Johannesburg – Former City of Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse has remarried, just months after a relatively short-lived marriage to Brutus Malada ended in divorce.
The news of Phalatse's swift transition from one marriage to another has sparked considerable interest, particularly given the circumstances surrounding her previous union.
Phalatse, 47, and Malada were married in December 2022, a union that garnered significant media attention given Phalatse's high-profile position as the city's mayor at the time. However, their marriage proved to be short-lived, dissolving in April 2024 after only a few months.
Sources close to the former couple have revealed that the marriage's breakdown stemmed from disagreements over family visits. According to these sources, Malada resided with Phalatse and her relatives in a rented house in Fourways, northern Johannesburg, following their wedding. Initially, their relationship appeared strong, even after Phalatse's departure from her mayoral post.
However, friction arose when Malada's relatives sought to visit their home. A source close to the couple stated: “You see, Malada would drop off Mpho’s relatives to wherever they wanted to go and even made time to fetch them. But when his relatives wanted to visit him in their house, she would protest.
"Mpho is a spiritual person and she would go to church and fast and pray hard and when she returned home she would tell Brutus that they should not allow too many people into their home because this may bring bad luck to it.”
This source further explained that Malada attempted to resolve the conflict, but ultimately, his efforts proved unsuccessful.
“He left the house between April 2 and April 5 and went back to live with his children,” the source added.
The source also noted that despite the short duration of their relationship, this was Phalatse's longest marriage, lasting over twelve months.
Malada himself confirmed the divorce, stating: “I can confirm that Mpho and I divorced in April this year because of complex family issues. The months that we spent together were the happiest period of my life and will always cherish the memories we shared together.”
He offered a gracious response to Phalatse's subsequent marriage, saying: “If she is married and happy, I’m happy for her too. Life moves on.”
Phalatse's new husband is Gerald Nxumalo, a pastor at Jubilee Global Ministries. They exchanged vows on August 31st, just four months after her divorce from Malada. The following day, Phalatse was introduced as "mmamoruti" (a title of respect for a woman of God) during a church service at the ministry's headquarters in Randburg. This marks Phalatse's third marriage. She was previously married to Dr Stevens Setati.
Despite repeated attempts, Phalatse remained unavailable for comment at the time of publication. The speed of her transition from one marriage to another, coupled with the details surrounding the dissolution of her previous union, has undoubtedly added another layer of intrigue to her already fascinating public profile.
