In a he said-he said situation involving two public figures, where one is relatively more famous than the other, who do you believe?
Generally, you side with the one you like more. After all, it's hearsay without concrete evidence to back up such claims.
In the latter part of last year, Mohale Motaung opened a can of worms when he made startling allegations of abuse against his estranged spouse, Somizi Mhlongo.
At the time, the gender-based violence statistics were at an intolerable figure, and Mzansi was thin-skinned when it came to the subject.
This, of course, didn’t bode well for Somizi or his career. He was not only vilified but ostracised, albeit briefly.
Beyond releasing a statement, vetted by his legal counsel, the superstar kept mum as his radio and TV commitments, among others, ground to a halt.
The threat of being cancelled felt painfully real.
Several months later, Somizi has bounced back. Aside from returning to the judging panel on “Idols SA” for the upcoming 18th instalment, his talk show, “Downtime with Somizi”, debuted on 1Magic last month, and he bagged a fifth season of “Living the Dream with Somizi”, which debuted on Showmax this Wednesday.
And, boy oh boy, did the latter show get tongues wagging as Somizi decided to share his side of the story.
Now, let's get real for a minute. We’ve been wanting to hear what Somizi had to say since last year.
So I’m baffled by some finding it just a bitter pill to swallow.
Not everyone is going to like - or believe - what he has to say. But in the interest of being fair, he deserves to be heard, at the very least.
And it was balls-to-the-wall in the first episode.
Titled “My Mistakes, My Drama, My Solution”, the opening frames hark back to happier times when Somizi and Mohale tied the knot.
Much had changed since February 2020, when Somizi and Mohale were in their honeymoon bubble following a fairytale white wedding, preparing for a future together.
Then the bombshells drop as Somizi is on the phone with his ride or die, Vusi Nova, discussing the media circus, where his name was being dragged through the mud.
This is the first time he has listened to the allegations, by the way. And Mohale admits to cheating once in the recording.
Somizi unpacked his mindset during the Covid-19 lockdown and reflected on the passing of his veteran actress mother, Mary Twala, too.
He said: “If I thought Covid was the tsunami, I thought wrong.”
And then he dives right into things, on the back of him being accused of allegedly breaking Mohale’s ribs and almost knocking out his teeth in a jealousy-fuelled rage.
In the telephonic chat with Vusi Nova, The “Idols SA” judge admits that he “wasn’t shocked that it came from this person” and adds that he suspects that he was promised money as “Somizi was good content”.
Vusi calls the move sabotage and admits to having tolerated Mohale for Somizi.
Let’s get to the juice. Somizi says he suggested a “versatile relationship” - making it clear that he didn’t say “open relationship” - for the sake of their marriage.
Not sure what the difference is between the two, though.
He added that his husband had issues with sex and that “the sex life was dead”. Somizi says he tried to make it work, but Mohale didn’t want to go for sex therapy.
As for talk of “fisting”, well, Somizi says he gets anxious just thinking about feasting (jokingly referring to his culinary exploits), so the question mark hovers while Mohale followers continue to drag him on socials about bringing up something that was never brought up.
Somizi’s daughter Bahumi Madisakwane and her mom Palesa also get screen time on the show.
They reflect on Somizi and how he is when he falls in love. They alluded to him getting truly caught up in his emotions where logic gets put on the back burner, so to speak.
Bahumi, who is grappling with issues of her own, says her dad was “obliviously self-absorbed”. She also confessed to being hurt by the fact that he kept his relationship secret from her, more so as it was with someone younger than her.
Meanwhile, in his meeting with the lawyer, Somizi admits to not being willing to “give even a toothpick” in the settlement. He was also counting his blessing that they never made the marriage official in the eyes of the law.
Towards the latter part of the episode, Lorcia Cooper Khumalo, who is Somizi’s long-time friend, drops by for a catch-up.
She calls him “her brother” even though they are not related by blood, and Somizi says she exudes an aura of positivity.
They have a brutally honest chat about the situation, and she reminds him about a conversation they had about who he invites into his circle and playfully chastises him for “marrying it”.
She also flat-out asks him: “Did you hit him?”
He is vague in his response.
“For me, it’s not even about did I hit him or did I not hit him. People look at the reaction, not what caused the reaction,” Somizi said.
As the show wrapped up, Somizi revealed: “I always say I will not be broken down by what did not make me.
I shall not. I refuse. Especially when I know my truth, when I know my heart, when I know my spirit is in a good place and is a good spirit.
“I am proudly, boldly, a good person and God will reward me according to that.
“It’s not a miracle that I’m getting back what the ‘world’ or the physicality thought I had lost. I would get it in fold back.”
There are two sides to every story. This is his.
And if the teaser of the drama of the next episode is anything to go back, fan or foe, you will be tuning in.
This review is by no way an endorsement of GBV in any way, shape or form. It is simply the unpacking of an account of a love story with an unhappy ending.
And a painful reminder that celebrities are not impervious to heartbreak, anger and hurt.
Things get messy in a divorce. Look at the unfolding Johnny Depp and Amber Heard saga.
But you have to move on, one way or the other, public scrutiny notwithstanding. That’s what this show represents in a way.
“Living the Dream with Somizi” season 5 is on Showmax, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.