Amapiano producer and club DJ Themba Sonnyboy Sekowe, better known as DJ Maphorisa, was caught on the wrong side of the law on Sunday afternoon when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Thuli Phongolo.
The incident of their assault was revealed in a statement deposed by Phongolo at the Sandton Police Station.
The gender-based violence allegedly happened at the former Generations: The Legacy actress’s apartment in Sandton, Johannesburg.
According to the statement, which City Press has seen, the incident started when Phongolo confronted Maphorisa about their previous night’s heated argument at a gig he was booked to perform at.
It is not clear whether the two were booked to perform together at the same venue, but according to Phongolo's statement, they started arguing in front of people.
“On Sunday 2023/5/7 at about 12pm, I was at my place of residence with my boyfriend, Themba Sonnyboy Sekowe, better known as DJ Maphorisa. I confronted him so that we can talk about our argument, which happened the previous night during his gig,” said Phongolo in the statement.
She told the police that when she confronted Maphorisa, he became aggressive and slapped her in the face. She described how he turned her into a punching bag after the slap on the face.
Phongolo detailed in the statement:
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He became aggressive and started to punch me with his fists on my chest.
She further told the police that he took her to the balcony after beating her inside the apartment.
“He held me and took me to the balcony, and grabbed me aggressively by my neck.”
Phongolo added that he kept hitting her with his elbow on the balcony while they were fighting for her phone, which he had taken from her.
The actress and DJ said after he gave her the phone, she called her manager, who took her to the police station to open a case of domestic violence against him.
According to the police, who saw her walking to the police station, Phongolo sustained serious bruises on her neck.
In her statement, she said she sustained bruises on her neck, chest, arms and right cheek.
It’s unclear what triggered the argument, but sources say the two have been having serious problems in their relationship.
A source in the music industry claimed that this was not the first time they had a heated argument.
“They had a fight in early December after accusations of infidelity. They had another fight last month but never got to the police station,” revealed the source.
Maphorisa is expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of assault.
A source close to the two said Maphorisa requested to call his lawyers while he was inside the police holding cells where he was kept.
“He was trying to negotiate a police bail.”
