Actor Bonko Khoza has broken his silence and has denied allegations of serial misconduct made by his former co-star Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku.
This comes after Nirvana shot up trends lists after she alleged she was subjected to sexual assault at the hands of actor in September 2023 during the filming of the thriller series Red Ink.
She claimed Bonko pushed his private parts against her when he was meant to push her against a car bonnet and lie on top of her before moving out of the shot.
“I’m never going back to acting. I will never put myself in a position where I am being told that my body is not mine. I’m never going to put myself in an ecosystem that isn’t sustainable. I’m not going to waste my precious life just to be seen by millions of people across the continent, dare I say even the world,” she said.
“I’m being told I’ll never work if I speak out or if I report this ... you’re never going to see me on traditional media ever again. It broke me. I’m still building myself. I thought about unaliving [sic] myself so many times when I came out with the truth.”
In a statement on Monday, Bonko denied the allegations, saying he performed what they had rehearsed beforehand with Nirvana, the director of photography, the director and the stunt coordinator.
Bonko said there were more than 12 crew members on set, including the stunt coordinator, who at no point reported any behaviour resembling the allegations made by Nirvana.
Bonko said despite all relevant parties concluding they saw no sexual misconduct after viewing the unedited version on November 30 2023, on May 21 2024 he learnt that Nirvana had opened a case against him, but the authorities did not prosecute the matter after getting his sworn statement.
“I have genuinely tried to approach the situation with compassion. I have made every effort to understand the basis for Ms Nokwe-Mseleku’s allegations, even when they were deeply hurtful and unfounded,” read the statement.
“The past two-and-a-half years have been painful. Being falsely accused of a sex crime is devastating for anyone, but as a husband and the father of a young daughter, the emotional toll has been indescribable. My family has suffered alongside me. My integrity, my career and my role as a parent were all placed under a cloud because of an allegation that has been disproven by footage, by witnesses and by the legal process.”
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