JOHANNESBURG –
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Actress and DJ Thuli P and musician Prince Kaybee have engaged in a public dispute across X and Instagram following unverified claims regarding their personal relationship.
The exchange highlights the increasing tension between entertainment professionals and independent social media bloggers, where unverified narratives regarding the private lives of artists often necessitate direct public reputation management to prevent the crystallization of false professional or personal personas. It also underlines how online speculation increasingly collides with legal and regulatory expectations on privacy, defamation and digital content in South Africa, which are framed in part by the country’s Constitution and common-law protections of dignity and reputation.
The conflict originated when a social media blogger posted on X that Thuli P was on Prince Kaybee’s “hitlist,” alleging that the two were romantically linked. The post did not provide corroborating evidence, but was rapidly shared, drawing in both artists and their respective fan bases.
Prince Kaybee responded directly to the blogger’s post, stating, “Lol, you motherf*cker,” a reply that appeared to dismiss the rumour but also amplified visibility of the original claim.
Thuli P subsequently addressed the matter through her Instagram stories, denying any romantic involvement with Kaybee or another individual identified as Edwin and positioning the episode within a broader pattern of sexualised speculation about her private life.
“Since when? If you’re going to entertain it, you might as well clear it with the truth. I’ve never slept with you or Edwin, for that matter. This whole narrative of trying to paint me as loose is tired, I don’t play with my p*ssy,” Thuli P wrote. “I’ve never been with anyone I’ve never dated. Mind you, I can count the people I’ve dated on one hand, so to be affiliated with the world when in reality I take pride in taking care of myself and my integrity is aggravating. I keep quiet because I know it’s never really worth it to address it, but the narrative sticks, and people start receiving you as a person you’re not. And men feed into these stories because it serves them!”
Her comments speak to a recurring complaint from women in the entertainment industry, who argue that unverified gossip and algorithm-driven engagement can harden into a public record that affects casting decisions, brand endorsements and longer-term career prospects.
In response to the public reaction and Thuli P’s statements, Prince Kaybee denied responsibility for the origin of the rumors and sought to distance himself from the blogger’s claims.
“What we are not going to do is guilt trip me into taking the fall for something I did not do, you and her can go jump!” Kaybee stated on X.
What we are not going to do is guilt trip me into taking the fall for something I did not do, you and her can go jump! https://t.co/muguXTMePm
– PRINCE KAYBEE (@KabeloMusic) June 18, 2026
Kaybee further asserted that the focus of public attention was misplaced, citing separate allegations of abuse involving Maphorisa. By redirecting attention to those claims, he drew the dispute into ongoing public debates about accountability and gender-based violence in the music industry, where artists’ social media feeds now function as quasi-public forums parallel to formal complaints processes and oversight by bodies such as the broadcast and communications regulators in other jurisdictions.
“Clear what rumour? I’ve never started a rumour, all that energy should’ve been directed to Maphorisa when he was allegedly abusing her. Y’all think just because I’m laughing here with y’all I am some punching bag. A ska ntlwaela nywana!” Kaybee wrote.
Clear what rumour? Ive never started a rumour, all that energy should’ve been directed to Maphorisa when he was allegedly abusing her.
Yall think just because Im laughing here with yall I am some punching bag. A ska ntlwaela nywana!!! https://t.co/EPhZBIGhhI
– PRINCE KAYBEE (@KabeloMusic) June 18, 2026
Public Record of Relationship Denials
This incident follows a pattern of public denials by Thuli P regarding her relationship status with high-profile individuals, underscoring how celebrity reputations are now routinely negotiated in real time on social media rather than through traditional publicists’ statements.
In June 2025, she denied claims that she was in a relationship with Zimbabwean businessman Scott Kupa. Previously, in early 2021, she issued a denial regarding rumored dating links to Duduzane Zuma, the son of former president Jacob Zuma. In each instance, the rumours circulated widely online before any formal clarification was issued, reflecting the asymmetry between the speed of viral posts and the slower, more cautious pace of reputation management guided by legal risk and advertising contracts.
For platforms, the episode adds to mounting pressure over how user-generated content intersects with privacy, harassment and misinformation – an area increasingly scrutinised by policymakers and courts as they weigh the responsibilities of intermediaries against free-expression protections.
Thuli P and Prince Kaybee have not issued further official statements since the social media exchange on June 18, 2026.
