PRETORIA – South Africa legendary artiste Yvonne Chaka Chaka has described Ugandan security agencies as dishonest and brutal for misrepresenting facts about her deportation from the country on Tuesday, December 31, 2019.
The music icon was deported from Uganda with police saying that she never had the right visa required of one to do business in a foreign country as she was set to perform at Buganda Kingdom’s end of year music show dubbed “Enkuuka.”
Whereas she had initially sent a video saying that she had not been deported and would be back to Uganda, Chaka Chaka on Thursday, January 2, gave an interview to a South African broadcaster, saying that her experience with Ugandan security agencies was horrifying. She also revealed that she was angry over the matter.
“How can they claim that I didn’t have the right Visa to enter the country yet they had allowed me into the country where I had already spent a night? Remember I have been to the country many times before,” She said in an interview.
Chaka Chaka said that security agents surrounded Pearl of Africa Hotel in Nakasero where she was staying and even forced her to board a police van.
“I refused to board their van. I told them that I am not a criminal,” she said.
The artiste claimed that she was threatened by a general on phone who claimed that my promoters did not follow the right procedure.
“I told them that this was not true. I was angry, angry and frustrated,” Chaka Chaka said.
She said security agents said that they could not guarantee her security if she insisted on performing at Enkuuka concert.
She said she turned down their offer of an air ticket, and hired another car to the airport where she boarded a plane.
She explained that she had to make a video telling the world that she was safe, not arrested and not deported to calm down her fans.
“My children were very terrified. They vowed never to come to Uganda again,” she added.
Addressing a press conference in Kampala on Thursday, ChakaChaka promoters, Abtex Promotions and Bajjo events demanded an explanation from the management of Pearl of Africa Hotel over the matter.
“We want an explanation of how they failed to protect our guest. Their explanation will inform our next step,” Mr Abbey Musinguzi of Abtex said.
Mr Musinguzi said that before inviting the South African singer, they informed Ugandan authorities and the South African embassy and hence there was no excuse that security agencies could not guarantee her security at Enkuuka.
