Johannesburg – A bitter public spat has erupted between popular television personality Jub Jub and Mojalove, the channel that airs his hit show Uyajola 9/9. The award-winning rapper and presenter has resigned from the channel, accusing CEO Aubrey Tau of verbal and emotional abuse.
In a scathing letter addressed to Tau, Jub Jub, real name Molemo Maarohanye, outlined a litany of grievances, including accusations of a hostile work environment, broken contracts, and a lack of creative freedom.
"After careful consideration, the reasons for my resignation are as follows: The verbal and emotional abuse in the work environment from the CEO himself. Continuous threats about losing my job," Jub Jub wrote in the letter, which was seen by Sunday World.
"Breach of contract. Unstable working environment (team changing, plans changing, last-minute changes which have affected my creativity over the years). Uyajola 9/9 has lost its DNA (authenticity) and that will result in loss of viewership, which I have spoken about multiple times," he stated.
He further alleged that the channel's refusal to allow him to exercise his creative input in hosting the show made his job unbearable.
"An email was sent way in advance on the 4th of August for the days that I would be unavailable for shooting to avoid inconvenience, but still I was sent a work schedule. I’ve been made out to be a difficult and unreasonable person to work with, whereas the work environment is not conducive," he lamented.
Jub Jub also claimed that his legal team had sent an email to Mojalove outlining his grievances, but the channel disregarded it and ordered him to continue working. He also expressed hurt over the channel allegedly calling him a rapist "when no one had proof".
"With all of this, I have concluded that it is in my best interest to step down from my role effective immediately," he stated.
In a fiery response, Tau accepted Jub Jub's resignation "with pleasure," accusing the musician of being "ungrateful," "dishonest," and "super arrogant." He claimed that Mojalove had supported Jub Jub during difficult times, including paying for his legal fees during a rape accusation.
"For example: you would often be late for call times for hours on end and constantly have to be called, reminded and begged to arrive. The company has paid for your wardrobe well in advance and also given your SNT (special needs trust) after discussions with you to make it much easier to work with you," Tau wrote.
"You would often mock and ridicule the participants in the show, again showing how ill-disciplined you were. This reduces the viewership numbers because you are not taking the show seriously. When you are being told to please be professional as this is not about you, it is about the participants, you ignore the advice," Tau stated.
Tau also reminded Jub Jub of an incident where the presenter insulted a female businesswoman in Moruleng about her supposedly non-juicy private parts, further highlighting his alleged lack of discipline and respect.
"You had on another occasion verbally assaulted a lady in Moruleng and named her with her private parts. This is indicative of how ill-disciplined and disrespectful you were," Tau wrote.
He also refuted Jub Jub's claim that the channel had called him a rapist, stating that the channel had merely supported him during the rape accusation.
"No one called you a rapist other than you were being accused of rape, hence the support that was offered to you. Whenever you [were] disciplined or encouraged to take accountability, you would term it abuse. This was not abuse but rather accountability and you did not take such accountability," he stated.
Tau further blamed Jub Jub's attitude and lack of respect for the show's decline in viewership, stating that Uyajola 9/9 was now overtaken by X Repo, a show with a presenter who "understands his boundaries and respects his craft."
"Your attitude and lack of respect towards the crew and participants actually diluted the show and was regrettable. Our number one show is now X Repo because you have a presenter who understands his boundaries and respects his craft and is only paid per show. The mistake we have done was to give you a monthly fee. The company would pay you monthly R180,000 even if you did not work and yet you term this unfair treatment," Tau stated.
Tau also accused Jub Jub of taking money from music promoters and failing to show up for gigs, leaving them in the lurch.
"You would come to the CEO’S office and would ask for a loan to pay back the people you took money from, who booked you to perform in Kimberly, Eastern Cape and other provinces. (You also said) they are threatening your life because you never render the services. This was again ill-discipline and wrong. I advised you that this is out of order as these people are trying to put bread on the table for their families and those they employed but you decided to take their money and spent it and never pitched up to perform. Think about it. That is the reason you fear to go to Eastern Cape or Kimberly during the shoot. It is unfortunate that a talented person would behave like this manner," he stated.
The public spat between Jub Jub and Mojalove has cast a shadow over the popular show, leaving fans wondering about its future. The channel's decision to accept Jub Jub's resignation "with pleasure" suggests that the relationship between the two parties has irrevocably broken down.
