DURBAN, South Africa – Kwaito star Mandla ‘Mampintsha’ Maphumulo is off the hook after her girlfriend Bonekile ‘Babes Wodumo’ Simelane dropped assault charges against him.
Mapintsha, a member of the kwaito group Big Nuz, was arrested in March after Babes Wodumo, the star behind the hit song ‘Wololo’, secretly filed him assaulting her on Instagram Live.
But Natasha Kara, the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KwaZulu-Natal, said the charges were dropped on Thursday after the two musicians underwent a successful alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process.
This was after Mampintsha’s lawyers and prosecutors agreed on relationship counselling to be undergone at the non-profit organisation, Family and Marriage Society of South Africa (FAMSA).
“Both accused and complainant appeared in the Pinetown Magistrates Court. The matter was finalised in that the charge against Maphumulo was withdrawn. This is because both parties adhered to the ADR process they committed to,” said Kara.
Earlier this week, the Pinetown Magistrates Court issued a warrant of arrest after both Babes Wodumo and Mampintsha failed to show up in court.
Managers of the two stars had said they had missed the court appearance because they were sleeping after recording music all night.
Kara said they later presented themselves to the court and the warrant of arrest was subsequently cancelled.
Mampintsha was fined R2,000 for not appearing in court, and Babes Wodumo was not fined as she presented a valid reason for not being present, Kara said.
