{"id":50737,"date":"2026-02-24T18:15:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T18:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=50737"},"modified":"2026-02-24T18:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T18:15:06","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignnaledi-aphiwe-apologises-for-past-comment-ahead-of-zimbabwe-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/02\/24\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignnaledi-aphiwe-apologises-for-past-comment-ahead-of-zimbabwe-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Naledi Aphiwe apologises for past comment ahead of Zimbabwe performance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mvp-content-main\">&#13;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_184440\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184440\" class=\"wp-image-184440 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Naledi-Aphiwe-gets-emotional-as-she-thanks-fans-for-47M.jpg?resize=600%2C434&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Naledi-Aphiwe-gets-emotional-as-she-thanks-fans-for-47M.jpg 600w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Naledi-Aphiwe-1-300x217.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-184440\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Naledi Aphiwe apologises to Zimbabweans<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>South African singer Naledi Aphiwe has issued a public apology for a previous social media comment that resurfaced ahead of her scheduled performance at the Ama2k Fest in Harare.<\/p>\n<p>The remark, which some interpreted as offensive toward Zimbabweans, sparked online backlash and raised concerns about how she would be received in the country.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement shared on her Facebook page, Naledi acknowledged the resurfaced comment and addressed it directly.<\/p>\n<p>She wrote: \u201cSocial media never forgets, and I\u2019ve been reminded of a comment I made a few months ago. I want to address it properly instead of ignoring it. First, I want to make it clear that my words were never meant to disrespect Zimbabweans or come from a place of hate. I understand that intentions don\u2019t always translate well online, and I can see how what I said may have hurt or offended people. For that, I sincerely apologise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The singer reflected on her growth and the lessons she has learned from the incident, adding: \u201cI am still young and I\u2019m constantly growing, learning, and understanding the weight that words can carry especially on social media. I don\u2019t claim to be perfect, and when I make mistakes, I believe in owning them and learning from them. This has definitely been a moment of reflection for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Naledi also appealed to her audience not to judge her solely on one comment, stating: \u201cPlease don\u2019t misunderstand my heart or define me by one comment. It truly wasn\u2019t that deep or rooted in negativity. I respect people from all backgrounds, and I would never intentionally spread hate. I hope we can move forward with understanding and give each other grace. I genuinely wish peace for everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The apology comes as Naledi prepares to perform alongside Nigerian musician Ruger and South African artist Scotts Maphuma at the inaugural Ama2k Fest on 4 April 2026.<\/p>\n<p>By addressing the controversy proactively, she aims to ease tensions and reassure fans of her respect for Zimbabwean audiences.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 4 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Naledi #Aphiwe #apologises #comment #ahead #Zimbabwe #performance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Naledi Aphiwe apologises to Zimbabweans South African singer Naledi Aphiwe has issued a public apology for a previous social&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50739,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50737\/revisions\/50739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}