Briefly News
Renowned South African composer Lebo M left the internet stunned after he claimed that Zimbabweans are trying to kill him because of his $27 million lawsuit against United States-based comedian Learnmore Jonasi.
The dispute began after Learnmore Jonasi, whose real name is Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, jokingly translated the opening lines of The Circle of Life during an appearance on Akbar Gbajabiamila and comedian Godfrey’s One54 Africa Podcast. Lebo M took offence to the joke and responded by filing a lawsuit seeking $27 million in damages.
Lebo M later appeared on an episode of the same One54 Africa Podcast. During the interview, the award-winning producer addressed the ongoing legal battle and the backlash he has faced since filing the lawsuit.
While discussing the controversy, Lebo M claimed the reaction had become so serious that he now has security protecting him. He alleged that some Zimbabweans wanted to assassinate him because of the lawsuit. “Zimbabweans want to kill me literally. I have got security around me now because of this. Why do you think I came here?” Lebo M claimed.
When hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila and Godfrey questioned whether he was serious, Lebo M insisted that he was. He argued that Learnmore Jonasi had fuelled public anger by sharing the story without what he believes was the full context. He also suggested that tensions surrounding alleged xenophobia in South Africa had worsened the situation.
“Are you kidding me? Would I say something like that on your camera? Yes, I have security around me now because he fuelled so much anger and misinformation from your platform without this context, which has made people so angry and then on top of that, this nonsense that’s going on in Africa about xenophobia in South Africa,” Lebo M said.
In the comments, Zimbabweans pushed back against the claim, accusing Lebo M of lying. Here are some of the comments:
@The_Tonga_Queen said: “He is lying 🤥 Pinocchio this one 🚮”
@winston_zw remarked: “He is lying about Zimbabweans wanting to kill him though😅….we might have to sue him for lying unprecedented, that’s defamation of character, we ain’t no killers.”
@Gifsal1 fumed: “Zimbabweans do not want to kill you. They just called you out for a misguided response to a joke. The project is ‘The Polygamist’, adopted from a book by Zimbabwean Sue Nyathi. You are a great artist! Lead by example.”
Zimbabwean standup comedian Learnmore Jonasi shared an update on Lebo M’s amended $27 million lawsuit.
He revealed that Lebo M dropped the defamation claims and is focusing on trademark rights over ‘It’s a Lion’.
