Celani Sikhakhane
When DJ Black Coffee scooped up a Grammy on Sunday, the ANC leadership and KwaZulu-Natal government were among those who queued up to congratulate the controversial artist.
This attitude was a far cry from their call in 2018 for fans to boycott his music after he performed at a concert in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The ANC and its provincial government are now facing accusations of hypocrisy after they described DJ Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, as “one of the best role models for young South Africans” this week.
Vusi Khoza, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) at the KZN legislature, lambasted the ANC, saying they have shown themselves to be a “disgrace” for trying to profit from Black Coffee’s success after once trying to damage his popular support.
“This is a disgrace that the ANC was championing the downfall of Black Coffee not so long ago but today, when they saw him taking the world by storm, they are the first to jump the ship to claim him as the best role model,” said Khoza.
Many have also noted the ANC’s recent treatment of Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane. When Mswane chose to travel to Israel to compete in the Miss Universe competition earlier this year, the South African government withdrew its support for her.
The government’s stance on Israel has been clear: President Cyril Ramaphosa said last year that Israel could be described “as an apartheid state” because of its treatment of Palestinians.
However, Khoza said that the ANC needed to take an even clearer stand on Israel by shutting down its embassy and halting trade instead of just targeting artists.
But performing in Israel is not the only reason the government might have remained quiet when Black Coffee collected his award on Sunday.
Last year, the DJ faced allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife Enhle Mbali.
At the awards show, Black Coffee became the first African DJ to win in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album for his seventh studio album, Subconsciously, which was released in 2021 and features Pharrell Williams, David Guetta and Msaki, among other artists.
KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala described DJ Black Coffee as “the best international DJ” when he congratulated him on Monday.
