The Durban-based daily newspaper Isolezwe reports that Gqom queen Babes Wodumo apparently does not financially support her parents besides being booked left, right, and centre.
The publication reports that sources close to Babes’ family revealed that this had led to the relationship between the Gqom queen and her parents going awry.
A suspicion has been reported that Babes was going through an episode of heavy drinking which was why she was apparently not financially supporting her family.
A source close to the music sensation told the newspaper that due to the family’s financial woes, the situation at the family home is tense.
The source was quoted as saying that it was public knowledge that Babes could accumulate R500,000 a month from bookings alone, which excluded money from music sales and other campaigns that she was a part of.
The source reportedly further said that some have amassed the courage to call Babes into order, however, she would have none of it.
The source said Babes’ father was a bishop who depended on meagre money from the church and that her mother was unemployed. Babes apparently did buy groceries for her family previously, however, at the moment the star’s parents were struggling since she apparently no longer supported them.
The source was quoted as saying that whenever Babes’ parents asked her for money, she promised she would but ultimately failed to do so. Apparently, Babes would sometimes tell her parents that she forgot her bank card somewhere or would simply say she had nothing at all.
The source said: “The problem is that everyone knows during those moments that she has money but does not want to share it but rather loves spending it with her friends. Babes gets paid R100,000 to R150,000 whenever she has been booked.”
The newspaper said another source informed it that Babes’ family, the Simelanes, ended up asking Mampintsha for financial support who acceded to their requests with no questions asked.
The source was quoted as saying that although Babes’ family eventually asked Mampintsha for financial support, the relationship between them was still on the rocks following the revelation that Mampintsha was suspected of being abusive towards Babes and had allegedly squandered her money.
The source told the newspaper that Babes and Mampintsha currently lived together at Mampintsha’s house in Westville, Durban, and that Babes had not informed her family about this arrangement, which last knew of her living in a flat in Mhlanga.
The source said it was suspected that the two music stars ended up living together after Mampintsha’s family’s request to send a contingent to the Simelane family to begin lobola negotiations was rejected by Babes’ family.
It is reported that Babes’ family was living in a flat in Durban but the Gqom queen purchased a house in Glenwood where they are currently residing.
Babes’ father, Bishop Mbongeni Simelane, was contacted by the newspaper but he, however, declined to comment, saying he did not talk about his family issues with the media.
The publication reports that attempts to get comments from Babes and Mampintsha were unsuccessful.
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