Minnie Dlamini Claims MacG's 'Podcast and Chill' Comments Cost Her R897,000 Nivea Deal
- Minnie Dlamini submitted a 79-page statement to the Equality Court detailing how MacG's April 2025 podcast episode affected her career and finances
- Dlamini alleges a signed R897,000 Nivea influencer agreement collapsed in the weeks following the controversial podcast remarks
- MacG has disputed parts of Dlamini's case, saying the comments were speculative, and indicated he is open to mediation
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Minnie Dlamini has put figures to what she describes as the professional fallout from MacG's Podcast and Chill, telling the Equality Court that a signed Nivea campaign worth R897,000 fell apart after derogatory remarks about her body aired on the show. The media personality submitted a 79-page statement to the Equality Court sitting at the High Court in Johannesburg, laying out what she says was a cascade of career, financial and emotional consequences that followed an April 2025 podcast episode.
Dlamini is seeking R2.5 million in damages from podcast host MacGyver Mukwevho. Of that total, R1.5 million would go to the nonprofit Women for Change, while she is personally claiming R1 million.
Minnie Dlamini claims Nivea deal collapsed because of MacG
According to her statement, Dlamini had maintained a working relationship with Nivea since roughly 2023, participating in several campaigns across that period. By late 2024 and into early 2025, she was promoting products including Nivea Radiant & Beauty, Even Glow and Rich Nourishing Lotion, with Dentsu Creative CPT coordinating the work.
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In April 2025, Dentsu allegedly sent her team a campaign proposal covering Instagram reels, carousel posts, half-day appearances and exclusivity within the body-care category. Her team accepted the proposal subject to rate negotiations, and a formal influencer agreement was subsequently signed, placing the campaign's total value at R897,000. The package included four Instagram reels, three half-day mall activations and a half-day e-commerce appearance, with payments spread over eight months.
A Mall of Africa activation did go ahead on 1 May, but Dlamini says other campaign elements began falling away shortly after. Meetings were cancelled or postponed, and her representatives repeatedly pursued Dentsu for clarity.
At a meeting on 2 June, Dentsu representatives reportedly told her team that the controversy had alarmed Nivea and its parent company, Beiersdorf, with the brand's global team monitoring online chatter through social-listening tools. Dlamini was eventually informed that Nivea would not continue with her, with a budget change cited as the reason.
She firmly rejects that explanation, arguing that the budget had already been approved and that she had completed work under the agreement. She also alleges that Nivea continued working with other influencers on Radiant & Beauty campaigns, making the timing of her removal particularly telling.
MacG responds to Minnie Dlamini's claims
Mukwevho, in his answering affidavit, has disputed aspects of her case. He argues the comments about Dlamini were speculative rather than factual statements, says he has already apologised, and has indicated a willingness to participate in mediation and gender-sensitisation sessions if needed.
Beyond the financial claims, Dlamini says the fallout left her feeling professionally "blackballed" and emotionally devastated. She says she spent roughly a month at home gripped by anxiety after the episode aired. Her mother, Gloria Queen Dlamini, provided a witness statement describing a distressed phone call from her daughter shortly after the podcast episode, during which Minnie asked:
"Mommy, what am I going to do? How am I going to face the world?"
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MacG offers to undergo gender sensitisation
Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that MacG outlined the consequences he is willing to face to make amends in the lawsuit.
Social media users reacted with mixed reactions to MacG's offer, with some asking for confirmation from his podcast co-host, Sol Phenduka.
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Source: Briefly News
