People looking forward to Khanyi Mbau and Zodwa Wabantu’s fight
They once shared a man. When actress and TV host Khanyi Mbau was married to fallen businessman Mandla Mthembu, Zodwa Wabantu Libram had an affair with him. The two have since buried the hatchet and made peace with the past. The two are now set to exchange blows in the boxing ring at a celebrity boxing exhibition at the Ridge Hotel in Mpumalanga on 22 October 2023.
Organised by Arnold “Squire’ Nododile, the Infinity International Boxing exhibition is about celebrating Women in Boxing and will be the first of its kind since the celebrity boxing demonstrations began. The celebrity exhibitions started with rapper Cassper Nyovest and YouTuber Slik Talk, followed by Cassper and Naak Musiq, who walked off with the belt and followed by Cassper Nyovest and rapper Priddy Ugly at Sun Bet Arena.
In previous interviews, Zodwa spoke candidly about how she met the father of Khanyi’s child and her ex Mandla, whom she later had an affair with while he was married. Zodwa and Mandla’s affair lasted for almost three years and in the end, Khanyi divorced him. But it was not due to his affair with Zodwa, she admitted. Both Zodwa and Khanyi admitted to enjoying the benefits that Mandla’s wealth came with at the time as he was providing for both. Mandla eventually lost his wealth in an alleged offshore investment and vanished. Khanyi recently told ZiMoja that she does not know Mandla’s whereabouts and that her daughter does not have a relationship with him at all. “I don’t know where Mandla is. My daughter does not know her father. She has not seen him ever since she was a baby. She has no recollection of him. All she has is old pictures from when we were young.’ Khanyi said it’s almost like that part of her life was a dream. “I genuinely don’t know where Mandla is. I feel like he was a dream. Did he even happen? No calls, no texts, nothing. My daughter, who is my partner in this life thing, is 16 years old now.”
Boxing expert Siyanda Hlasela said in a celebrity match, both stars are not professionals and anything might happen. “In most cases, the celebrities would not fight in the same match because of their weight and height difference, but because it’s a demonstration, people get away with it,’ he said. “In most cases, the stars are also not trained or have not fought in the ring before and are not necessarily fit for the job. But it is an exhibition, and it is purely for entertainment. We just hope the two are safe and last longer than one round as we have seen with other stars in the past.’ Siyanda said there is a great longing for growing the female boxing industry. “As we all know, women in sport have been treated differently from men for years and we hope this changes as women deserve their flowers. Many talented female boxers can even knock out some men. So, we wish these two ladies, good luck.’
