South African actor Dumisani Dlamini broke his silence on his estranged relationship with his daughter Doja Cat, claiming she was “brainwashed” by her mother in a now-deleted Instagram post.
The tension between Doja Cat and her father escalated this week when Dumisani Dlamini, best known for his role in the 1992 film “Sarafina,” posted a lengthy message addressing decades of “deadbeat dad” allegations.
The post, which has since been deleted, came shortly after Doja Cat shared a TikTok video titled “The Deadbeat Chronicles” mocking her father for missing her Global Citizen Move Afrika concert in Pretoria.
In the deleted post, Dumisani claimed he worked hard to build his reputation and career.
He said: “I want to tell you the facts. I’ve worked hard to make my name, my reputation. I’ve worked hard, I’ve fought for this country.”
Dumisani then addressed his relationship with Doja Cat’s mother, Deborah Sawyer, an American woman.
The actor said he financially supported Doja and Deborah’s three children from previous relationships while they were in the United States.
He stated, “I’m not going to be used by a white woman with three kids. I was feeding those kids with the money from ‘Sarafina.’ I love my kids and I took care of her kids. Three white kids, they hated me.”
Dumisani claimed that Deborah came to South Africa and met his family, but he accused her of manipulating Doja Cat’s perception of him.
He said: “That white woman brainwashed my baby, that I had left her. I never left my kid. She played the cards, because of being influenced by her mother. She came to South Africa. She’s got power to see me, and she faked it.”
The conflict intensified when Doja Cat, 30, posted her TikTok video detailing how her father declined her invitation to her South African concert.
According to Doja Cat, Dumisani said he couldn’t attend because she “didn’t message him enough.”
She recounted: “I didn’t call him on WhatsApp. So I sent him gay p### and I said, ‘If you go to this link, you can get a ticket. It’s super easy.'”
Despite the public drama, Dumisani made an unexpected appearance at Doja Cat’s concert in Pretoria, suggesting the family tension may be more complicated than social media posts suggest.
Doja Cat has previously stated she never met her father growing up and described having a “tough childhood” with her single mother, Deborah Sawyer.
In a past interview, Doja Cat praised her mother’s strength, saying, “She is incredible, the strongest mother. She taught me a lot of things and made me in some ways stronger.”