DJ Fresh and Euphonik have been fired from Radio 947, Primedia Broadcasting announced on Wednesday night.
The FeU duo, whose real names are Thato Sikwane and Themba Nkosi, face a rape charge after a woman accused the duo of raping and drugging her, along with three other women, 10 years ago.
Gauteng police confirmed that a formal rape case was opened against the two at the Sunnyside police station on January 13 by the women who levelled the allegations against them.
Primedia said they had taken a decision to terminate the duo’s contract in the best interest of their business.
Geraint Crwys-Williams, the interim chief executive of Primedia Broadcasting, said: “This decision does not reflect a view on the veracity of any allegations against either Euphonik or Fresh.
“Rather it prioritises Primedia Broadcasting’s business imperatives.
“We believe that this decision is in the best interest of our company and our various stakeholders,” he said.
In January, a woman took to social media to publicly accuse the duo of raping and drugging her, along with three other women in 2011.
The woman had prayed for the duo to acknowledge they had raped her, also saying that she was a virgin at the time of the alleged rape and had to take anxiety medication before she could speak about the incident on social media.
She wrote: “@DJFreshSA & @euphonik will you ever acknowledge drunking (drugging) me & further raping me? I was completed (completely) drugged I don’t whether you BOTH raped me or 1 of you did & you later laughed about it the next morning saying we (me & 3 girls) were so drunk we kept blacking out but nasidlwengula (you raped us)”.
In a statement, released soon after the allegations were made, DJ Fresh and Euphonik denied the allegations, saying they were hurtful.
“I am aware that assertions have been made about me on social media and I understand that this is often the price of being in the public eye. The fact that these claims are untrue and from an unknown source, does not make them less hurtful,” they said at the time.
In mid-January, Fresh and Euphonik were placed on suspension after the duo engaged with Primedia Broadcasting.
The also shared a joint statement on social media confirming that they are taking sabbatical leave while the investigation takes place.
“In light of the serious allegations levelled against us, we’ve decided to step away from all public work engagements until such time that this matter has been resolved and the law has taken its course,” read the statement.
IOL Entertainment contacted DJ Fresh who dismissed the rape allegations.
In the statement issued, DJ Fresh said: ”I am aware that assertions have been made about me on social media and I understand that this is often the price of being in the public eye.
“The fact that these claims are untrue and from an unknown source, does not make them less hurtful.
He continued: “Furthermore, I am deeply concerned that spurious allegations about GBV – especially as it is one of the most significant societal challenges in South Africa – undermine the gravity of legitimate incidents, and impact the urgency with which they are attended.”
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