Mantwa Matlala is a South African accountant who is best known as the wife of South African politician Julius Malema.
Julius Malema is one of those individuals that one cannot help but either out rightly love or hate. He is a South African politician and parliamentarian who also doubles as the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters. Hated by many, he is also loved by many, including his wife, Mantwa Matlala.
A woman who has been described with all the good adjectives in the books, Mantwa is a popular face on the social media pages of Juju, who always seems eager to share her beautiful pictures with fans and supporters. The two have been together for a very long time, but it was in 2014 that they exchanged their vows.
She might be married to one of the strongest voices in South Africa for a while now and with two kids to show, but Mantwa is a very private person who does not divulge a lot about herself and her personal dealings.
Malema and Mantwa Matlala Tied The Knot In A Private Ceremony
Malema and Matlala, whom he has described as his queen and management, got hitched on the 27th of December 2014. The traditional rites were held in the hometown of Malema at Seshego, Polokwane, in Limpopo.
Even though Juju is a public figure, he made sure that the ceremony was a private one because his wife and her family are very private and would want the privacy respected. Before the event, the EFF leader stated that attendance was strictly by invitation, and all those who came without an invite, including EFF members, would be turned away. That did not stop more than 500 guests from turning up for the event, which saw the presence of highly placed individuals and more than 20 security guards dressed in a black suit and tie.
Since their marriage, Matlala has continued to be a great influence in the life of the South African parliamentarian. He revealed that she has been instrumental in getting him to shed weight and get back in a good shape. He also credits her for many other things, including cutting out sugar and refraining from alcohol.
While he may probably be the most vocal and outspoken individual in the South African political space, he has also not held back in saying many good things about his wife, bordering on how she has helped him in managing their home and bringing up their kids.
When They Met, Matlala Was Still In High School
Malema and his wife have come quite a very long way. Although the exact year that they met has not been revealed, it is known that it was when Matlala was still in high school. She attended Capricorn High School in Polokwane, which is where she first met her husband. They would go on to date for some years before they finally decided to get married.
For their engagement, Juju did not mince cash as he spent so much in getting for his woman an expensive engagement ring with blue diamonds. Born in Seshego, Limpopo, she was also brought up in the region, at Seshego’s Zone 1 area. However, the exact date of her birth, as well as how the EFF first lady was raised and her family members, have not all been revealed.
Following her secondary school education at Capricorn, there is no information on the university or college she attended. She would go on to secure a job as an accountant in a company in Johannesburg.
Mantwa Matlala And Juju Are Blessed With Two Kids
More than five years since they walked down the aisle, Julius Malema and his wife, Mantwa Matlala, now have two kids between them; Munzhedzi and Kopano Malema. The first couple of the EFF welcomed their first son, Munzhedzi Malema, almost two years after they got married in October 2016. The announcement of the birth of the child was done by Juju himself who took to social media to refer to his wife as “Munzhedzi’s mother” while thanking her and praying for her protection.
The name, Munzhedzi, that the couple gave to their son is not very popular. It is a Venda name that can be translated to mean a self-starter or leader. In February 2018, Mantwa welcomed her second son, which happened to be Malema’s third, with the birth of their son, Kopano Malema. Yet again, Juju took to his social media to announce the birth of his son while singing praises of his wife. The meaning of the name, Kopana, is unity or union.
Julius Malema Also Has A Son From A Previous Relationship
Apart from his two kids with his current wife, the EFF leader also has a son that was birthed to him from a previous relationship he had before meeting his wife. His son, Ratanang Malema, was born in 2006 by his then-girlfriend, Maropeng Ramohlale, who is from Sunnyside, Pretoria.
Initially, the fiercely private Malema had kept details about his son away from the public, but it was later revealed by Gayton McKenzie, his former friend, that the EFF frontman was only supporting his son because the son’s mother had threatened to go public with the matter. However it might be, Juju has continued to publicly show love and support for his kid.
In January 2020, Malema shared a picture of Ratanang on Instagram when he celebrated the younger Malema as he started his high school education. Despite previously insisting that public office holders in the country should be made to take their kids to public schools, he made it clear that he was not going to take his son to a public school, insisting he was not going to be the first to “commit suicide.”
Juju has previously gotten into trouble with SARS as a result of a trust fund he started with the name of his son, Ratanang Trust Fund, which was claimed to be involved in corruption and racketeering. According to McKenzie who spilled the beans on various details relating to the younger Malema, as well as the trust fund, Ratanang, is probably not the only child of the outspoken South African politician. With that said, the kid now lives with his father and stepmom, Mantwa Matlala.
Mantwa Matlala Has Always Supported Her Husband
She might not be a public individual, but Mantwa has never hidden the side that she has always been on, which unsurprisingly, is that of her husband. They have developed a culture of friendship, support for each other, and loyalty.
Matlala has continued to support the political moves and actions of her husband, even though they are sometimes rather controversial. She attends most activities, political and otherwise, alongside her husband.
In February 2020, allegations were made against Juju by African National Congress (ANC) MP, Boy Mamabolo, that the former was abusing his wife. Although Malema did not respond to the allegations in the parliament, stating no one was going to tell him what to do, he sent a letter through his lawyer, asking for Mamabolo to retract the statement and apologize to him. In clear support of her husband, Mantwa Matlala also asked the ANC MP to retract the statement and apologize, as she found it insulting to her and her kids.