Johannesburg – The festive season of 2003 holds a unique significance for Mpho Tshabalala, the widow of the late kwaito superstar Mandoza. It was on 24 December of that year, a day etched forever in her memory, that she unexpectedly became Mrs Tshabalala.
Recalling the day with remarkable clarity, Mpho describes a scene unfolding in a Pimville, Soweto hair salon. Heavily pregnant and engrossed in getting her hair braided, her then-boyfriend, Mandoza, unexpectedly arrived with a life-altering announcement: “It’s time to go and get married.”
“I was so shocked because I didn’t know what he was talking about,” she recounts. “It turns out the elders in our family thought a Christmas wedding would be perfect for us to become Mr and Mrs Tshabalala. We had a pastor in the family, his uncle. So, we got home from the salon and both our families were there. I remember there was a table with papers which we had to sign.”
The wedding, she explains, was far from the elaborate affair one might expect for a kwaito star. It was an intimate gathering, a testament to the couple's down-to-earth nature.
“When I saw the papers, I was surprised that we were really getting married. Because I was wearing hot pants, his mum asked his sister to lend me her long jean skirt. We signed and just like that, we were married. They ululated and sang. It was a small ceremony and I realised that the most amazing things are the small things. He was actually more excited than I was,” she shared.
Mpho reveals that Mandoza's enthusiasm surpassed even her own on that Christmas Day. The couple later held a larger, more formal wedding celebration on 8 and 9 May 2004.
“I wanted to get a nice venue and get married there. But we had the wedding at his home where we blocked the street. It was because he had seen weddings held ekasi and he loved them, so he wanted his wedding to be like that as well,” she explained, highlighting Mandoza's preference for a traditional, community-focused celebration.
The reality TV star reflects on what could have been, expressing her plans for a grand 21st wedding anniversary celebration in 2024. However, the event will be a private affair.
“We would’ve thrown a bash at a stadium to say we are celebrating a huge milestone. I actually didn’t realise that I was this old,” she said, acknowledging the passage of time and the bittersweet nature of remembering their milestone.
Despite the loss of her husband to brain cancer in 2016 at the age of 38, Mpho intends to honour their anniversary. The family's plans reflect a poignant blend of remembrance and resilience.
“A few weeks ago, the kids and I moved into our new home and all Mduduzi’s things are still there. I still keep them because I’ll never get married again. So, as we were looking at them, we decided to celebrate the anniversary. We’ll have both families at home just to celebrate and remember him. We’ll be playing his music in the house and just remembering him as a family,” she concluded, painting a picture of a family bound by love and enduring memory.
