The King of Kwaito as he is popularly called, Arthur Mafokate has built his entire life around two things; his family and music. In as much as he doesn’t have what would easily be described as a “normal” or traditional family, he still has one that is beautiful. It is no secret that the music star has never been married, but he has four amazing kids on whom he showers all the love he can afford.
Mafokate has attracted many controversies through the years, some of which stemmed from his many failed relationships. Notably, some of these relationships produced children for him but not all were publicized. Amidst all, he does not shy away from showing off his kids to the world, so much that we have come to believe we know some of them on a personal level.
Profile Of Mafokate
- Full Name: Arthur Mafokate
- Date of birth: July 10, 1962
- Age: 62 years old
- Career: Dj, music producer, musician, entrepreneur
- Children: Arthur Mafokate Jr., Owami Mafokate, Kelello Mafokate, and Onalenna Mafokate
The Rise Of Arthur Mafokate Before He Started Having Kids
Not someone who will necessarily need to be introduced, Arthur Mafokate is a DJ, musician, music producer, and entrepreneur who was born on 10th July 1962. He was birthed in Soweto to a father who was famous as the first black South African showjumper, and a mother that nothing much is known about.
He was raised together with his six siblings but before long, his family moved from Soweto to Midrand. Since he was a little child, Arthur always had interest in music and the entertainment industry in general. He later became one of the legendary Brenda Fassie’s backup dancers.
He started his career in 1995 with the release of his track Kaffir which became an instant success. Subsequently, he released more tracks and took home many awards and recognitions.
Arthur Mafokate Has Had A Very Long And Complicated Love Life
The love life of Arthur Mafokate cannot be separated from his career as he has come to be recognized for the numerous affairs he has had with those working with him. The singer first started his career as a musician and later founded his music label, 999 Music in the 1990s. The label which although changed so much about his career also gave his love life a new narrative.
Mafokate Had An Unclear Relationship With Tsholo
One of the relationships of the Kwaito King that many did not know about because it happened a long time ago was with Tsholo. She was signed under his music label as a dancer for Abashante – a band signed to Arthur’s 999 Music. Details surrounding the relationship are not known but after it came to an end, she was said to have left the label in a way that was not very clear.
He Dated Queen Iyaya Who Was Signed To His Label
Apart from Tsholo, one of the very first women to be linked to Arthur is Queen Iyaya, who, back in the 1990s, was a rising star in the Kwaito genre. She was the lead singer of the band Abashante.
The career of Queen Iyaya was on the rise just like that of her band before she later started a relationship with Arthur. It is believed that it was their professional work together that started the relationship in the 1990s and it subsequently led to a pregnancy and the birth of Arthur’s first child in the early 2000s.
Queen Iyaya’s relationship with her boss, Arthur Mafokate came to a bitter end following the birth of their child. A former member of her band, Penny Lebyane, claimed that Arthur was the sole reason why Queen Iyaya who has now changed her name to Queen Sesoko and is now into gospel music, would never make it big as a music star. She claimed he snuffed out her potentials because she loved him.
However, one of the things said to have caused their breakup was that she disappeared with another man for days while still in a relationship with Arthur.
His Relationship With Chomee Was Even More Controversial
Another woman Arthur dated is singer Chomee whose real name is Thulisile Madihlaba. Their relationship raised so many questions as Arthur was the first to discover Thulisile when she was only 9 years old and he groomed her as one of his singers and dancers.
Later regarded as the first lady of 999 Music, she got into a relationship with the music boss even though they had a 20-year age difference between them. The relationship spanned a long time before it came to an end in 2014. Even after the breakup, she remained with his music label until 2016 when she left and founded her own company, only to return to 999 after a year.
Arthur Mafokate Dated Busisiwe Thwala CiCi, Another Singer Signed To His Label
A relationship that turned out to be more controversial for Mofokate was the one he had with singer Busisiwe Thwala who is better known by fans as CiCi. He began the relationship with her after the one he had with Chomee came to an end. Interestingly, but not surprising, she was signed to his music label when they started dating.
At the time, she saw a great rise in her career as the relationship also went well and she soon moved into his mansion. She made the money and won awards, but the relationship was not one to lead to the altar. In 2017, CiCi sued the singer, claiming he assaulted her. She explained that Arthur dragged her on the ground behind the wheels of a car and she was left with many injuries. She alleged that she was unable to take a bath for days, spent weeks in the hospital, and might not be able to have kids.
His ex, Chomee was the one who came out to speak on his behalf as he claimed innocent of the allegations. She stated that while she was with him, she never witnessed any violence and he didn’t lay a finger on her. The record label boss was later acquitted of all charges.
Apart from these known women, Arthur has also dated a number of other women, even though those relationships have not been revealed to the public. Some of these women also had children for him. He was once rumored to be in a relationship with controversial singer, Kelly Khumalo. At the time, it was reported that they were serious with each other and were even preparing to get married following an engagement. However, it later emerged that the two were only good friends and they never got engaged or even dated to begin with.
Meet The Four Children In Mafokate’s Family
Whatever criticisms one may have against the respected king of Kwaito, his role as a father to his kids is not something that anyone can criticize. Arthur is a father of four children, a son, and three daughters.
He has successfully brought up all his kids by himself, with the exception of his son who spent many years with his mother. Even though all his kids were birthed to him by different women, he has managed to bring them very close and the bond that they share is amazing.
His First Child Is Named After Him
- Full Name: Arthur Mafokate Jr.
- Date of birth: October 20, 1993
- Age: 30 Years old
- Career: Dj, Music Producer, Musician,
- Mother: NA
The relationship that Mafokate had with his first baby mama was never revealed, but it is known that the two had a son together, Arthur Mafokate Jr. He was mostly raised by his mother, although he also has a great relationship with his father. According to him, his mother taught him so much about love.
Famously known as DJ AJ, the young Mafokate has since started his career in the entertainment scene as a musician and DJ. He has already released an album, Keamogetswe. He is also an event organizer and a music producer. Initially, he didn’t want to go into the music business because he believed it was something difficult, but as soon as he started, he realized he loved it and his parents were there to support him.
In 2020, AJ released a song with an international record label based in the UK. He revealed that he dropped his song on social media and it was through it that the music label, Aluku Records got to him after someone sent the link to them. He was supposed to be on tour in Europe in 2020, thanks to the deal with the label, but the Covid-19 Pandemic did not make it possible.
Reports emerged in 2018 that he was expecting a child with his girlfriend. Although he denied the claims at first, he later confirmed it. He is now the father of a little girl, making Arthur Mafokate a grandfather.
Owami Mafokate Is His First Daughter
- Full Name: Owami Mafokate
- Date of birth: 20 September 2001
- Age: 23 Years old
- Career: Dj, Dancer, social media star
- Mother: Queen Iyaya
The second child and first daughter of the singer is Owami Mafokate who as stated, was born to him by his former lover, Queen Iyaya. Owami was born on 20th September 2001. After the relationship between her parents went sour, Arthur and Queen went into a serious battle on who was to have custody of their daughter and Arthur won the case.
Iyaya has since made it clear that she did not regret that her former lover had their daughter even though their relationship did not end well because he gave her the best any parent could. More so, he did not try to spoil the relationship between his daughter and her mother.
With both parents in the entertainment business, it is not surprising that Owmi has also cut her path in that same direction. She is a dancer, social media star and is better known for her DJying career. She first appeared in an advert with her father even before she was 4 years old. Currently, her dream is to become Mzansi’s best female deejay.
Kelello Is The Third Child Mafokate
- Full Name: Kelello Mafokate
- Date of birth: 23 September 2004
- Age: 20 years old
- Career: Dj, still in school
- Mother: NA
The third child and second daughter of the music star and entrepreneur is Kelello Mafokate. She was born on September 23, 2004. In 2020, her father took to social media to celebrate her 16th birthday as he has always done for all his kids.
While she maintains a very close relationship with her father together with her little sister, the mother of Kelello has not been revealed. She is known to still be in school hence her career path is still unknown. That said, she is currently working as a DJ aside from schooling. Her father proudly declares he has a home with 4 Djs.
The Youngest Child of Arthur Mafokate is Onalenna Mafokate
- Full Name: Onalnna Mafokate
- Date of birth: 12 December 2012
- Age: 11 years old
- Career: Aspiring Dj, still in school
- Mother: NA
Even though Arthur Mafokate is known for proudly showing off his kids, he kept Onalenna away from the public for many years until she was 4 years old. Described as the prankster of the family, Onalenna was born on 12th December 2012.
The mother of Onalenna has never been revealed, just as it has been with the mother of his third child. Nonetheless, Arthur seems very sufficient to raise his daughters all by himself.
It is not surprising that Onalenna has also started practicing to become a DJ like her father and older siblings.
Arthur Almost Had A Child With CiCi
In yet another twist, Arthur would have been a father of five and not four kids. CiCi revealed that she was once pregnant for him but later terminated the pregnancy. Arthur claimed that he was not informed of her decision to have an abortion.
However, she maintained that he knew of the decision but did not show up for a meeting they were supposed to have as he had another meeting on that day. However, after the procedure, Mafokate took care of her as she recovered.
Arthur Mafokate Had The Mafokate’s Show On YouTube With His Children
The singer has worked so hard to introduce his kids to his line of business, even though it has always seemed like a natural calling to all of them. Beyond the music business, he used his YouTube channel to start a family series with his four kids where they discuss various family issues.
The variety live show also featured music and a lot of other things. It started in April 2020, and although it began gaining decent followership, it did not continue after less than 20 episodes as, by May of the same year, it came to an end. Apart from YouTube, the show was also live on Facebook.
It Is Not Clear Who his Current Girlfriend Is
Now 62 years old, the legendary hitmaker has been concentrating more on his relationship with his children and helping to establish them in the entertainment industry. With that said, he has been very quiet in the love department as of late and has not been linked to any woman.
The last woman he was linked to was his former girlfriend, Cici whose picture he shared at the time on his Instagram. There were rumors later in 2020 that the two could be getting back together again, but nothing more was heard of this.