Zola out on bail

BONGINKOSI Dlamini, the controversial TV star and musician called Zola, yesterday paid R1000 bail to stay out of jail.

Zola was arrested after handing himself over to the Brixton police station yesterday. He later appeared in the Brixton Magistrate’s Court in connection with an assault on Sunday World journalist Ngwako Malatji on Saturday at his house.

Malatji had gone to the musician’s house in Melville, Johannesburg, for an interview when the alleged attack took place.

Malatji claimed Zola slapped him, hit him with a chair before setting his vicious dogs on him.

After the attack, Malatji went to Garden City Hospital where he was treated for bites on his calf and upper leg. His wrists, fingers and elbow were also injured as he tried to block the chair Zola hit him with.

Reprieve: Zola at his home yesterday after appearing in court. PHOTO: ANTONIO MUCHAVE

Magistrate Welma Ferreira set bail at R1000. Zola told the court that he had no other pending cases against him.

His lawyer, Ezra Matlala, told the court that Zola has four children who depend on him and that he has no warrant of arrest against him and assured the court that he would not evade attending the trial.

Zola left the court through a back door, jumped into his silver BMW and sped off.


Matlapulana Ragoasha, head of communications at e.tv, which has been screening his show, Rolling with Zola, said they were going to meet with him first and hear his side of the story.

Earlier, Zola had told this paper: “Ngwako is obsessed with me. He’s been doing this for four years. Ngwako is busy talking to Garnet (Maseko – the mother of his two children) about me. I called him to my house … I slapped him, but at that time I was not thinking straight.”

He is expected to appear in court again on November 11.