Ntsiki Mazwai has chastised DJ Zinhle for allowing her daughter Kairo Forbes to perform at a music concert in memory of her late father, AKA.
The outspoken media personality, who was not a fan of the later rapper, real name Kiernan Forbes, expressed her thoughts to her Twitter and X.com followers.
Over the weekend, Kairo made headlines after she performed a tearful rendition of one of her dad’s songs at the 947 Joburg Day. The eight-year-old appeared alongside her mother, her father’s girlfriend, Nadia Nakai, and Kiernan’s mother, Lynn Forbes.
AKA was shot and killed by unknown gunmen in Durban in February.
Ntsiki Mazwai called out DJ Zinhle in a series of tweets for what she considers to be a poor parenting decision.
The former Moja Love host even accused the singer of using her daughter for “PR.”
In a since-deleted tweet, she said, “I don’t mean to be harsh, but Kairo is not the first or last child to lose an artist parent.”
“But she is the first to be used for PR to capitalize,” she added. It’s heartbreaking.”
Ntsiki Mazwai wasn’t the only X user to share a similar opinion on DJ Zinhle and Kairo.
Gender-based violence NGO Women For Change claimed that the DJ was using her daughter for “content.”
@officialshlelo: “They are making Kairo do a PR run instead of letting her mourn in peace.”
@_french_fry: “Baby Kaely is going through hectic emotions. Cameras, grand stages while mourning.”
@mrridgard53: “Mama is using her to get more traction.”
Kairo is without a doubt one of the most popular celebrity child brands in South Africa right now.
The only child of Zinhle and AKA has over 1 million Instagram followers and is said to have made millions of dollars through paid partnerships and endorsement deals.
However, this was not always the case. Zinhle announced in 2017 that she would no longer post photos of Kairo on social media. “I felt like my child was overexposed,” she explained to Z’khiphani, “so the reason I wanted to take her off social media is because she is a baby, and I thought she just needed time out.”
She also claimed that strangers frequently harassed Kairo and her nanny on the street, which was a major safety concern for her.
A few years later, Zinhle claimed that a “older” Kairo agreed to her photos being shared on social media and having her own Instagram account. However, her “fame” came at a cost. Zinhle told Sowetan in 2017 that fans had approached Kairo in a local mall.
She expressed her concerns, saying, “Sometimes I panic.” We do everything we can to protect her, but I still get scared. Should I publish this? We try to show people a glimpse of Kairo’s life and let her be as free as possible, but we also keep an eye on what we post.”
