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Shashi Naidoo's appearance at Vodacom Durban July cancelled

Johannesburg – TV personality Shashi Naidoo has been dropped by yet another sponsor.

The star landed herself in hot water after expressing her views on Israel and Palestine through a number of social media posts, which included her referring to Gaza as a "shithole".

This resulted in social media backlash and the local celeb being dropped by several sponsors including Glam Palm and Lil Jewels.

On Tuesday Sashi published a second apology on her Instagram page saying her original statement was one she copied and pasted from a friend in an effort to appear "smart" on social media. (Read more here)

In a statement released to the media on Tuesday afternoon the horse racing and betting company Gold Circle announced that Shashi’s appearance at this year’s Durban July has been cancelled.  

"Gold Circle has recently been made aware of a series of social media messages posted by Shashi Naidoo, who was appointed by an outside service provider to appear at this year’s Vodacom Durban July on Saturday 7 July 2018. It is understood that her scheduled appearance at the event has now been cancelled."

The company also made it clear that "the views and opinions expressed by Shashi do not reflect those of Gold Circle, the Vodacom Durban July or those of its associated sponsors."

Acknowledging that Shashi has already released a number of apologies, Gold Circle still went on to say that it "disassociates itself from the controversy surrounding the incident."

Human rights and Palestinian solidarity organisation BDS South Africa will be holding a press conference with the South African TV personality on Wednesday to discuss the matter further. 

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