This archive report was first published on 3 January 2020.
On January 3, 2020, celebrated South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka was at the center of a controversy in Uganda.
Chaka Chaka had been invited to perform at the Buganda Kingdom's annual Enkuka concert, but Ugandan police claimed she was deported on visa grounds.
According to police spokesperson Fred Enanga, Chaka Chaka landed in Uganda on an ordinary visa instead of a work visa, which would have allowed her to perform.
Enanga stated, 'This is to inform the public that a security task team with close coordination with immigration officials has this afternoon escorted Ms Mhinga Yvonne, popularly known as Chaka Chaka to Entebbe International airport, where she boarded her next immediate flight to South Africa, via Kigali.'
However, Chaka Chaka denied the claims, tweeting that she left the country voluntarily and promising to return.
She wrote, 'After reading all this I don’t know if I should just laugh or cry. All I am asking for is pls stop hate speech and fake news. What is this world coming to? If I was deported would they buy me a business class ticket? Nooooo they just put u on the plane…now you know.'
Chaka Chaka also expressed her commitment to Uganda, stating, 'I can assure u I will come back to Uganda and perform. This is my motherland.'
