Their relationship seemed like it was just riddled with trials and tribulations.
Bongekile “Babes Wodumo” Simelane was the favourite queen of Gqom music and her partner Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo made hits with the Durban group Big Nuz before going solo.
They were a powerhouse, and their relationship was closely watched. When the cracks started showing in their relationship, it affected their careers and personal lives. They got married and had a child but the controversy didn't stop.
In season one of their reality show Uthando Lodumo – which aired a year ago – the couple was seen engaging in numerous fights and family feuds. They opened up about alcohol abuse and the nightlife of celebrities.
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Mampintsha tells Drum that season two, coming to Showmax on 1 September, is all about rectifying past mistakes.“We wanted the fame and attention but how we got into it was unexpected. Babes was young and I was not used to the limelight. There were things we needed to learn the hard way,” he says.
“So this season is about just rectifying things we have done wrong in our career, families, and with our fans,” he says.
“The first season, our families were not seeing eye to eye. Babes parents were not happy with me and she had a fall out with my mother. So, we will show both families coming together, the lobola negotiations, and maybe a little bit of the baby,” he says.
“We will also discuss the fallout Babes had with my mother and address the way she spoke to her. This experience taught me that there’s nothing that we can’t fix,’ he says.
Fans have been looking forward to seeing their baby. But Mampintsha says he and Babes Wodumo have intentionally kept their 1 year and six-month-old child away from the media and fans.
“Everyone hides their baby, even Cassper does it, we are no different. We have people who will use what we love to get to us,” he says.
“We don’t want to show our baby to protect the baby him from the cruel limelight. Angifuni umntana wam kugangwe ngaye. I want my child to go to school ad get an education unlike us,” he says.
“We didn’t finish school because we got into showbusiness. We have even started budgeting and saving up for the child's education so that when they decide what they want to do with their lives, we can be there to support him.”
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A few years ago, Babes exposed Mampintsha allegedly being physically abusive when she went live on Instagram and it looked like he was beating her. The video went viral and she opened a case of assault.
“We have put all of that behind us,” he says.
“I am not that person, and neither is Babes.”
Mampinsta says he and Babes have matured.
“In the beginning our relationship was rough,” he says. “I met Babes when she was young, and we sort of grew up together. We now see things differently and she is more mature and toned down on the aggression.”
Mampintsha says they treat each other better and with more respect.
“Our relationship has changed. We have been together for almost 11 years, and we have seen how we have evolved,” he says.
“The guy I saw in that abuse video wasn’t me. I didn’t recognise that person. I realised that I needed to work on myself,” he adds.
They have put the past behind them.
“The abuse is in the past. No one should bring it up again. We don’t even want to mention the abuse because we decided as a couple not to ever bring it up. I have learned to move forward. I am proud that we are facing our problems head-on. I believe in dealing with issues and not sweeping them under the carpet. Both Babes and I are going for counseling, which people will see on the show. This has helped me a lot in dealing with issues I didn’t know existed," he says.
“I want to work on myself and be a better person every day and so does Babes. I recently started counseling, and it has been helpful.
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Mampintsha and Babes made some career mistakes, but they have no regrets as they see it as an opportunity to learn.
“We are trying to correct all the mistakes,” he says.
“In our career Babes and I made a lot of mistakes and we want to fix that. Not having good publicity has been one of them. We found ourselves showing parts of our lives that were meant to be kept a secret. We did not have good management and publicity,” he adds.
“I have learned that You can’t go far without good PR. We met people and worked with them but fell off or didn’t get along with them. Sometimes we were at fault and sometimes they were the issue. I think that is what we are working on right now in our careers,” he says.
