4 days ago
Babes Wodumo reflects on musical comeback and Mampintsha - ‘I miss his jokes'
She is a young mother and widow navigating life in the wake of her husband Mampintsha's tragic passing.
Despite her circumstances, she is eagerly anticipating her musical comeback and aims to perform on stages throughout KwaZulu-Natal.
Bongekile Simelane famously known as Babes Wodumo has been a household name in South Africa since her rise to fame in 2016 through her hit song 'Wololo,' the song's success propelled her into the limelight, and she soon became a fixture on South Africa's music scene, particularly the gqom genre. Her rise to fame was meteoric, thanks in part to her late husband, Mandla Maphumulo a.k.a Mampintsha, who played a pivotal role in shaping her career. Babes co-founded 'West Ink Records' alongside Mampintsha and they made hit songs that have since cemented her in the South African music industry.
Babes then later started her own independent record label, 'Wena Wodumo Entertainment.'
However, on December 24, 2022, Babes lost her husband Mampintsha, and in the aftermath of her loss, she found solace in her child, family and craft.
Through her reality TV show, 'Wena Wodumo,' fans have been given a front row seat as she navigates the complexities of widowhood and single motherhood.
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Babes Wodumo says that she is in great space in her life and career and she's grateful for those that relate to the woman she has become.
'I'd describe my head space as good because I'm occupied with work, so I'm grateful. And my favourite highlight of this season of my life was having one of my fans at a gig coming to me, telling me that she's also going through the same thing as me, she's also grieving her husband and after watching my show her mindset changed. For me that spoke volumes,' she said.
Being a young mom is teaching her that one never stops learning.
'Motherhood is great in the sense that you don't know what you're doing but somehow you naturally do it. And now I'm teaching my baby manners and as he grows into this big boy who has internalised everything I've instilled in him, and puts into practice all the values and principles, I'm amazed. It has made me realise the true meaning of the Zulu saying 'Ufunda uze ufe empilweni,' (you learn till you die) because even I get to learn some things from him as his mother.'
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Babes says work never comes before her son. On gloomy days Sponge is her motivation.
'My son is very bubbly; he's always laughing and very direct, if he doesn't like something he has no filter, he'll tell it as is, and you have no choice but to learn from that. However, balancing work and parenthood isn't easy, but I try by all means to make it work, my family and my child are my biggest motivations, so I do it for them, which is why I don't take Sunday gigs as Sundays are for bonding with my family,' she added.
She also revealed that there's projects she's currently busy with and that fans must stay tuned.
'There are collaborations currently underway, and this year in November I'm doing my big homecoming show in Lamontville then next year in May, I'll be doing my one woman show in Durban, so my fans should stay tuned for date announcements.'
Babes shared fondest memories of her late husband, Mampintsha, how she keeps his memory alive and what she does to prioritise her self-care in challenging times.
'I miss his jokes, his voice and almost everything, I just miss it all. And I'm making sure his memory stays alive through our son, I make sure my son is as bubbly and as full of life as his father was, Mampintsha was full of jokes and always focused and that's what I've instilled in our boy. And whenever I stumble across challenges, I revert back to the bible for my soul as it's my self-care.'
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A post shared by Bongekile Simelane (@babes_wodumo)
