Babalwa Mneno (born on November 12th, 1978) is a 45 year-old model, reality TV star, and actress who rose to fame as the first runner-up of the 1996 Miss South Africa pageant.
Besides participating in pageant shows, Babalwa is famous for walking the runway in several fashion shows. She was a celebrity housemate in the seventh season of Big Brother Africa and has featured in a number of TV series. Over the years, Babalwa Mneno has increased her height of fame by working as a club hostess and events manager.
Babalwa Mneno’s Biography Summary
- Full name: Babalwa Mneno
- Nickname: Barbz
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: November 12th, 1978
- Babalwa Mneno’s Age: 45 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Married
- Babalwa Mneno’s Husband: Mr. Mandel
- Babalwa Mneno’s Children: 2
- Babalwa Mneno’s Net worth: $500,000-$1,000,000
- Famous for: Emerging as the first runner-up in the 1996 Miss South Africa Pageant
- Babalwa Mneno’s Instagram: @blackbarbeilish
- Twitter: @barbilliscious
- Facebook: @Babalwa Mneno
How Old is Babalwa Mneno?
Babalwa Mneno is 45 years old. The gorgeous model was born on November 12th, 1978 in King Williams’ Town, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Her zodiac sign is Scorpio, and she is a Xhosa native.
Over the years, Barbz has become famous for having the most over-the-top birthday parties in Mzansi. Celebrating her 40th birthday in 2018, she hosted a star-studded, glamorous birthday party attended by Julius Malema, Bonang Matheba, Denise Zimba, and Linda Moeketsi. Then in the following year, she held a lavish 41st birthday dinner at the Les Créatifs Restaurant situated in Bryanston, Johannesburg.
The birthday dinner was planned by her celebrity publicist friend, Linda Moeketsi, and graced by celebrities, including Khanyi Mbau, K Noami, and Mihlali Ndamase. Despite Babalwa Mneno being a proud EFF supporter, she received a surprise birthday message from former president Jacob Zuma in November 2021. She also got a birthday wish from EFF leader Julius Malema and the birthday wishes made her feel ecstatic.
Babalwa Mneno’s Parents are Very Supportive
Babalwa Mneno has not revealed who her parents are but has not failed to let her fans know that she is somebody today because of her parents’ efforts. While she refers to her mother as the most influential person in her life, she also credits her father for providing her with basic needs, especially quality education. She is grateful for their strict upbringing and support.
What Does Babalwa Mneno Do For a Living?
Babalwa Mneno is a model, club hostess, reality TV star, events manager, and businesswoman. The 45 years old is very meticulous with the information she shares with the public. Thus, it’s uncertain when she began her modeling career. However, she first gained recognition at the age of 18 when she ended up as the first runner-up at the 1996 Miss South Africa pageant show.
The Eastern Cape native finished behind Peggy-Sue Khumalo, who won the crown, but that didn’t deter her from forging ahead to build her modeling career. In the same 1996, she was appointed the face of Johnson’s company.
She subsequently became well-known for walking the runway at the CPT Fashion Week, SA Fashion Week, and many other fashion shows held in cities across the globe, such as London, Moscow, and New Mexico.
here with 1996's miss sa, peggy-sue, is babalwa mneno (far left – 1st runner-up for miss sa 1996). babalwa went on to become one of the biggest models in south africa and having several beauty pageant titles to her name. pic.twitter.com/PxV6MWVUkR
— ❀ (@sonnyspectra) September 17, 2020
Babalwa Entered Big Brother House in 2012
Babalwa Mneno joined Big Brother StarGame – the seventh season of the DStv reality series Big Brother Africa, in the year 2012. She entered the show because she loves challenging herself. She also had the intention to market her brand and business on the reality show, as well as to spread love amongst Africans by creating awareness around xenophobia.
Before entering the show, the model promised not to sell her morals short for money. However, she was evicted from Big Brother StarGame on Day 49 after receiving 4/15 votes. And she was the thirteenth housemate to leave the Big Brother House.
Is Babalwa Mneno into Human Trafficking?
HAHAHAHA this is really funny!! Hey Chief Sai!! FIRST OF ALL I’m NOT from Butterworth!!!Stop tryna act like u know me and shit!!! That’s the first lie, SECONDLY I’ve never pimped a fly!!! I’m not even scared to put u on blast and have ur ghost hunt investigation on me! Witch hunt
— Babalwa Mneno (@barbiliscious) May 20, 2018
On two occasions, Babalwa Mneno has been accused of human trafficking by some Twitter users. Though she jokingly debunked the rumor when it was first circulated in March 2018, she actually took it quite seriously in September 2020 when it resurfaced again on social media. She threatened to take legal action against those trying to damage her image and character.
The rumor of Barbz being involved in sex trafficking was sparked by a Twitter user who shared a screenshot of a conversation that suggested that the model was a pimp. Due to her work as a club hostess, many people accused Babalwa of using her work to hook up young girls with wealthy men and get paid.
To who it may concern…. pic.twitter.com/uHKRdudTQK
— Babalwa Mneno (@barbiliscious) September 15, 2020
In an attempt to save her image, Babalwa Mneno denied ever having pimped anybody. She also said she had previously exposed girls who would DM her on social media to get them hooked up with rich men. She then asked her accusers to run an investigation on her regarding the issue and conclude.
Does Babalwa Mneno Have a Husband or Boyfriend?
Babalwa Mneno is a very private person. Hence, it’s uncertain whether she is still married or divorced. Nevertheless, some reports have it that Babalwa’s husband is identified as Mr. Mandel, but details of her marriage and family life are not available in the media. She is said to be married based on her change of name, as she added Mandel to her surname.
Does Babalwa Mneno Have a Baby Daddy?
3generations of fabulosity!!! My momma bday!!! Dinner time…#blackownedbusiness #signaturerestaurant pic.twitter.com/LajCNO8OFu
— Babalwa Mneno (@barbiliscious) April 24, 2018
Babalwa Mneno is reportedly married to Mr. Mandel, with whom she had two children. The TV star is very proud of her motherhood experience and so shares pictures of her daughter on her social media accounts. Although it’s speculated that Babalwa Mneno has two children, she is yet to disclose the actual number of children she has.
Babalwa Mneno’s Net Worth
Babalwa Mneno’s net worth is estimated to be between $500,000 and $1 million. Interestingly, the beautiful model has augmented her total wealth in the last few years by opening a hair salon. She has also worked as the chief executive officer of the Sundowns Chikitas.
In addition to her appearance in the reality docu-series Reality Check-in 2013, Barbz’s IMDb profile states that she is an actress and has thus far gained four acting credits. And they are listed as follows:
- Finding Love as herself (2014)
- Mmamoriri as herself (2016)
- Mmamoriri 2: Back in the Weave as herself (2016)
- Flawsome (2022)
Babalwa Mneno’s Cars
Babalwa Mneno is known to own a Range Rover Sport worth R1 million. However, in May 2022, it was reported that she got a loan of R1.5 million from Standard Bank in 2017 to purchase the luxury car. She was asked to be making a monthly payment of R20,035 towards the repayment of the loan. With the media personality failing to pay her monthly installments since 2020, it was reported that Standard Bank had received a court judgment to repossess her car.
As of February 2020, Babalwa was in arrears of R81,345. However, she was said to have entered into settlement negotiations with the bank. She allegedly claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic affected her income sources which made it difficult for her to repay the loan. Although the bank didn’t accept her excuse for not paying back the loan amounting to R928,608, Barbz is believed to still possess the car.
Did Babalwa Mneno Have Surgery?
Babalwa Mneno has denied going for cosmetic surgery. She was said to have gone for a nose job by controversial journalist Theo Nyaba in 2019. Not finding the accusation funny, the businesswoman blew hot on the journalist in an Instagram post. She told Theo that he would never make heaven and also threatened to take action against him for spreading deceitful and fabricated news about her.
