Married at First Sight's Makoto opens up about navigating marriage drama
One couple that has kept Mzansi talking is Makoto Phumodi and Nkululeko Mahlangu.
The two started on a rocky start with a heated debate on their wedding night, which they tried to get over, but with each day came new challenges and a new misunderstanding.
From their struggling sex life to not seeing eye to eye on gender roles based on religion.
In last night's episode, the wives gathered for drinks at Nelisa's place, and jaws dropped. Bombshells were dropped about their husbands.
The ripple effects are already making waves, and we're bracing for what's still to come.
Makoto shares her journey on the show so far, as well as insight into her marriage.
What made you decide to take part in Married at First Sight South Africa? I decided to take part in Married at First Sight Season 2 because I wanted to try something different, I wanted to look for love in an unconventional way.
What was going through your mind the moment you saw your husband at the altar? When I first saw him, I was like, 'I've seen this face before.' We had seen each other in the past, and that was really interesting to me because I did not know what to expect.
How did you mentally prepare to get married to a stranger? I mentally prepared myself to get married to a stranger by simply being open to the unknown; that is all you can do. There is no manual to this experiment.
You and Nkululeko disagreed on your wedding night. How did that moment make you feel? The fight we had on our wedding night started when he said I must leave my church and go serve at his church, so by the time he started being hyper-religious on screen, I was already upset.
The Bible says that a man must provide and a woman must submit, right? Imagine being asked if you're willing to submit, but you don't even know if the guy is willing to provide emotionally, financially, mentally, or physically, so I was taken aback by that. But as you have seen, we moved past that.
The conversation around sex between you and your husband sparked a major debate online. Is intimacy a dealbreaker for you in a relationship? Intimacy is important to me. If we can't connect emotionally, it won't work. My husband didn't believe in foreplay or kissing when we first met so those are the things we had to learn about each other and overcome.
Tshepo has made a few comments about you. What's the story behind the tension between the two of you? My husband confided in Tshepo a lot. Our argument happened off camera when Tshepo said I shouldn't be asking my husband about his whereabouts, 'Monna ha a botswe o tswa kae.'
He was basically saying Nkululeko can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and I shouldn't ask anything. When I reacted to that comment, he called me disrespectful.
If you could design your ideal husband, what qualities would he have? My ideal husband is someone who's going to take the time to know and understand the type of person I am, embracing every scar and helping me grow.
What's your relationship like with the other cast members? Besides my husband, Palesa is my girl. We've built a beautiful relationship outside of the show. We talk on the phone almost every day. Portia and I still chat here and there, and as for Nelisa, I don't have a relationship with her.
How does it feel to watch your own journey unfold on screen? Watching my journey on screen is amazing. I'm not shocked by anything. People think I'm acting, but little do they know, I react like that in my everyday life.
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