FRED KHUMALO: Moonwalk? No, perp walk
We tend to get our artists’ private lives mixed up with their art. Which, I now realise, is wrong. But separating the two is easier said than done
I am crushed. I am defeated. I am angry. I am disappointed. As an undying fan of Michael Jackson, I have been floored by the new slew of allegations that the king of pop sexually abused some boys over a number of years. When the story first broke many years ago, I was initially disappointed but soon recovered when the accusers recanted. Back then, I could see that the whole thing was an orchestrated campaign to bring him down. That’s what I wanted to believe. When Wade Robson and James Safechuck testified on his behalf, I was relieved. They were, after all, close friends with Mike and had known him over many years. Their testimony bolstered my hopes. But with the release of a new four-hour documentary from British director Dan Reed, Leaving Neverland — which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival — Robson and Safechuck are back in the news. They claim that they lied when they testified on Jackson’s behalf. The news has really hurt because I loved Mike, as a human being and as an ar...
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