Johannesburg - Sibusiso Leope, affectionately known as DJ Sbu, was in the prime of his music career when he unexpectedly got booted by the SABC in 2015.
On that ruinous night, he recalls thinking about empowerment when he boldly held a bottle of his popular energy drink, Mofaya, at the Metro FM Awards while also thinking he could get into deep trouble.
Leope was a guest on the well-known YouTube channel, The Penuel Show, when he took viewers to the unforgettable night that later saw him lose his many jobs at the SABC.
He said that, though a lot of people did not approve of his actions, he now looks back and hails himself for being brave.
"I posted a picture of me with Sis Khanyi Mbau holding a Mofaya can at the Metro FM Awards, and I think that's the reason I got fired from the SABC for having done that because I got suspended, then a couple of weeks later I got fired. And a lot of people did not approve of what I had done. I am older now, and I look back, and I am like, yho I was brave to do that," said DJ Sbu.
Asked if he was fired because of marketing without consent or not, he said: "It was an awards show; I was a Metro FM DJ; I was an SABC 1 presenter. So I was a full-on presenter for the SABC on both radio and TV. And working at Metro FM, I was invited to present an award in 2015 on February 28, which I still remember.
“I had just started Mofaya with my business partner. The way the system is in South Africa, especially in 2015, for you to get a 30-second slot at any time, especially prime time from 6 to 9, you are going to pay an exorbitant amount of money. Let alone create that ad. I didn't come with a mindset of fraudulent, people go there to promote whatever they are wearing, and they talk about all these international brands that they are wearing, and it's normal."
With the hall filled with creatives, he explains he was merely sending a message to say to musicians, "this talent that we have can change our lives so much that we can invest in things like this" (Mofaya energy drink).
Leope has since been making big strides in his career with the launch of an online radio station, a YouTube podcast, and other business ventures.
He recently revealed that his podcast, Hustlers Corner SA, partners with REVOLT TV, an international company owned by P Diddy.
The Remember When It Rained hitmaker said he would be travelling a lot internationally in connection with this new deal.
The Star