Maria McCloy
POP star Brenda Fassie says she will sue the music magazine e’Vibe for printing an interview with her that never took place.
“I hate it, I’m pissed off with it, and my lawyers are going to be dealing with this and I’m going to be suing them for half-a- million rand,” said the sexy songstress.
She vehemently denied giving the interview, which was virtually identical to one which Madonna gave to the international magazine Newsweek in 1992.
“I never even made an interview with them. I don’t make interviews with small, cheap magazines,” said an angry Fassie this week.
The debut issue of e’Vibe this month lifted almost word for word the interview with Madonna (which did take place), and swopped Brenda Fassie’s name for the United States superstar.
While Fassie made no attempt to hide her fury, Harvey Roberts, the managing director of her record company, CCP, was more restrained. After meeting lawyers, he said: “She has a definite defamation case for a substantial amount.”
CCP and its lawyers will be meeting Fassie as soon as possible to discuss steps to be taken. “We are supporting her … in defending her name and status … in any action that she may bring.”
Newsweek’s international editor, Michael Elliot, would not comment as it was a “legal not an editorial” matter. He did say copies had gone to the legal department.
The Newsweek interview with Madonna dealt mainly with her book, Sex.
What does Fassie (who is often referred to as Africa’s black Madonna) think of the US star? “I love her. But what she thinks may not be my way of thinking.”
She says the incident has reinforced her already mistrustful view of the press, which she claims is intent only on reporting sensationalistic aspects of her life.
As for e’Vibe: “They want to make themselves famous at my expense. I’m tired of bad publicity – it’s enough. I have a son out there, he can read …”
Fassie does have a reputation for being difficult to get hold of, but she counters: “No, I’m easy to be found. They shouldn’t be selling magazines at my expense, they should have in a very nice way come to me, instead of forging and putting my name to it.
“My dear, if they want to make me vibe, I’m gonna be vibing with them ‘coz I’m gonna be suing them in a vibrant way.”
e’Vibe is published by Thabo Mosoahle and edited by Andrew Molefe, a former employee of New Nation newspaper.
Both were unavailable for comment as calls to e’Vibe’s offices this week went unanswered, but Mosahle said in his introduction to the magazine that it would “expose corruption and exploitation (in South African culture) wherever it lurks without fear or favour”.