JOHANNESBURG — TV presenter Nonhle Thema allegedly only received shoes from her endorsement deal with Madison, The Heart of New York.
“The truth is (with) my Madison shoes endorsement I never got paid. I just got shoes. The deal had no money (sic),” Thema tweeted late on Sunday.
The shocking revelation comes after the company issued a statement announcing a decision to release Thema from her duties as the official ambassador.
“Due to the alleged circumstances of this trip and its repercussions, we regret to announce Ms Nonhle Thema is no longer the brand ambassador for Madison, The Heart of New York Shoes,” the statement read.
Thema angered many after a Sowetan report revealed that she had labelled Botswana girls as “skinny, ugly and Aids-infected” during her recent trip to the country.
“I was on the phone and talking to my boyfriend who was out of the country at the time, I was telling him about the girls where he was, I was just being a jealous girlfriend,” she told the Sowetan when asked about the incident.
Although the trip to Botswana was not linked to the company, Madison saw it fit to cut ties with the TV personality.
“We in no way condone derogatory comments against any sex, race or medical conditions,” the press statement said.
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Thema, who was out to prove that the deal meant nothing to her, decided to reveal the details behind her deal with the shoe brand on social media.
She later deleted the tweet, but not before it was retweeted a number of times sparking a debate about the exploitation of local artistes.
“No wonder some of these celebrities die poor — unpaid endorsements,” wrote @MrMenziN.
“Why do our people agree to endorsements that don’t pay; when their white counterparts get paid? Complicity to own exploitation,” asked @Sentletse.
— Sowetan Live
