Tanzanian musician Naseeb Abdul Juma, popularly known by his stage name Diamond Platnumz, performs at Thika Stadium on December 2, 2018.
Diamond Platnumz has finally broken his silence, shedding light on his decision to stop covering the medical expenses of his long-time manager, the revered Tanzanian talent manager Said Mkubwa Fella.
Mkubwa Fella has been absent from the public eye for months as he continues to battle for his health.
In January, his wife, Sweet Fella, revealed that he was critically ill and added that some of his former allies had deserted him when he needed them most.
"When my husband was well, his phone wouldn't stop ringing. People would call at all hours, asking for favours or help. It got so hectic that, when they couldn’t reach him, they would call me instead and ask me to put them through. Today, those calls have disappeared,” she shared on her social media. She wrote on social media.
Sweet Fella went on to state that she had been left to shoulder the financial burden of her husband’s treatment alone. This was something she had never imagined would happen, given how many careers he had helped to build within Tanzania’s entertainment industry.
Diamond Platnumz’s manager and respected Tanzanian talent manager, Said Mkubwa Fella.
She also criticised Diamond, who had paid Mkubwa Fella’s bills amounting to millions of shillings, including flying him to India for special treatment.
"I just wanted people to know that I am fighting this battle alone. Many of the people he helped nurture, guide and uplift until they became successful are not supporting me. Of course Diamond knows Fella is ill. He helped finance the trip and treatment in India, and for that I am grateful. But that is all he did. After that, there has been silence. Diamond is influential; he has connections and means. I believe he could have done more to help my husband. That is why I wanted to make it clear that I am on my own," Sweet Fella stated.
Having initially remained silent on the matter, Diamond finally broke his silence, revealing that he withdrew his financial support after hearing Sweet Fella claim that Diamond was preventing others from helping.
"Sometimes the people we are close to are surrounded by others who don’t really understand the nature of our relationship. I was covering all of Said Mkubwa Fella's expenses, and I had no issue with that. In fact, I instructed my finance manager to take care of all his expenses because I have tremendous respect for Mkubwa Fella, who has been one of my most loyal managers for years,” he told a Tanzanian radio station this week.
But then came Sweet Fella’s claims.
“What hurt me were those comments. How was I stopping others from helping? And I do remember one of my close friends, Issa, gave me $10,000 (Sh1.3 million) as part of his contribution, and I handed over all that money to Fella’s wife, even though I was already taking care of everything. Those comments really hurt me. I questioned why I was even doing this, and so I decided to take a step back and let others help then,” Diamond said.
The singer added that he is still open to helping Mkubwa Fella whenever he is needed, having already spent in excess of Sh10 million on him.
In January, reports in Tanzanian media indicated that Mkubwa Fella was at the time bedridden after returning from India, claims Sweet Fella strongly disputed.
“For now, my husband is doing much better than before. The exercise sessions have really helped. We spend about Tsh1.2 million (Sh62,000) every month on exercise therapy.”
Although she did not disclose the exact nature of her husband’s illness, reports suggest that Mkubwa Fella is suffering from paralysis in his legs.
Until he fell ill around a year ago, he was one of Diamond’s three managers, alongside Morogoro South-East MP Babu Tale and Sallam SK. He played a significant role in the day-to-day running of Wasafi Records.
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