Simphiwe Dana Speaks About Hair Scandal, SA Suggests She’s Talking About Nomzamo Mbatha

• South African singer Simphiwe Dana recently revisited the hair scandal, where she called out certain people for stealing her ideas
• Online users suggested that she was talking about Nomzamo Mbatha, after she previously called her out and the Shaka iLembe crew
• This followed Dana's rant, where she accused Shaka iLembe and Nomzamo Mbatha of appropriating her hairstyles
• Briefly News spoke with a trusted hairstylist, about the origins of African hairstyles

South African jazz songstress Simphiwe Dana has revisited the hair appropriation scandal during her interview with Engineer Your Life host Lungelo KM.

In July 2025, the Ndiredi singer put Nomzamo Mbatha and the Shaka iLembe production team on blast, accusing them of copying her Afrocentric hairstyles and not acknowledging her.

"I'm now fed up with brands appropriating my style. The least you can do is acknowledge where you got the ideas from. I'm talking to you, Shaka iLembe and Nomzamo Mbatha. The other sister I won't mention. It started here. Appreciate, don't appropriate," Dana said at the time.

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Now, in her recent interview, Dana has further amplified her cries, saying she expected a shout-out from a certain South African star during her international red carpet moments.

Simphiwe doubles down on claims about Nomzamo Mbatha

In her interview, Dana stated that she set the trend of Afrocentric hairstyles in 2022, in collaboration with a hairstylist.

"I started doing these hairstyles in 2022, when I worked with a hairstylist to come up with different hairstyles. But now I had a particular issue with one person, because she started dressing like me and doing my hairstyles, going to red carpets in New York dressed like me. They must acknowledge me. You can't steal someone's entire brand without acknowledging them," she remarked.

Dana then said Nomzamo Mbatha was interviewed on the red carpet in New York and asked about her inspiration behind her look. Mbatha credited someone else, but Dana boldly stated that she was wrong for that.

"But instead of acknowledging me, she chose to stop wearing the styles completely. But that's not what I was saying. I only said, acknowledge me," she added.

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Watch the clip shared by KingMntungwa below:

Briefly News got some insights on a trusted hairstylist, Lazaros Sumbane, who shared where the origins of hairstyles come from.

"Our African hair grows into an afro and towards the sun, which is why we have afros. In the olden days, they left their hair as is and never used chemicals, unlike today. They then styled the hair in many ways, and they did this as a form of expression."

Another hairstylist, Vicky Eghan, shared the best way to protect these styles, without losing their unique shapes.

"I would use silk hair scarves or a bonnet to prevent friction and to reduce how fast the style gets old. Sleep positions also matter, so the hairstyle does not get damaged," she said.

On whether this is a new trend, Vicky said this form of hairstyling is nothing new and has been used in the olden days.

Mzansi calls out Simphiwe Dana

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Below are some of the reactions online:

@CphaSpain shared:

"Women are full of drama, in my entire life I've never heard a man talking about haircuts, dreads, etc. 'I invented that Haircut, it's mine.' Ridiculous."

@Linghe_Xing asked:

"Why doesn’t she just say who she’s talking about so the who can say what they want to hear, maybe."

@GracyMosetlha stated:

"Nah, man, Simphiwe Dana has a problem. Not only is she wearing it like this, but she is also doing her hair like this. Others are not on social media. How can she think the person imitates her? Hai man."

Nomzamo Mbatha attends Cannes Film Festival

In a previous report from Briefly News, Nomzamo Mbatha attended the prestigious 2026 Cannes Film Festival wearing a gown from a Nigerian fashion house.

The actress's look stole the show and turned heads so much that the commentary on social media is loud.

Source: Briefly News