04-05-2025
Rebecca Malope demands R1 million from P&G for 'unlawfully' using her image
The legendary award-winning gospel singer-turned-designer, Rebecca Malope, is demanding more than R1 million from Procter & Gamble SA (P&G). The company produces and distributes well-known products, including Ariel washing powder, which Malope became a brand ambassador for in 2016.
According to the court document, which City Press has seen, the parties' contract would start on 1 July 2016 and end on 30 June 2017.
According to the document, the parties kept on renewing the contract until September 2022, and the agreement was not extended beyond that. However, P&G continued to manufacture products displaying Malope's face until this year.
Filed at the Pretoria High Court in April, the document states that since the Ngegazi Lemvana singer would have been paid R350 000 per contract that gave P&G permission to use her image, she is now owed about R1 million in total for 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The document further indicated that Malope had tried to amicably resolve the matter with P&G several times, but the company was not cooperative. The document claimed that P&G, through its lawyers, suggested a settlement after Malope had involved her lawyers in the dispute.
The settlement was allegedly drafted by P&G's lawyers and Malope signed it, however, P&G itself allegedly did not sign the settlement.
According to the court document, this suggested to Malope that the company did not want to amicably resolve the matter, which is why she took the matter further. The court process would be costly, so Malope also wanted P&G to cover her legal fees.
When contacted for comment, the Umoya Wam hitmaker told City Press that it was heartbreaking that things had reached this point.
"I feel deeply disrespected by their team, especially because we didn't come to them in a confrontational way. We approached them calmly and respectfully, simply saying: 'Let's fix this.' We've always had a great relationship with Ariel, and we genuinely wanted that to continue," she said.
Malope added that when she worked with the washing powder brand, she gave it her all and represented it with pride.
Being treated this way was not only unfair, but also disrespected everything she stood for, she said, adding:
All we asked was to address the fact that I haven't been paid, despite my image being used for the past couple of years. But, instead of working with us to resolve it, they were just not cooperative. That's what's most disappointing – and hurtful. I've been working in this industry for over 36 years. People know that I carry myself with integrity. I take my work seriously, I'm professional and I absolutely love what I do.
The former It's Gospel Time presenter said this situation had been stressful for her, especially considering that she and P&G had had a strong relationship since their partnership began in 2016. She recalled the work they did together, including travelling in and outside South Africa to promote the brand.
She said things took a turn when a new team took over. Malope shared that the relationship had turned sour despite much investment into it over the years, and that had been tough to deal with.
"Things continued smoothly through the contract renewal in 2021, which covered us through to 2022. Up until that point, we were genuinely happy with how everything was going. But ever since the new team took over, it's been a different story," she said.
The legendary singer added: "It feels like they're completely unaware of the foundation we built over the years with the previous team. That's been really disappointing because, instead of continuing to grow that trust and connection, it feels like all of that history is being overlooked."
Malope confirmed that, before she and her team involved lawyers, they had tried engaging with P&G, but that did not work out.
She said they wanted to resolve the issue based on the agreement she had with the company, but they allegedly denied entering into any agreement with her as the brand ambassador.
Malope said:
After receiving the evidence, they came back and offered to settle for an undisclosed amount. I'd prefer not to get into the details of that figure. But then, surprisingly, they later changed their minds and decided not to go ahead with the settlement at all. That's when we felt we had no choice but to involve our lawyers to help us bring this situation to a close and hopefully reach a fair settlement with the team.
The former Clash of the Choirs SA judge said that all she wanted was for P&G to do what was right, and she hoped that the court would reach a fair resolution and settle the matter respectfully.
