Online Reporter
Media personality Denise Zimba is healing out loud.
The former “Generations: The Legacy” actress has once again opened up about another devastating setback in her ongoing custody battle with her ex-husband, Jakob Schlichtig.
Zimba took to social media on Saturday, July 4, claiming that she was denied entry to the home where her daughters live during a trip to Munich in Germany.
She revealed that she travelled to Munich for her daughter’s birthday celebrations and stated that she was not allowed into the house.
Instead, she was told that if she wanted to see her children, it would have to be outside.
“Travelled all the way to Munich to see my girls. I have restricted access to them. Today is my daughter’s birthday party, and I am not allowed in the house. Opened gifts that I got them in the parking lot & have been told that if I want to see them, it will have to be outside,” she wrote.
The custody battle between the estranged couple has been making headlines since 2024, after Zimba publicly spoke about the breakdown of her marriage and alleged betrayals that contributed to their divorce, including claims that Schlichtig had an affair with her childhood friend, Mpumi Maluli.
As previously reported by IOL in 2025, Zimba was ordered to return her daughters to Germany after the Western Cape High Court ruled that the children, who hold dual South African and German citizenship, were habitual residents of Germany.
At the time, court proceedings centred around the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction after Zimba retained the children in South Africa following what was initially meant to be a family holiday.
According to court documents, Schlichtig approached the German Central Authority after Zimba refused to return to Germany with the children in early 2024, leading to legal proceedings in South Africa for their return.
While many social media users sympathised with Zimba and shared messages of support, controversial podcaster and social commentator Penuel “The Black Pen” Mlotshwa offered his unfiltered opinion.
Responding to Zimba’s post on X, Mlotshwa expressed sympathy for what she was going through but also shared his own views on how the situation had unfolded.
“Sorry about your ordeal, Denise. But thank you for traveling to see your kids,” he wrote before adding a series of points, including that he believed Zimba was wrong to attempt to relocate the children without their father’s consent and that long-distance co-parenting often comes with difficult realities.
He further argued that Zimba needed to take accountability for her role in the current situation, writing that “the reason the visits are supervised is because you legally kidnapped the girls last time”, referring to the legal proceedings that played out between the former couple in South African and German courts.
He concluded by encouraging both parents to prioritise their daughters’ wellbeing and expressed hope that they would eventually be able to co-parent in a healthier way.
Mlotshwa also advised Zimba to stop sharing personal updates about her children publicly, saying he had “learnt the hard way” that not everyone has good intentions when it comes to personal family matters.
He suggested that therapy and confiding in a trusted inner circle may be more helpful than sharing such experiences online – IOL.
