Things will never be the same after that video in which Mampintsha slaps Babes Wodumo several times went viral.
Image: Instagram/Babes Wodumo
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There's saying I grew up hearing that goes: "Ditaba ke tša babedi, wa boraro ke mpheyane", which loosely translates to mind your own damn business. This is what came to my mind in the wake of the latest developments in the Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha saga.

In the newsroom, it took a great deal of back and forth with the editors and among ourselves before the decision was made that we must report what had happened to Babes that fateful night on March 3, 2019.

Babes and Mampintsha were trending on Twitter as early as 5am that day after a live video was posted on her Instagram Stories showing a man who resembled Mampintsha hitting her several times. It was later confirmed that it was indeed Mampintsha in the video beating up Babes.

Cases of assault were opened, Mzansi was enraged and activists (both online and in real life) came out to ask for boycotts against Mampintsha. Babes' father spoke in sombre tones about what had happened to his baby girl and how he was ready to kill for her.

Because this is Mzansi and your faves are particularly fond of public stunts, the thought did cross my mind: Could it be a publicity stunt? No. It couldn't be. It was real. We saw it ourselves and the police were involved. They wouldn't take it that far. They just wouldn't.

As the dialogues continued around what had happened, I knew that it was always going to be tricky having an opinion about two people's relationship. Especially one that may or may not have all or some of the following elements: fame, money, ownership of intellectual property, abuse victim psyches, abuser manipulation, ill-advisers, web of abuse, the need to stay relevant etc.

But here I am, two months later asking myself questions that probably have no answers again.

When the unofficial release of the song Khona Iyngane Lay'Ndlini reared its head a couple of weeks ago, I thought "wow, the audacity!" Then at a random gig, Babes used the same line to get a reaction from her crowd at a club in Durban and I thought, "ag, maybe she's just taking back her power".

Today, after a music video teaser of the same song has been announced and there are talks of a reunion of the two parties, I am sickened, to be honest.

I further felt like I had been slapped across the face when the song topped the charts on iTunes after it was released.

Because that meant, Cassper Nyovest was right, when he said in a verse that "N*ggas get away with beating girls on Instagram live and the outrage is temporary".

The rage was mostly fake and it's over.

Then I had to check myself and I got to thinking about how "Ditaba ke tša babedi, wa boraro ke mpheyane".

Having spoken to Babes' father soon after the video went viral, I wonder what he's thinking as his child "mends" the bridge she set on fire just months ago.

I know, from speaking to Mampintsha's manager several times, that he's allegedly been undergoing therapy to help "rehabilitate" himself. And as for Babes, well I hope she knows what she's doing. 

DJ Fresh and Somizi briefly spoke on their Metro FM breakfast show about how we must treat an abuse victim who "relapses". They said we are to be compassionate and wait for them to want to truly cut their losses, this was just after the initial suspicion that Mampintsha and Babes were making up came up.

I have a lot of theories about what has led to Babes and Mampintsha playing on "broken strings", but I will keep those to myself (for now) and watch as the story unfolds.

Provided the case isn't withdrawn, Mampintsha will be in court next week (May 15).

Personally though, nothing will ever be the same for me where those two and their entourage are concerned. Both Mampintsha and Babes Wodumo won't get a cent from me or my support in any way if I can help it.

They, together with the whole crew,  are, uh, as the new school kids say, CANCELLED.


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