She's been dealing with a series of firsts. The first Christmas without him, New Year's, their child's birthday.
It's been hard.
Babes Wodumo, real name Bongekile Simelane, marked her late husband's birthday, wishing Mandla "Mampintsha" Maphumulo a heavenly celebration.
Babes Wodumo shared a series of images and videos to commemorate Mampintsha, who passed in December 2022. He would have turned 41 on 18 June 2023.
In Babes' tribute, Mampintsha is seen clad in red leather jacket, black and white floral collar-shirt, jeans and accessorised with a red bowtie and matching hat. Babes also includes a video of Mampintsha's previous birthday and other videos by the late Ngeke hitmaker.
According to Afrotainment, the Big Nuz member died after being hospitalised due to a stroke, which shook the country.
His mother, Zamanguni Gumede, also passed away three weeks after his burial. She also reportedly suffered a stroke.
The late artist is survived by his wife Babes Wodumo and their son, who is affectionately known as Sponge. The pair [Babes and Mampintsha] tied the knot in 2021 and their wedding was screened in a Showmax special, in addition to their reality TV show Uthando Lodumo.
READ MORE | GALLERY | Inside Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha's traditional wedding
Mampinstha and his son share the same birthday month.
In previous shared posts, Babes penned a heartfelt message to her son on his birthday, which she cites she had mixed emotions while writing it. She captioned the post:
“It's your birthday today. A part of me misses ubaba wakho [your dad] because I know for sure this day was his favourite day. It was special even though you share the same birthday month but, on this day, both our lives changed forever we’re now parents to a precious boy.”
Adding that Sponge still recognises Mampintsha‘s voice - through old voice notes - and face in pictures because of the effect he had on them,
“This day is a joyous day because it reminds me that I became a mom but also emotional cause you won’t hear your dad wish you a happy birthday again,” she concludes.
