Minnie Dlamini has quantified what she alleges to be the negative repercussions of MacG’s Podcast and Chill, claiming in the Equality Court that a signed Nivea campaign contract worth R897,000 was jeopardized after derogatory comments about her appearance were made on air. The media figure has turned in a detailed 79-page statement to the Equality Court in Johannesburg, outlining what she says was a series of professional, financial, and emotional repercussions following an April 2025 podcast episode.
Dlamini is pursuing R2.5 million in damages from MacGyver Mukwevho, with R1.5 million earmarked for the nonprofit Women for Change and R1 million claimed for herself.
Minnie Dlamini asserts Nivea contract was lost due to MacG
The statement notes that Dlamini has been collaborating with Nivea since around 2023, taking part in multiple campaigns during that timeframe. By late 2024 into early 2025, she was actively promoting products such as Nivea Radiant & Beauty, Even Glow and Rich Nourishing Lotion, with project coordination handled by Dentsu Creative CPT.
In April 2025, Dentsu allegedly presented her team with a campaign proposal that included Instagram reels, carousel posts, half-day appearances, and exclusivity within the body-care category. After her team accepted the proposal pending rate negotiations, a formal influencer agreement was signed that set the total campaign value at R897,000. The plan comprised four Instagram reels, three half-day mall activations, and a half-day e-commerce appearance, with payments scheduled over an eight-month span.
While a Mall of Africa activation did proceed on 1 May, Dlamini reports that subsequent elements of the campaign started to collapse. Meetings were either cancelled or postponed, and her team made several inquiries to Dentsu for clarification.
During a meeting on 2 June, Dentsu representatives allegedly informed her team that the controversy had raised concerns at Nivea and its parent company, Beiersdorf, with a global team monitoring online discussions. Eventually, Dlamini learned that Nivea would no longer continue their collaboration, citing a budget change as the rationale.
She disputes that explanation, maintaining that the budget had already been approved and asserting that she had fulfilled her obligations under the agreement. Additionally, she claims Nivea continued to work with other influencers on Radiant & Beauty campaigns, making her removal particularly suspicious.
MacG reacts to Minnie Dlamini’s allegations
In response, Mukwevho has challenged elements of her claims in his affidavit. He contends that the remarks about Dlamini were speculative, maintaining that he has offered an apology and has signaled his readiness to engage in mediation and gender-sensitization sessions if deemed necessary.
Beyond her financial demands, Dlamini expressed that the situation left her feeling uniformly “blackballed” professionally and emotionally devastated. She reported experiencing anxiety for about a month at home following the airing of the episode. Her mother, Gloria Queen Dlamini, provided a witness statement recounting a distressed phone call from her daughter post-podcast where Minnie inquired:
“Mommy, what am I going to do? How am I going to face the world?”
