Babes Wodumo is one of South Africa’s most prominent names in Gqom music, with an undeniable stage presence and countless hits behind her name. Babes became an overnight sensation with her breakout hit Wololo in 2016, catapulting her into superstardom in her early 20s. What do we know about the hitmaker?
Babes Wodumo’s real name is Bongekile Simelane, and her nickname was given to her by friends and family. They thought her eyes resembled a member of the music group The Babes. Babes later added ‘Wodumo’ following the development of a reputation for excelling at all she put her mind to, from entertainment to athletics.
stardom include Wololo (2016), Umngan’wami (2016), Otshwaleni (2019), and Redemption (2018), which featured on Black Panther: The Album. However, she has since flown under the radar in recent years. Where is the newly reclusive star today?
Best News & Entertainment ’24 Home Facts and lifehacks Celebrity biographies CELEBRITY BIOGRAPHIES Babes Wodumo: bio, age, songs, life after Mampintsha’s death Published 18 Feb 2024 By Justine De Lange 6 min read Babes Wodumo is one of South Africa’s most prominent names in Gqom music, with an undeniable stage presence and countless hits behind her.
Where is Babes Wodumo from? Babes was born in Lamontville, Chatsworth, a small town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She and her late husband, Mampintsha, had been house hunting in Johannesburg in 2022 due to most of their gigs being there, but they did not seem to find something before Mampintsha’s death.
Their marital home remained in Durban when Mampintsha passed. The last update of where she lives was with her parents in Lamontville, KwaZulu-Natal, which is believed to be where Babes Wodumo is now. They helped nurse her back to health following health struggles associated with the grief following her husband’s passing.
Babes Wodumo’s weight loss became notable in September 2022 after photos of a visibly thinner Babes and Ukhozi FM veteran radio personality Dudu ‘Lady D’ Khoza did the rounds online. Her thinner frame caused fans to speculate whether she was sick or other issues were contributing. The hitmaker fired back at critics, highlighting that her weight loss was an unintentional side effect of having a newborn.
Babes publicly stated: ‘I lost weight during my pregnancy, and after birth, I lost more weight. It hurts to see women making fun of how I look.’ Babes further expressed her frustration with the public’s scrutiny of her weight, mentioning her friends have also experienced weight loss after giving birth. Babes clarified that despite the cyberbullying, she is enjoying motherhood, saying:
‘Is it because I’m a celebrity or because I’m a young woman who is finding her feet in motherhood? I am enjoying motherhood, and I don’t know what they want from me. Others are quick to judge, saying I am sick, I need help, or I am taking drugs, just because I had a baby and my body is still recovering…I am not stressing about my weight loss because some of my friends and my sister went through the same thing.’