‘It's life': Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa on ‘non-negotiable' behind her split from Black Coffee

News24

30-05-2025

Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa has cited 'two children by two different women' as the straw that broke the camel's back in her marriage to Black Coffee.
Despite the hurt, she said she has forgiven her estranged husband, even without receiving an apology.
She urged the public to separate their artist identities from personal matters, calling for respect amid an ongoing divorce.
Fresh from her recent win at the SA Style Awards as the Most Stylish Performing Artist on TV and Film, actor and fashion designer Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa has once again found herself in the spotlight over her marriage to internationally acclaimed DJ and producer Black Coffee.
In a snippet that went viral from her recent interview with seasoned broadcaster and producer Relebogile Mabotja on Radio 702, Mlotshwa reflected on the highs and lows of her life, diving deep into her marriage and eventual split.
'I'm proud of how I handled my marriage. I never cheated in my marriage, not once, till the day I decided to leave because I could no longer take the punishment to myself,' she said in the interview.
Exploring the 'multi-layered' reasons behind her decision, she zoomed in on a significant dealbreaker: 'My non-negotiable were children in a marriage. Once there were two children by two different women, I said you don't love me. In fact, you're going to kill me,' she said, describing how the infidelity shattered her trust and respect.
'While I was leaving a lot of untruths. I lost a lot of respect for my partner.'
Aside from forgiving her estranged husband, the actor and fashion designer said she had also forgiven herself for forgetting her inner child and her dreams.
Further in the interview, Mlotshwa said she did not want people to leave the interview having picked sides.
'I love Black Coffee's music. I might not have a lot of respect for Nkosinathi Maphumulo, but Black Coffee is talented. He's extremely talented, and Enhle Mbali is out of the world talented, so I want people to be able to separate the two and let Enhle Mbali and Black Coffee be separate entities, but Mbalenhle Maphumulo and Nkosinathi Innocent Maphumulo are going through something right now, and it's a divorce, and it's not done. Allow them to get through it, you know. It's not news, it's life,' she said.
Mlotshwa's confirmation that she and her estranged Grammy-winning husband, the father of her two children, are still married came as he and his current model girlfriend, Victoria Gonzales, continue to share glimpses into their relationship on social media.
Most recently, Gonzales shared a side-by-side photo of her and Black Coffee on her Instagram stories with a photo from 2019 and 2025. In another, she shared a photo of her kissing Black Coffee's cheek and another of him kissing her forehead.
Since the announcement of the couple's split, they have made headlines for all the wrong reasons, with there being allegations of domestic violence from Mlotshwa and a protection order. Black Coffee denied the claims of abuse.
Months after the announcement of their split, Coffee said he believed he had done 'enough' to fix their marriage.
'I don't want to speak about her faults – she is the mother of my children, after all,' he said. 'Whenever I was wrong, I admitted I was wrong. We tried everything, such as seeing a therapist and a life coach, but nothing worked.'
'We have reached the point of no return. For the first time, we are understanding that we can't be together.'
In another interview with Kaya 959, he attributed their growing apart and wanting different things as a contributor to their split.
'I can safely say that we both wanted different things. Then problems start. That's why today I know for a fact that I won't get married again.'