Influencer and content creator Mihlali Ndamase has commanded the attention of many of her followers since her debut on the Showmax Original series ‘Unfollowed’.
The series follows the lives of South African stars who are wrestling with life after social media death, reflecting on cancellation culture and its place in pop culture.
Ndamase, who has had her fair share of social media trolls, made headlines after her romantic involvement with businessman Leeroy Sidambe.
Their affair became a hot topic, with some accusing the content creator of dating a married man, something that Sidambe later clarified.
In ‘Unfollowed’ episode 7, Ndamase faces Thembekile Mrototo’s questions about homewrecking, gold-digging, and alleged assault.
When asked, “Why a married man?” She fires back, “Oh, no, darling. It's not my place to, wait... I'm not the one who's married. It is he who decided that he wants to find a partner and date someone,” she said
She was also asked about what it has been like to trend every time her lover, Sidambe’s, divorce woes, legal battles, and business scandals make headlines.
“When people have nothing to come at you about, then they are going to find something to constantly dig at. They're going to try to find something that they feel might be a weakness. Honestly, people's opinions have nothing to do with my reality,” she said.
Ndamase further clarified that she keeps her personal affairs private because she believes that in this field, every woman's job is associated with a man and that he is given credit for making her who she is.
Confronted with rumours that her lover has mistreated his ex-wife, his ex-girlfriend, and their children, the influencer shrugged and said, “I will not speak on anything that I do not know about.”
She also responded to questions about assault claims and highlighted that if anyone comes after her family, she will come for them.
"Have you seen me assaulting anyone?“ I don’t know who that is. All I'm going to say is that if you come for my family, I will come for you. Full stop. Next question.”
In ‘Unfollowed’, Ndamase also talks about her biggest mistake on Twitter and media experts comment on the social media trolls who try to raise their profiles by targeting high-profile women with misogynistic abuse and how influencers navigate the tricky intersection of reputation, brand damage, and creating the kind of content that drives page views.