No doubt, among the stars on the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Johannesburg (RHOJ), Nompumelelo Thandeka Mophatlane, popularly known as Mrs Mops, has attracted the interest of all the viewers of the show. Love her, hate her, there is a rising hunger among viewers to learn more about the RHOJ star. Her beauty, confidence, and love for luxurious things have drawn her to fans of the TV series and Mrs Mops does not fail to give both her lovers and haters something to talk about. She is a classy mother of three and wife of a magnate. The way the family handled the cheating allegation against her proves she has a solid bond with her husband and they won’t let what people say affect their family.
Mpumi Mophotlane is the Showy Wife of a Business Mogul
Nompumelelo Thandeka Mophatlane, who was born in 1987 in Tsakane, South Africa (her exact date of birth is unknown), is popularly known for her role in RJOH as Mrs Mops. She made her debut appearance in the television industry by appearing as one of the stars in the second season of the show. She is the daughter of Tsotsi Sithole, a taxi owner, and Duduzile, a primary school teacher but she is also the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Shades’ and says she was born for the glam.
Mpumi Mophatlane is married to Lenamile Issac Mophotlane (Mr Mops) who was born on May 12, 1973, in Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa as a twin. Sadly, his twin brother, Leetile Benjamin Mophotlane, with whom he co-founded Business Connexion Group Ltd (BCX) at age 26 succumbed to a heart attack in June 2014. His death prompted Mr Mops to also leave the company despite being the CEO.
Issac Mophotlane is currently the chairman of Bothomed LLC and also a member of the board at Catholic Education Investment Co., Exxaro Resources Ltd., Randvest Capital, and Crossfin Technology Holdings Pte Ltd. He is a renowned business mogul with his net worth calculated in the excess of $50 million.
Mr and Mrs Mops Have Been Married For 12 Years
Mr Mops met his wife when she was still a fresher in college. Considering how beautiful Mpumi Mops is after giving birth to and breastfeeding three children, you can understand why she easily won the heart of Isaac Mophotlane. He mesmerized the pretty Mpumi by taking her on a fun trip to Milan, Italy, and married her soon afterward in 2008. They have been together since then for 12 years.
Mpumi Mops really deserves some accolades for being dedicated to her marriage for more than a decade as most women in her class have been divorced at least once. Indeed, aside from being a beautiful lady, she is a good home keeper.
Off the Camera, Mpumi Mops is a Doting Mother and Wife
According to Mpumi, whenever she gets home, she leaves Mrs Mops at the door and embraces her responsibilities as a full-time mummy and wife. She takes her children to school, brings them back, and most importantly, cooks for them. Mpumi is a proud mother of three children. She is very careful not to drag them with her to the spotlight and there are no pictures of them on her Instagram page but we do know their names.
Khumo Mophotlane is her first child, a daughter born in 2009, a year after her marriage to Issac. The exact school she attends is unknown but considering how wealthy her parents are, she is certainly attending one of the elite schools in South Africa. The second child in the family is Marang Mophotlane born in 2014and like her first child, Khumo, the school Marang attends is also not known.
Sekai Mophotlane is her last child born in 2018. Mpumi has done a good job in keeping her kids off the spotlight. Thus, their exact date and place of birth are not known.
Issac Mophatlane is Very Supportive of His Wife
People have questioned why Issac Mophatlane is not a part of the RHOJ show and suggested it might be a lack of support for his wife’s career. However, Mpumi Mophotlane explained in a revealing interview with Drum that her husband avoids the kind of attention the show will bring his way, especially as it would affect his career as a businessman. She insists that notwithstanding, he totally supports her decision to be on the show.
Again after giving birth to her three children – and weaning them, Mpumi Mops didn’t feel great about her breasts because they looked saggy and made her less confident. When she told her husband about it, he supported her desire for breast plastic surgery. Now, she is more confident in her body (breasts) and feels more comfortable without wearing a bra.
Though Mpumi Agrees That Mrs Mops is An Alter Ego, RHOJ is Not Scripted
Mpumi Mophatlane’s life is beyond what you see on the screen. In an interview, Mpumi said as an actress, she always creates new characters to suit different situations and admitted to creating the ‘Mrs Mops’ alter-ego in order to add spice and drama to her role on the RHOJ TV reality show. She explained that the personality of Mrs Mops is that of a blunt, no-nonsense, and mean woman. She clearly stated that even though viewers of the show hate Mrs Mops for this, in reality, Mpumi Mophatlane is polite, laid back, and respectful.
This has led some fans of the show to suggest that the show is scripted, however, this assumption is totally false. Although you don’t get to see the polite and humble side of Mpumi while she plays the role of Mrs Mops, the drama you see on the RHOJ reality TV show is as real as it feels and not scripted.
Mrs Mops Was Accused on Live TV of Cheating on Her Husband
Drama ensured in the 3-part RHOJ Reunion Special aired in January 2020 as the castmates came at each other with messy truths (alleged truths) about each other. When Mpumi accused her co-star, Brinnette Seopela, of always face-timing with different men, she did not know that she was about to get a taste of her own medicine. Brinnette accused Mpumi of painting a false image of her marriage to Issac Mophatlane with the former saying that Mrs Mops was ‘hooked up’ with Issac by a friend before she immediately fell pregnant for the IT mogul which led to their hasty marriage.
She was not done as she also accused the mother of three of being a cheat, saying she had cheated on her husband. Even though Brinnette did not have solid evidence to back up her claim beyond hearsay, the look on the face of Mrs Mops upon hearing this accusation was second to none, as she looked both shocked and hurt at the same time. The claim was particularly hurtful because it was capable of ruining the happy home Mpumi has built for over a decade.
Thankfully, Issac and Mpumi Mophatlane have not been perceived to be negatively affected by the accusation which Mpumi refuted immediately. This has portrayed Mr Mops to be a reasonable and understanding man who doesn’t believe just about anything he hears about his wife.
Aside From Being a TV Star, Mpumi Mops is Also a Businesswoman
Apart from being a television personality with her role in the reality TV series, Mpumi Mophatlane is also a businesswoman whose net worth is estimated to be between $300,000 and $1 million. It is obvious she is a very rich woman, judging from her audacious lifestyle. Her Instagram account is full of showy and luxurious pictures of her wearing expensive clothes and accessories.
She attributes her smartness in life to the career of her parents. Mpumi claims being the daughter of a taxi owner and a teacher made her both street smart and book smart.
