By: Natasha Archary
Renowned South African fashion designer, David Tlale has denied allegations levelled against him of sexual assault by a young protégé.
According to a report by The South African, Tlale expressed his shock at the damning allegations and vehemently denied the public claims by Instagram user @MrZackiekins.
In a post, Zack detailed how he was allegedly exploited by Tlale when he was just 21-years old while working for Afi SA.
He says the two formed a friendship and Zack was “charmed” by Tlale, who took advantage of his trust by allegedly drugging him and sexually abusing him.
Zack further says that Tlale then exploited him of his skills during the pandemic and made him do work with the promise of payment which he claims was never honored.
“I left his brand after 3-months working for him and swore never to work in the fashion media industry again. A passion and vocation of mine. It took me almost 2-years to realise that I didn’t deserve any of that. To fully understand that it was sexual assault. That I was taken advantage of.
Today 3 years later is where I first share this with anyone and it’s solely me transcending past this and basically saying F**K you David Tlale. You’re a rapist. A couch caster and overall a NARCISSIST.”
Since Zack’s post was shared on Sunday, 06 November, David Tlale has remained silent on the matter but has since spoken out, denying the allegations.
As quoted from his response with the publication, David said, “Some very serious and quite damning allegations levelled against me and my professional brand have surfaced over the weekend. These allegations are categorically false and only seek to cause me serious harm and also seek to undermine the lived experiences of those who are real victims of sexual assault of any nature.
While I consult with my internal team of experts on this matter, this shall be the first and only comment on this issue until I am advised otherwise.”
David Tlale responds to allegations of sexual assault
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