Babes Wodumo
Babes Wodumo whose real name is Bongekile Simelane has grown over the years from being a superstar to becoming Mampintsha’s wife.
The artistry of a musician is in a cycle and it is expected to metamorphose. We’ve seen how artists have remained consistent for years to prove they are still relevant, but such is not the case with the South African singer who appears to have gone off the radar.
The Beginning of Babes Wodumo
Wodumo broke into the entertainment industry in her teen age.
In an interview where Babes spoke about her life, she said her dad, Bishop Welcome Simelane depended on the money/offering from church members to manage the home.
Unfortunately, on days when there’s no church offering, she won’t be able to go to school or be fed properly at home, hence she abandoned the problems at home to gain freedom and fun at clubs and grooving centers.
Bongekile developed her dancing skills and became famous in her hood.
“I was a party animal, so I loved grooving… People knew me as a pastor kid, dancing in clubs, people knew me for my dancing skills, I would do gimmicks,” she said.
Meeting Mampintsha a.k.a Mandla Maphumulo
Babes met Mampintsha at age 16 during a music video shoot; she was a video vixen for the music video and Mandla got her number from a friend at the shoot. They started conversing as friends on phone calls till they fell in love and began dating.
Music Career
As a video vixen, Babes Wodumo was already exposed to some musicians and also dating one of the hottest artist, who owns West Ink record label.
She released her first song titled “Desha” produced by Sir Bubzin, In 2014, however, her music career officially started in 2016 where she dropped her first hit single titled, Wololo.
South African singer, Babes Wodumo with a glammed face
According to the singer, she was in the bus with DJ Tira, Mampintsha and a few persons when she freestyled some words and Mandla later advised that she creates it into a song, which resulted to the existence and birth of the hit song, Wololo.
The hit single landed her lots of amazing opportunities as she worked with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and garnered the attention of international brands.
Babes got labeled the Gqom queen because she took the genre to another level as it was formerly labeled as ratchet and nonsense; people claimed Gqom lovers are dirty, but she rebranded it with the hit song which she dropped at the age of 18, then dropped her debut album Gqom Queen Vol. 1.
The song got her nominated for Best Breakthrough Artist and Song of the Year at MTV Africa Music Awards, she also got nominated by BET, SAMAs and others.
Bongekile was exposed to fame at a young age, but her music career was mismanaged which is assumed to have influenced her current situation.
The Fall of Babes Wodumo
The singer’s irrelevance gradually became evident after she got abused by her lover, Mandla.
In 2019 the singer got slapped by her boyfriend on an Instagram live chat.
South Africans stood up for her by canceling Mandla, but things took a different shape after the lovers claimed it was a stunt.
People withdrew themselves from her knowing she was lying in other to protect her man. The two later reconciled and settled out of court, they also went for counselling.
Babes Wodumo and her husband, Mampintsha
However, the incident made Babes withdraw from social media platforms, as she reduced her presence on the internet.
Bongekile’s love for alcohol is undoubted, as she’s talked about how she lavishes money on weaves and drinks with friends, but it turned against her as she trended on Twitter for being a drunkard, which she dismissed.
Marriage
Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha got married in 2020; welcomed their first child named Sponge in 2021.
Babes Wodumo and her son, Sponge Wodumo
The marriage has made headlines severally, as there’s been more drama surrounding her marriage especially from her in-laws – Mampintsha’s mother and siblings.
The couple premiered their reality show, Uthando Lodumo on Showmax in 2021 and it’s given some insight into their marriage.
From Gqom queen to Mampintsha’s wife
In 2021, Babes Wodumo’s music career seemed hopeful but things suddenly went mute on her end – She dropped an EP, Crown which didn’t garner much numbers.
She announced working with international artists but nothing to prove, she also announced a concert which got postponed and till date (4th of August, 2022) nothing has been said about the collaborations and concert.
Recently, there’s been constant talks about her in-laws and marriage to Mampintsha. Babes’ marriage and family saga have made more headlines than her music career which is quite unpleasant to behold as the genesis of her career beamed with much light.
We can’t tell her to abandon her marriage and family for her career but she’s slept way to long.
You can also share your thoughts about Babes Wodumo’s current status, musically; is she still the Gqom queen?
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