fans, and wish him all the best in his musical career.”
Dumi says he was the first to apologise to Aviwe in the meeting they had because of his Christian beliefs.
“As a devout Christian I believe in forgiveness. I accepted Aviwe's apology based on the same principle,” he says in part.
“I have sincerely apologised to Aviwe for the hurtful comments I wrote on Facebook about him and his company which created an impression that his success came as a result of him being a parasite that rides on the goodwill of others.
“In reality, I have worked together with Aviwe on many projects and have always admired his work ethic and dedication.
"What was written in jest harmed him and his company greatly and for that I wish to reiterate my apology to him, his family, friends and business associates. I look forward to working together with him in the future, as brothers and colleagues in the music industry.”
Dumi’s attorney, Thabani Mpungose, tells Drum he has received new instructions from his client, and he will not be proceeding with the legal action against Aviwe.
