Thank you for opening up to us and inspiring us with your happy-ever-after moments. Congratulations to the six couples who enjoyed the month of love with a variety of prizes from our sponsors.

Our six winners

Aubrey Malika and Lucia Mofokeng – The way to their hearts is through their stomachs

 

For Aubrey Malika and Lucia Mofokeng, food is love. They met on a Saturday night when Lucia was on her way to buy shisa nyama. Unfortunately it was closed, but luckily it led to meeting “the love of my life”. Aubrey was headed to an alternative shop and offered her a lift.

“I was a bit sceptical about the whole idea of getting into a stranger’s car,” Lucia said. Eventually she agreed to go with him to the shop after one of her neighbours confirmed that he knew Aubrey and that it was safe to go with him. When they got to the shop he offered to pay for her order.

Lucia declined, but he insisted on it. They have been together since 2013, after meeting over a meal that evening.

An instant connection for Willie Snyman and Maritza Snyman

Willie and Maritza Snyman met in 2010 at the Full Gospel Church in Mbombela and “the sparks were flying from day one”. They had an instant connection, like two old souls finding each other after a lifetime of searching. “I was so blessed to start an amazing journey with her when we married on December 18, 2010. She is an absolutely wonderful, loving wife and a blessing of a mother to our two beautiful daughters.”

Willie had a stroke six months ago and was left paralysed on the left side of his body with after-effects as well. He lost his job due to the fact that he could not perform his duties. Their journey has been a difficult one and it put strain on their marriage. Maritza has not left his side for one moment and motivates him to move forward.
Willie said her love and guidance has helped him to become mobile again. “She has really been a shining light in a time when darkness felt like it would overwhelm me. She has offered so much for this family, not just physically, but mentally as well. She is truly an amazing human and I am so blessed to call her my wife.”

Willie said they have had many wonderful adventures in the past 10 years, taking them to amazing locations. “I can’t think of anybody that I would rather share my life with. I am looking forward to seeing what new adventures await us. Life is truly an amazing thing.”You never know what might happen around the next corner, but together I know it can only be magical,” he said.

Dolverlief na hul ontmoeting by Binnelandse sake

“Die ure lange gewag om my identiteitsdokument te hernu was elke sekonde die moeite werd, want toe vind ek jou,” vertel Jannie Visser (23) hul liefdesverhaal terwyl hy stip in die oë van sy beminde, Abigail du Preez (21), kyk.

Die jong verliefde paartjie het op 28 April 2018 op ‘n ongewone manier ontmoet by die Departement van Binnelandse Sake. Twee jaar en sewe maande later en Visser kan steeds nie uitgepraat raak oor daardie dag nie. “Dit was ‘n langdradige dag en al wat dit die moeite werd gemaak het was hierdie meisie agter my in die ry. Toe ek uiteindelik voor by die toonbank kom, word ek weggewys en na ‘n ander ry gestuur.” Du Preez vertel. “Dit is toe dat ons vir die eerste keer met mekaar begin gesels, want ek wou weet wat aangaan, en al wat hy vir my kon sê is ‘Hoe oud is jy?’” Alhoewel dit vir Visser liefde met die eerste oogopslag was, het Du Preez nie dadelik die vlinders gevoel nie.

“Al wat ek agtergekom het, is dat hy so dan en wan skelmpies na my geloer het en dan weer weggekyk het.” “Ek was nogals ‘n skaam outjie,” beaam Visser. “Ek onthou dit goed, in my kop hou ek aan vir myself sê, vra net haar nommer, maar ek het nooit nie. Ek het net haar naam en haar ma, Annette, se naam gevra. En natuurlik haar ouderdom.” Facebook het toe tot Visser se redding gekom. Hy kon Annette opspoor en aan haar ‘n boodskap stuur om te vra of sy dalk die tannie in Binnelande Sake was. So kon hy uiteindelik sy droommeisie se nommer opspoor en haar uitvra vir ‘n koffie. Hul raad aan ander jong paartjies is om altyd eerlik met mekaar te wees en te werk aan kommunikasie. Respek is ook baie belangrik, en om altyd daar te wees vir mekaar. 

 

High school friends

 

Emmarentia Mkhatshwa and Prince Nkosi met in high school in 2013. They were in the same class and started off as friends, when one of his friends told her that Prince had feelings her. She laughed in disbelief, because she had felt the same. “He came to me and confirmed everything,” said Emmarentia.

They have been together ever since and even went to the same university. They coined their own couple’s name, Princentia.

Mr Casanova

Michelle and Anthony Arendse met at a youth group where Anthony tried everything to get her attention. Michelle did not like him much at that stage, because “he was a real Mr Casanova”.

He came to her house one day to ask her father if he could take her on a date, and her father gave him permission. “I thought this was going to be my chance to get back at him for breaking all the young girls’ hearts before me,” said Michelle.

They went out and I fell madly in love. They are still in love and married with three boys. Michelle said they are still crazy about each other and have been supportive through thick and thin.

The impossible love

Kimberley Myburgh and Stephan de Haas’ love story started when Kimberley’s father told her about a young gentleman that he thought would make a great friend, but she was not interested in meeting him.

Time went by and lockdown came. “I even made a joke with my parents and said, ‘Now I will never find love, locked inside my house and single. Unless the love of my life breaks into my home, there is no hope’,” said Kimberley.

What she thought impossible happened when she and her father stood outside the garage and he said he “needed to go to Oom Fanie’s house to get a part for his bike”. Oom Fanie is the father of the good-looking young gentleman her father had mentioned.

When they finally arrived at the house her father cut to the chase and said she was there to meet Stephan, who at that time was not in the garage with them. “When he walked around that corner, my whole world came to a standstill. This handsome guy walking towards me, with the most beautiful smile and eyes I could get lost in for days on end,” Kimberley said. “We introduced ourselves and boy, was it awkward, as I thought it would be. But I knew that this could be more than just a friend. He could never be just a friend.”

After their initial meeting they went their separate ways, but later found each other again through Facebook. They arranged for a get-together and went for a walk during which talked for hours until the sun set.

“Nine months later and I’m still just as in love as I was the first time I saw him. My statement in the beginning of lockdown definitely proved wrong, and for that I’m so thankful. Stephan makes me the happiest girl in the world.”

The prizes: 

• Eskort Butchery Nelspruit – R500 voucher plus Premium Hamper.

• One couple massage (back, neck and shoulder) for you and your partner at Je Ne Sias Quoi – i’Langa Mall. 
  
• One x 2 night stay for two at Southern Sun Emnotweni, breakfast included. 2 x Explorers Restaurant vouchers valued at R400 each. 
  
• Feast voucher for 2 x cheese and bacon burgers.

• Valencia – R500 voucher.

•  EMA Perfume hamper for a couple – 2x50ml Perfumes and 2x400ml Body Lotions. To order your own during the month of Feb go here. 

More stories:

André Janse van Rensburg is my liefie

Marlese van Rooyen het vir haar ouers in Witrivier gaan kuier toe haar ma die buurman gaan vra het om na haar hond om te sien vir ‘n naweek.

Haar ma het haar gevra om saam te stap. “Ek was glad nie lus nie,” se sy. “Daar gekom, is die man toe heeltemal oulik. My ma is huis toe, ek bly agter en ons gesels te lekker.”

Maandag loop André Janse van Rensburg toe na haar ouers se huis om haar naam te kry omdat hy dit vergeet het. Min het hy geweet sy is steeds daar.

Hulle is al van daardie naweek vier jaar saam en het die “beste tyd van hulle lewe”, alles te danke aan die hond genaamd Blackie.

Best friends forever

 

Michael and Gerda Fouche met in 2001 in the back of a Bible study class. They continuously teased each other back and forth and became best
friends. They stayed best friends through to high school. In 2005 Michael said he had something to tell Gerda, and that he would do so at a later stage, because he was scared it would end their friendship. On July 16 that year, on her parents’ porch, he told her that he was in love with her. They started dating, finished school, got engaged in 2009 on Gerda’s birthday while horseback riding, and got married on July 16, 2011. “It has been quite the journey. We love each other to death and above all we are still best friends,” Gerda said.

Bring back the spark

 

Julius Mashego and Lucia Masilela met in Moremela just outside Graskop. Since then they have been together for 14 years. Through their ups and downs they are still together and their wish is to get married and settle the finances that has put a strain on their relationship.
Julius said, “We hope we win the competition, so I can bring the spark back to our relationship.”

It was love at first sight for Veronica and Dave Mullen 

 

Veronica and Dave Mullen met at the Father’s Moustache Pub in the Malibu Hotel in Durban on March 9, 1977.
“Dave was on a contract on the diamond mines in South West Africa and I was working in the Bank of Lisbon in Durban.” Veronica said “it was love at first sight” and Dave decided to move to Durban to be with Veronica.

They are happily married with a daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons. Veronica said respect, love, happiness, faith and communication is the key to the success of the marriage.

A relationship lasting as long as Mxit exists

Brenda and Damian Ball met online in 2007 via Mxit. They started talking and “hit it off right away”. They realised they actually knew so many mutual people and moved in the same circles, but somehow had never met.

They even once stayed in the same flat but still had never bumped into each other. They got married within three months of meeting and have been married since.

They have two children from Brenda’s previous marriage and one child together. “We were also blessed as grandparents two years ago and we love it,” said Brenda.

They relocated from Polokwane to Mbombela in 2018 and have been through many ups and downs, but giving up has never been an option.

Brenda said, “God brought us together and He will keep us together, no matter what.”

She slided into his Facebook inbox

 

Phumzile Shongwe and his “amazing fiancé”, Mapule Nkambule, met on Facebook in 2018. Mapule inboxed him and they started talking.

“After a week we met face to face and fell in love, and what is so wonderful about it is that she felt the same way about me,” said Phumzile.

They are still growing stronger and stronger by the day. He said, “She is everything and more that I could ever ask for in a life partner. She is my best friend. I have never been so happily in love in my entire life, but she came into my life and showed me that true love still exists.”

They recently got engaged and the greatest gift to them is to be able to spend Valentine’s Day together. Phumzile wants to thank her for being “such an amazing life partner”.

Long-distance love can work

 

Rachel Bosch and Marcel Geyer met online in 2018 while she was living in Johannesburg and he was living in Mbombela.

Since 2018 they had been travelling back and forth via busses until Rachel moved here a year ago.

In 2019 their son was born and they are looking forward to a little luxury on Valentine’s Day, since they have not celebrated it for two years.

As inseparable as a joint Facebook account

 

Theo and Loraine Pieterse met on July 6, 1994, while on school holiday and had a long-distance relationship throughout their school years.

Loraine joined Theo in the Lowveld 20 years ago and they got married in 2016.

This will be their fifth anniversary and Theo is looking forward to spoil his “best friend” for Valentine’s Day.

They even have a joint Facebook account and they love the idea!

Die liefde het ‘n lang pad geloop

Lesna en Eugene Saayman het mekaar ontmoet deur ‘n gemeenskaplike vriend by ‘n plaaslike kroeg. Eugene was nie baie spraaksaam daardie aand nie, en hulle het mekaar net vriendelik gegroet, maar nie juis gesels nie.

‘n Week later, na aanmoediging van die vriend, het Eugene vir Lesna uitgenooi na ‘n fliek. Sy het verkoue gehad maar het steeds gegaan – in ‘n sweetpakbroek, trui en haar hare in ‘n poniestert, want sy het te olik gevoel om moeite te doen met haar voorkoms. Lesna het selfs in die fliek aan die slaap geraak, al was dit ‘n riller wat vertoon is.

Gelukkig het Eugene haar weer uitgevra na die rampspoedige eerste afspraak, en ‘n paar weke later was hulle so verlief, hulle wou summier saam wegloop.

Na nege maande was hulle verloof en twee weke daarna moes Eugene aanmeld vir ‘n jaar se militêre diens. Na vyf jaar is hulle uiteindelik getroud, en is reeds vir 23 jaar gelukkig saam.

Vir altyd dansmaats

 

Barbara en Andrew het mekaar ontmoet by ‘n dansskool. Barbara bly al haar lewe lank in Mbombela en Andrew het teen hulle ontmoeting nog net twee jaar hier gebly.

Hy het besluit om te leer sokkie en so begin hy toe klasse neem. Terselfde tyd het Barbara ook vir lesse gegaan en tydens ‘n sosiale geleentheid Andrew vir die eerste keer gewaar. Die aand het Barbara ‘n vriend saamgeneem wat toevallig saam met Andrew gewerk het, en het gereeld met Andrew gedans soos hulle dansmaats geruil het.
Later die aand het Barbara, haar vriend en Andrew besluit om na ‘n restaurant te gaan en daar het Barbara en Andrew vir die eerste keer behoorlik gesels.

Nadat hulle paaie vir ‘n kort tydperk geskei het, het hulle mekaar weer gevind en is in 2019 verloof toe Barbara se dogter Andrew gevra het om saam met haar na ‘n area te gaan kyk waarheen sy graag iemand wou neem. Min het Andrew geweet dat Barbara hom sou verras met die groot vraag.

Barbara en Andrew trou op 13 Februarie en sal dan as die Sillifant-paartjie heet.

One wedding led to another love story

 

In 2006, Elbé and Marius Swart met at a wedding in Douglas, North Cape. Marius, who had worked as a reverend in Mbombela, officiated his first wedding in Douglas, that of his friend’s.

Elbé came from Alberton and attended this wedding as a guest of the groom’s brother.

The two only got in touch again six months afterwards, seeing as they had never exchanged numbers.
After fourteen years they are still happily in love. Elbe said, “I think we are certainly meant to be.