The long-simmering estrangement exploded into a public feud in March 2026. As Doja Cat's production crew arrived in South Africa for stadium performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Dumisani Dlamini took to local media, expressing pride and hinting at an emotional backstage reunion.
The reunion never happened. Instead, Doja Cat made her position clear. When Dlamini reportedly reached out through mutual contacts seeking family passes, she sent back an X-rated web link rather than concert access. The snub made international headlines within hours.
Dlamini responded aggressively. Speaking to HOT 97 and TMZ on March 22, 2026, the 62-year-old actor lashed out at his ex-partner, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer. He claimed that Sawyer systematically alienated Doja Cat from him during her childhood, alleging that his daughter had been "brainwashed" into seeing him as a deadbeat father.
"I loved my children and I tried to be there," Dlamini stated during his radio appearance. "Her mother poisoned her mind against me. She grew up in an environment where the father was erased. Now my daughter treats me like a stranger because of lies told thirty years ago."
Social media reaction was swift and polarized. On X (formerly Twitter), South African fans split between those defending Dlamini's cultural status as an elder and those supporting Doja Cat's boundary-setting. Many noted that praising an estranged child only after they achieve billionaire-tier international fame undermines claims of genuine fatherhood.
