WATCH: Durban business fears for family's safety after 'leaked' cash video
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2018-06-03
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A video of Durban businessman Eugene Silinda, 32, waving wads of cash has gone viral.
The video had social media users in a tailspin when it first appeared online earlier this week. In the video, Silinda is seen in a lounge area counting what he claims to be R4.3m.
"I was just playing around," Silinda told News24.
He said the video was never meant for public consumption, and that his phone had been stolen and his personal information compromised.
"The money you see [in] the video isn't even R4.3m, it's actually R1.2m."
Silinda said he was merely poking fun at people on Instagram who shamelessly flaunt or exaggerate their wealth. The video was filmed late last year. The money in the video was intended to pay contractors who were doing renovations at his home.
"I would never have that amount of money laying around at home."
Silinda has had success in the entrepreneurial sphere. He is the managing director of Quality Designs, a company that offers software development, graphic design and branding solutions. He invented a system that tracks water levels in different reservoirs in KwaZulu-Natal and sends alerts to municipal officials via text message when there is overflowing or drought.
He said the release of the video was a smear campaign and an attempt to assassinate his creditability within the business community.
Silinda said he was a self-made businessman who didn’t rely on tenders, but rather "invented solutions".
"It’s painful to me. People just want to punish a young up-and-coming black businessman who is struggling to climb the corporate ladder."
The release of the video had also put his family in danger, he said.
"I've had to hire bodyguards," he said.
Silinda, who has been inundated with messages and questions, wants to put the whole saga behind him.
"It’s so unfortunate that our fellow business South Africans have made it a hobby to destroy young business people who are competitively striving to contribute in the mainstream economy. This is why we have so few black entrepreneurs who are inventing ideas. It is my wish that one day the business fraternity will collaborate with the best interests - of creating employment opportunities."
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The video had social media users in a tailspin when it first appeared online earlier this week. In the video, Silinda is seen in a lounge area counting what he claims to be R4.3m.
"I was just playing around," Silinda told News24.
He said the video was never meant for public consumption, and that his phone had been stolen and his personal information compromised.
"The money you see [in] the video isn't even R4.3m, it's actually R1.2m."
Silinda said he was merely poking fun at people on Instagram who shamelessly flaunt or exaggerate their wealth. The video was filmed late last year. The money in the video was intended to pay contractors who were doing renovations at his home.
"I would never have that amount of money laying around at home."
Silinda has had success in the entrepreneurial sphere. He is the managing director of Quality Designs, a company that offers software development, graphic design and branding solutions. He invented a system that tracks water levels in different reservoirs in KwaZulu-Natal and sends alerts to municipal officials via text message when there is overflowing or drought.
He said the release of the video was a smear campaign and an attempt to assassinate his creditability within the business community.
Silinda said he was a self-made businessman who didn’t rely on tenders, but rather "invented solutions".
"It’s painful to me. People just want to punish a young up-and-coming black businessman who is struggling to climb the corporate ladder."
The release of the video had also put his family in danger, he said.
"I've had to hire bodyguards," he said.
Silinda, who has been inundated with messages and questions, wants to put the whole saga behind him.
"It’s so unfortunate that our fellow business South Africans have made it a hobby to destroy young business people who are competitively striving to contribute in the mainstream economy. This is why we have so few black entrepreneurs who are inventing ideas. It is my wish that one day the business fraternity will collaborate with the best interests - of creating employment opportunities."
Subscribe to News24:
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