Miss Universe Nigeria finalist Ufa Dania says she hasn’t received fundraising money for her visit to SA.
Image: Ufadania/ Instagram
Miss Universe Nigeria finalist Ufa Dania has expressed concern over not receiving the money raised for her to visit South Africa.
Last year, a BackaBuddy fundraising campaign was launched by her fans to bring her to South Africa after she won their hearts and became a fan favourite.
A total of R8,800 was raised out of the planned R100,000.
In a TikTok video, Dania said despite her efforts to communicate with the campaign organiser, Reginald Mathule Kanyane, she is yet to receive the funds.
“A man by the name of Reggie contacted me after the pageantry, talking about raising funds to get me to South Africa, and I agreed to do it. He assured me the money wouldn’t just disappear and that it would actually be used to get me to South Africa.”
Dania said she had suggested donating the money to her foundation, as she felt that R8,800 would not be enough to cover her trip to South Africa. However, Kanyane informed her he would need to consult with the donors before proceeding.
“Best believe I will send you what’s due to you,” Kanyane said in a WhatsApp conversation.
“l am not one who steals or moves with people’s money at all. Now I am operating on a high level of stress, but it should be done in two weeks. What we were doing was covered in many news platforms and I wouldn’t dare paint my image negative with that.”
After several weeks of waiting, Dania said she reached out to Kanyane again to enquire about the status of her suggestion. She said Kanyane asked for her banking details to facilitate the transfer and obtain a bank statement to verify her account ownership. She said Kanyane failed to respond when she tried to get his full name and address to get the documents requested and has not heard from him since February.
“I don’t know where the money is, I don’t have access to it. I just want to ensure that he actually refunds the people who donated since the cause was to get me to South Africa. I’m not personally talking to him because I feel like the back and forth is too much.”
