Well this is unfortunate.
South African rapper Simiso Zwane aka OkMalumKoolKat has been jailed in Australia for sexually harassing a fellow artist that was performing at the Mofo Festival while she was sleeping in her hotel room.
KoolKat was sentenced to a month in jail despite his defense for a fine so he could avoid spending time in an Australian prison and come home.
The Hobart Mercury has reports that Zwane pleaded guilty to the charges. It’s said that he went drinking after his performance at the Mofo Festival and returning to his hotel at 05:30am was unable to find his room.
He then made his way into the victim’s room through a sliding door that was left open, and the woman woke up to OkMalum kissing her neck and rubbing her body.
He stopped after the woman told him to leave and pointed him out of her room.
“This must have been extremely frightening,” Crown prosecutor Rebecca Lancaster said in court. “This is a huge violation … in an environment where she ought to have felt secure and safe.”
Lancaster then adds that the fact that the woman was asleep during all this was an aggravating factor as she could not consent to any of it.
Zwane’s lawyer Steven Chopping shares that OkMalum is “remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed” by his actions and had been jet-lagged, intoxicated and confused during the course of the events when he’d separated from his companions.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Michael Daley adds, “It was a gross invasion, a terrible invasion. She was entitled to be [secure] without you mauling her like this.” Then sentenced the rapper to a month in jail.
So folks, KoolKat won’t be back in SA for a month.
Statement From His Management Team:
