‘Polygamy is a gift’ — Mpumelelo Mseleku on how his father’s journey helps him navigate his own

At 22 years old, Musa Mseleku's son Mpumelelo is following in his father's footsteps by having more than one woman in his life.

He has two girlfriends, Vuyokazi Nxiweni, who is expecting their second child, and Tirelo, who recently welcomed their first baby together. 

On his family's reality show Izingane Zes'thembu, Mpumelelo reveals how he navigates polygamy.

“I got an opportunity to showcase what I do. How to structure polygamy and make people understand that you don't start polygamy when you are old. You have to start it now and grow with it to understand the dynamics. It's not forced. It's something I was raised in. People are failing to understand that,” he tells TshisaLIVE. 

Mpumelelo said having witnessed his father, who has four wives, run different relationships smoothly, he knew how to do the same for his growing family. 

“What I learned from my father is to always be truthful, humble and respectful, and know how to apologise.”

“In Zulu we have a saying that a person does what they witnessed from their father when growing up. It's like someone who grows up in a family where they have a taxi business, a person who grows up in such a home would never turn down that business.”

Mpumelelo, who has accepted his ancestral calling, said he believed polygamy was a gift from his ancestors. 

“Polygamy is a gift. You cannot get into polygamy if you do not believe in your ancestors, otherwise, it could get hard for you. You don't just agree to do polygamy. It's something that has been done by our ancestors before. If you don't do as you are told, they will cause you to make mistakes. That's why most people who don't have the gift, they end up having a lot of children with different baby's mothers.”