Zinhle Mabena and Robert Ngwenya met and dated for a few months before tying the knot in 2017. Everything seemed to be fine between them until 5 years later when reports emerged that they were heading for divorce due to abuse and some other undisclosed reason. Meanwhile, the couple welcomed two children, a son and a daughter, in the course of their marriage.
Mzansi’s celebrity circle has seen so many divorces of late. However, one that stands out for the many dramas that seem to be unending apart from that of DJ Black Coffee and Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa is Zinhle Mabena and her former husband, Robert Ngwenya. What makes their divorce even more sensational is that the marriage only lasted a little over a couple of years, and the divorce is everything but amicable.
From their dating days to marriage, and even the birth of their kids, the actress, and high-profile businessman kept it all under wraps. Still, the many troubles that came with their divorce have blown it all to the public, especially after the Isibaya actress was arrested for allegedly conspiring to commit murder.
Zinhle Mabena and Robert Ngwenya Got Married After A Few Months Of Dating
Like most others, the love story of Zinhle Mabena and her former husband Robert Ngwenya began as a fairytale. The exact circumstance surrounding how they met and started dating has not been revealed. What is clear, however, is that the couple only dated for a few months before they decided that they wanted to make it official and spend the rest of their lives as man and wife.
Zinhle and Robert got married in 2017 at a private ceremony that was kept hidden from the public for a while. Details about her wedding, such as the exact date, venue, and even those in attendance or pictures were not made available to the public.
The man she got married to, Robert Ngwenya, is an entrepreneur who founded his company, 20Elevation in 2011. The company is into construction and landscaping. Beyond his business involvement, he is also close to the ANC and has been described as a social activist. He is also into philanthropic works. In 2018, he survived an assassination attempt after he was ambushed by some men who opened fire on his car.
On her part, Zinhle Mabena does not need any form of introduction as she has been in the entertainment industry for a very long time. She is a talented actress who has appeared in many films and TV shows, including Mtunzini and Winnie Mandela.
Before Robert and Zinhle met and got married, the actress once dated Cape Town City star midfielder Mpho Makola, but the relationship later came to an end.
The Marriage Was Blessed With Two Kids
The union between Zinhle Mabena and her ex, Robert Ngwenya was blessed with two lovely kids. The first child they welcomed was a girl who joined the family in 2017. The couple kept all details about the pregnancy of their first child a secret, until after her birth that she took to her social media while celebrating her birthday to point out it was her first as a married woman and a mother on July 8, 2017.
She announced her second pregnancy in April 2019, at a time when she was already very close to putting to bed. Zinhle Ngwenya, as she was known at the time, put to bed in May 2019, and she announced that this time around she had a boy. The exact dates of birth of the two children were not shared.
While these are the only kids the actress has, her former husband has some more kids from previous relationships. Among his kids is a daughter whom he said was 15 years old as of 2021. He was separated from her for 14 years before they finally got back together. He stated that his mission for 2021 is to ensure he is reconnected to all his kids and that they are also reconnected to one another. The exact number of his kids is not known.
How The Marriage Ended And What Caused The Divorce
Only 5 years after they got married, it emerged that their marriage was not as peaceful and lovely as many had come to believe after reports came that they were heading for divorce. More so, they both took to social media to delete pictures of each other.
Although the actual reason behind the divorce is not clear, the businessman who described himself as a polygamist alleged on Instagram that his former wife was preventing him from seeing his kids. He suggested that this was one of the reasons why the marriage ended as he had a dream of getting all his children together.
There were also allegations of domestic abuse. Ngwenya claimed that during the course of his marriage, he has always maintained that abuse of any form was not only wrong but must not be tolerated no matter who was dishing it. However, he alleged that he found himself at the receiving end of abuse from his wife that he had to get a restraining order against her and even lodge a complaint with the police.
Contrary to everything claimed by her former husband, Zinhle Mabena claimed that she was the one who had had to endure an abusive relationship with Robert. She said why her husband is now bent on humiliating her was because she had enough of his abuse and she was now ready to fight back.
Following the divorce, the actress reverted to her maiden name, Mabena, dropping her husband’s name. The custody of their kids is still not yet clear but they are both still involved in raising the kids, even though they still live with the actress.
Homelessness Looms For Zinhle Mabena and Her Kids
Amidst all the divorce troubles they were having, it was gathered that the couple could also lose their house in Midrand, Johannesburg, which has a value of R7 million. The property was gotten through a loan Ngwenya obtained from SA Home Loans, but the couple was unable to continue making the R28 000 monthly bond repayments around 2020.
Located in Blue Valley Estate, the home had arrears of up to R200,000 and the businessman was allegedly unable to be reached by debt collectors. Reports had it that unless they were able to make a repayment, they might find themselves losing the property by winter, even though that is the property occupied by the actress and the couple’s 2 kids.
According to Ngwenya’s lawyer, Shani Adams, the businessman was not in a good state financially as his businesses have been severely affected by the Covid-19 restrictions. This might mean that the couple could face losing some more assets than reported, including cars.
Why Zinhnle Was Charged With Conspiracy To Commit Murder
Another twist was added to their already complicated divorce plot on 16 February 2021 when the actress was arrested for allegedly attempting to murder her estranged husband and Robert’s bodyguard. The arrest came after a shooting incident that happened on 28th January 2021. Police claimed to have found a link between the actress and the crime.
She spent a night in a holding cell before she was subsequently brought before the Pretoria Magistrate Court in Tshwane. However, the case was quickly thrown out after the prosecutor held that the arrest of the actress was unlawful. She described the experience as traumatic and proceeded to thank all those who stood by her, including friends, family members, and various celebrities who showed her support on social media.
