South African motivational speaker Vusi Thembekwayo accused of assaulting wife

Prominent South African motivational speaker and author Vusi Thembekwayo is on the wrong side of the news after his wife accused him of assault, leading to his arrest.

Thembekwayo is alleged to have slapped his wife severally before dragging her down the stairs following a heated argument.

According to a police report seen by the country’s media outlets, the scuffle occurred after the 36-year-old businessman returned to their home in Johannesburg from an international trip.

“He woke her up and instructed her to pack and go. She refused and an argument ensued. He pulled her by the legs off the bed, slapped her several times, dragged her down the stairs, loaded her bags in the car and forced her in the car,” read the police report.

Thembekwayo’s wife is said to have jumped out of the car and run away after he stopped at a traffic light.

She then reported the matter to the police, upon which the motivational speaker was arrested, arraigned in court and released on bail.

He has since released a public statement denying the assault claims, saying he has entrusted the matter upon the justice department and will cooperate accordingly.

Thembekwayo termed his wife’s allegations against him as “unfortunate”, adding that she has a history of substance abuse.

“I can confirm that I flew back to South Africa on 6 December 2021 from an international trip to attend to a situation pertaining to my wife and her longstanding battle with substance abuse. Her response has been unfortunate and resulted in alleged charges of assault against me,” he said.

“The matter appeared in court this week and has been remanded and is being defended. At all times, I have cooperated with law enforcement to resolve this matter courteously and expeditiously. As it stands, I maintain my innocence and will prove this in the appropriate forum and trust the Justice Department to deal with it accordingly.”

He added: “I have always been an advocate of equality, committed to eradicating all forms of GBV and I believe my record speaks for itself in this regard. I must state that I have consistently maintained my family and personal life as a matter of privacy, and never sought to make a public spectacle of my family and subsequently ensured that it be kept separate from my career. I will be continuing with the same approach in dealing with the matter as far as possible, particularly to safeguard my children.”