SA musician charged with assaulting celeb girlfriend a day after she is also accused of assaulting a woman

Popular South African musician Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo appeared before Pinetown Magistrate’s Court in Durban on Tuesday on charges of physically assaulting his girlfriend Bongekile “Babes Wodumo” Simelane, who is also a singer.

The incident, which occurred on Sunday night and was recorded live and shared on Babes Wodumo’s Instagram account saw South Africans descending heavily on Mampintsha calling on legal action to be taken against him.

He was released on a 2,000 rand bail and subsequently addressed reporters after the hearing claiming he was attacked first by Babes Wodumo while asleep in the hotel they were lodging after she arrived from a party, according to BBC.

“Babes arrived and she assaulted me. In my defence I hit her back,” he said. “I made a mistake but no-one can accept to be attacked while asleep in bed. I’m sorry for my actions. I ask for forgiveness for raising my hand against her.”

The case has been adjourned to May 15 with Mampintsha also confirming he has opened a counter-charge of assault against Babes Wodumo, according to TimesLIVE.

“I want the police to deal with her like they dealt with me. People must say what they were saying to me to her,” he said.

In another unfolding incident, the victim of the assault, Babes Wodumo, together with three other women have been accused of attacking another woman in Umbilo, Durban on Monday, according to The Citizen.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Jay Naicker said they have launched investigations after the case was reported at the Umbilo Police Station.

“We can confirm that a case of common assault was opened at the Umbilo Police Station yesterday evening. The complainant alleges that on Monday evening she attended a gathering at a guest house in the Umbilo area when she was assaulted by four women, three of whom are known to her, after she got into an argument with one of them.

“Detectives have been in touch with the accused, who cannot be named at this stage. The suspects have indicated through their lawyers that they will be providing police with statements. Statements have yet to be obtained from independent witnesses who attended the event. Once all the evidence has been gathered, the docket will be submitted to the NPA,” Naicker said.

The Citizen further reports that the victim was attacked after she was accused of allegedly leaking a video of Babes Wodumo talking about her assault incident with Mampintsha to a group of people.