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'Frenemies' Bonang, Somizi set for legal spat over book - Euphonik also joins fray

TV and radio personality Somizi Mhlongo escalated his war against his frenemy Bonang "Queen B" Matheba to the next level when he ordered her to expunge his name from her doomed book or else ...

Mhlongo has been joined by Matheba's bitter ex-boyfriend DJ Euphonik who also ordered the former Metro FM presenter to remove his name from her book or face legal consequences.

The latest developments come hot on the heels of the book Bonang From A To B being taken off the shelves by Exclusive Books after readers complained of typo and grammar errors in it.

But the no-nonsense Matheba told the duo to voetsek and warned them to refrain from curtailing her freedom of expression.

Somizi's spokesman Thato Matuka confirmed that the choreographer had instructed Queen B to remove his name from her tome because it was pregnant with lies about him.

"On behalf of our client ... we confirm sending a letter to Ms Bonang Matheba's management [DNA] regarding the usage of our client's name in her book. Our client doesn't have a problem with his name being used in the book as long as the details and information relating to events are truthful. Our concern at this stage is that this is not the case.

"We hope the letter will be received in the good spirit in which it was sent and that an amicable resolution to this matter can be agreed between the parties," said Matuka.

Will-o-the-wisp Euphonik, real name Themba Nkosi, could not be reached for comment as he ignored our telephone calls and text messages.

Bonang confirmed that Somizi and Euphonik had written the letters to her.

"For the better part of five years, I have taken a back seat whilst others narrated what they sold to be my story on social media and traditional media. Never have I called them to desist or account for what they viewed as their truth.

"Everyone has a right and responsibility to tell their story. Every account to life's events is subject to individual interpretation. [This] is an account of my life, from my perspective and my truth," said Bonang.

"How anyone else views the events as I narrated or their perception of how they're depicted, according to my truth, I have no control over that."

She insisted that what she said in the book was a true reflection of her life's journey and not an attempt to settle personal scores with Euphonik and Madam Gigi, as Somizi is fondly know in showbiz circle.

"[This] is not about settling scores, but a story of self-belief, self-love and self-preservation.

"This energy feels like a concerted effort to counteract and discredit my book and my truth. I prefer to deal with these matters using proper channels and procedures," she said.

What ruffled Euphonik and Somizi's feathers was the chapter in the book in which Bonang reveals how she allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of the revered house music disc jockey. She said she felt betrayed by the former Sarafina actor when he befriended Euphonik after their acrimonious break up in 2012.

Meanwhile, Somizi has pledged to donate R20 from the sale of each copy of Dominoes: Unbreakable Spirit to help first-year tertiary students register for a course of their choice at any university in South Africa.

In his book Somizi reveals how he dropped out of school in Standard 7 [Grade 9] to fulfil his desire to pursue a career in the arts. He has already engaged a number of education MECs in various provinces to determine how the bursary will be allocated. Somizi hopes to sell 10000 copies before the end of the year, which will enable him to contribute at least R200000 to the initiative.