Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Dube-Moyo
Becoming Mrs Jones became the first-ever wedding documentary to be aired in South Africa. It took viewers on a journey to media personality Minenhle “Minnie” Dlamini and her sweetheart Quinton Jones’ walk down the aisle.
Many have not forgotten how gorgeous she looked in her ice-white and pearl Cinderella wedding gown made of Chantilly lace and tulle, with a four-metre-long train and floor-sweeping hem encrusted with thousands of Swarovski crystals.
According to the designer, Gert-Johan Coetzee, it took three months, 80 hours of hand-beading, 12 seamstresses, hundreds of metres of delicate fabric, and thousands upon thousands of sparkly crystals to create the dream princess gown. Quinton also looked suave in his black suit and the bridesmaids were not left out.
Coetzee created four unique champagne-coloured Chantilly lace gowns for them, each inspired by one of Minnie’s most loved red carpet looks, each different, but together forming a cohesive collection.
It was a fairy tale wedding where no luxuries were spared. Minnie and Quinton were picture perfect and seemed to have it all together, but just this week, they announced that they had decided to file for divorce, almost five years into their marriage.
Minnie last year hinted that she wanted to throw in the towel on her marriage and in an Instagram post opened up about how challenging marriage was.
She highlighted her challenges on Instagram admitting that there had been many days she wanted to throw in the towel as she captioned a picture of herself and hubby on their wedding day five years ago.
In a statement that was shared on Minnie’s Instagram account, the couple said: “In the last two years, our family has experienced incredible joy and devastating loss.
During this time, we found comfort in knowing we had each other. Despite our better efforts to absorb the changes in motion, the emotional burden and the post-traumatic distress of our individual loss outweighed our will.
After months of separation and consultations with our family and a counsellor, we have taken the decision to officially file for divorce.
“Despite the end of our marriage and romantic relationship, we remain friends, business partners and loving parents to our beautiful son.
This was a difficult decision to come to and even more heart-breaking to have to announce.” It was not just devastating for them, but for everyone that followed their love story.
The announcement of their decision to file for divorce came as a shock for many and for some as a realisation that it’s okay to walk away from a relationship that is no longer working.
Marriage is considered sacred and divorce is frowned upon in many sections of society. Christians believe marital dissolution should not be common among those who claim to follow Christ.
In the African context, many of our mothers were told to hold on to their marriages no matter how hard the going got. No matter how abusive the man was, they were told to stay put. If he cheated, they were told it was in a man’s nature to do so, stay put. They would leave their matrimonial home in a casket if they had to.
It is rather sad how many women would cling to toxic relationships that affected their mental health all in the name of holding onto a marriage. The trend still persists to date.
It could not have been an easy decision for Minnie and Quinton to come to – after that lavish wedding, being a prototypical couple and of course having to deal with what people will say afterwards. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what people will say. They’re always talking anyway.
It’s time both men and women realised that we now live in an age where it doesn’t really matter what people say. It shouldn’t matter whether or not someone is married or divorced; their happiness should come first.
There is no need for one to be removed from their home by a funeral parlour just because they want to cling onto a bad marriage.
Other South African celebrities such as Enhle Mbali and Black Coffee, Tino Chinyani and Simphiwe Ngema, Nhlanhla and TK Nciza among others have recently filed for divorce, 14 years on in some instances.
Divorce hits more when the couple in question have been married for a long time because everyone expects them to learn how to cope with issues.
If there is a need to engage family and professional counsellors to mend a broken marriage, couples must, by all means, be encouraged to do so. But if the differences are irreconcilable, divorce should not be grounds for persecution. – @Yolisswa
Online Reporter