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- Somizi Mhlongo addressed calls for him to apologise for insults directed at Sunday World acting editor, Kabelo Khumalo, and Julia Madibogo of City Press.
- SANEF has called on Somizi to "unreservedly apologise" to the journalists and the public for his "unbecoming behaviour."
- The TV personality said in an 8-minute 50-second video: "I'm still not sorry for what I did."
In an Instagram video, TV personality Somizi Mhlongo addressed calls for him to apologise for insults directed at Sunday World acting editor, Kabelo Khumalo, and Julia Madibogo of City Press.
Julia of City Press approached the Idols SA judge for comment on allegations that he was divorcing his husband, Mohale Motaung-Mhlongo.
Kabelo approached Somizi for comment following reports that production on Dinner at Somizi's had been put on hold amidst legal proceedings instituted by Hastings Moeng.
A now-deleted Instagram posts shows that Somizi did not comment on the journalists' line of questioning. Instead, he insulted both journalists and posted a screenshot of the conversation on his personal Instagram account - revealing their personal contact information to his 3.7 million followers.
Following the incident, SANEF has called on Somizi to "unreservedly apologise" to the journalists and the public for his "unbecoming behaviour".
Addressing the aftermath, Somizi said in an 8-minute 50-second video: "I'm still not sorry for what I did."
"I will do anything and everything to protect my space, protect the ones that I love, protect the ones that are dear to me, and I would never sell my soul, never sell my soul, just to put bread on the table.
"I would rather die standing than live longer on my knees," he says.
Explaining his actions, he says: "After I read the story, I started to retaliate and make the journalist also feel what it feels like to have your privacy invaded. And I posted the same message she sent me on my social media. And I posted it with her numbers."
Although he refuses to apologise for his actions, he says: "The only thing that I know I did wrong was to post her private number. But even that, I did it deliberately."
According to Somizi, he doesn't have a problem with journalists reporting his personal life, unless it is not factually correct.
"As long as you have facts, I am okay with it, right. I'm in show business. I'm in the public; I'm a public figure. But I have a problem when journalists think that they can just write about anything and everything, even when it's not factual," he says.
He adds: "I'm okay with what's written about me in the public spaces, as long as it's factual. If it is not factual, I have an issue with that."
"I don't feel like I have to apologise for standing up for myself. I close my case, and I'm done with this," he says.
