Award-winning singer Kelly Khumalo has been dropped from the upcoming Tribute To Women festival.
Organisers dropped the bombshell on Monday afternoon, following various comments on social media platforms and calls from various patrons, on their decision to drop Khumalo from the line-up.
“We respect the legal processes and wish to indicate that Ms. Kelly Khumalo is innocent until proven otherwise,” read the statement.
“However, in the interest of safeguarding our festival, management has taken the decision to relieve Ms. Khumalo of her obligations to perform at our festival this year to afford her and her team the time they require to deal with the issues emanating from the current court proceedings.”
When IOL Entertainment asked Khumalo’s management for comment, they said: “Unfortunately, that is to the organiser’s prerogative to comment. My artist was booked and not part of management.”
The move by organisers comes after Khumalo’s name had been heard during the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa murder trial.
Colonel Lambertus Steyn, who is based at the National Cold Case Investigative Unit, during his testimony revealed shocking new information putting Khumalo once again in the spotlight.
Steyn told the court that not only was a SIM swap done in October 2014, but that eight calls were made from the SIM-swapped number to Meyiwa's girlfriend, Kelly Khumalo's, cellphone.
Meyiwa was brutally murdered while visiting his girlfriend and mother of his child, Khumalo, at her home in Vosloorus in October 2014.
Steyn also told the court that they had established that one of the accused had been in contact with Khumalo on at least two occasions before Meyiwa’s murder. Ntuli was said to have called Khumalo on August 2, 2014, and again on October 15, 2014.
Fans have expressed their shock over Khumalo being dropped from the line-up as many had been hoping to seeing her perform.
Tribute To Women 2023 takes places on August 12 at Emmerentia Dam and has a line-up featuring Mafikizolo, Sjava, Amanda Black and Kabza De Small.