The Sunday News
SOUTH Africa Gqom superstar Bongekile “Babes Wodumo” Simelane and her fiancé Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo were due to celebrate their traditional wedding today in KwaZulu-Natal.
The news was confirmed to TshisaLIVE by Babes’ sister and Public Relations manager, Nondumiso Simelane, last Wednesday. “They are getting married on Sunday near Umhlanga,” she said.
Nondumiso said the two families were rushing around last week to make sure everything was perfect for the weekend, but said Babes was over the moon.
“Everyone is exhausted. It has been up and down. It’s their traditional wedding so you can imagine all the preparation that goes into such a big occasion.”
The ceremony will be followed by a white wedding in a few months’ time. “They will have a white wedding, but it is not this weekend. It may be in about two or three months from now,” Nondumiso added.
The couple got engaged in October last year, announcing the news with a video on social media of Mampintsha going down on one knee with a ring in his hand.
“Be my wife Ma Simelane. It’s been years, it’s been a long time my love,” Mampintsha can be heard telling his future wife in the video. A blushing Babes says “yes” and the room erupts in celebration.
“Within a blink of an eye and now I’m left speechless, the journey wasn’t easy but we stuck together through thick and thin. Ngiyabonga Mashimane,” Babes said of the moment.
The wedding comes amid rumours the pair are expecting their first child together, however, there’s been no official comment on the rumours. Both wedding ceremonies will most likely be recorded for the couple’s Showmax reality show, Uthando Lodumo, coming soon.
“Babes and Mampintsha’s relationship has not been a fairytale romance. They’ve had serious issues as a couple, yet have chosen to remain together.
“The show focuses on how they have overcome their challenges, working through them with their families,” Nomsa Philiso, MultiChoice channel director of local entertainment, said of the show. — sowetanlive.co.za.
