Chronicle Editor
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
ON the day of his divorce from Zimbabwean songbird, Berita Khumalo, controversial South African music executive, Nota Baloyi combed his hair and wore a suit. Both these things, for those familiar with Baloyi, were very significant.
Baloyi parades himself as a staunch Pan-Africanist on his social media platform. His hair, which always seems to be threatening to rebel from the rest of his head, is a significant part of his character. It signals his disdain, for what some might term Western standards of what defines unkempt African hair.
The same goes for suits, which Baloyi has never been particularly fond of, even when he was making his way in the high-profile boardrooms, hammering multi-million deals for the likes of Kwesta.
On the day of his divorce, however, things were different. Nota, brought his hair to order and wore a suit, made for him by his ex-wife, just for the occasion. It was over two years since he had last seen his wife.
“I had not seen her even before I left for overseas,” revealed Nota on the Hustlers Corner podcast.
“Even when I left, I hadn’t seen her in almost a year. So, me being gone for that time as well, which is maybe two years, I tried my best to look good. I dressed in a suit that she had made, I combed my hair and I made sure that I put on my cologne and that I was smelling fresh. I was leaving a great last impression. That was it.”
The man who calls himself the authority was speaking this past week after the official ending of a marriage that has hogged headlines on both sides of Limpopo for the past two years.
The first suggestion that there was trouble in paradise came in 2022 when Berita took to her X timeline to pen an apology to YouTuber Mihlali Ndamase after Nota had made unsavoury comments about her.
Berita revealed that she had left her marital home in January 2022 and suggested that Nota’s alleged mental health issues had taken a toll on their union.
Nota revealed that while in divorce court in the final moments of their marriage, he did not even get a chance to have a word with his ex-wife. The outspoken music executive said he went to watch a movie, Bad Boys 4, starring Will Smith because the Fresh Prince of Bel-air had his fair share of marital problems over the years.
“That wasn’t going to be possible. I guess whether I was hurt or not is a good question. That always depends on what your expectation of the other person’s response is always going to be. So, I can say I was satisfied. It is what it is. I walked out, I hugged her and I wished her the best and my dad left. I then went to watch Bad Boys 4.
“Will Smith is someone who has also gone through a lot as well, so I guess it was also his big comeback as well. So, I was like, let me go and check out Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and it was a pretty decent movie considering how long it had been since the last one came out,” he recalled.
Baloyi was adamant that he had not intended to give up on his marriage, even though he had spent the best part of the last two years showering Berita with abuse.
The torrent of abuse even continued after the divorce, with Baloyi demanding belongings he had brought for Berita while they were still married while he also seemed to suggest that he had married beneath his financial class.
“I guess closure is a good description of how I am feeling because as a man, the one thing that you obsess the most about is not failing at something. So, it is always hard to take or accept failure at anything like something so critical in one’s life. So, that’s always difficult, but I guess I am excited to have the question about that part of my life over and done with,” he said.
Baloyi said as he waited in divorce court for his own turn, he was shocked by the number of people who were terminating their marriages.
He also said that while he was personally disappointed, he felt the most pity for his father, who had to watch his son get divorced, something that he had never undergone in his marriage.
“I guess the saddest part is that when I went to the divorce court, I was sitting there with my dad. I was thinking this was so foreign to him. So, he was asking if this is how the process went. The funny thing is that there are so many divorces happening. So, you are in a line and the judge is there and he is telling you that I have eight more divorces to deal with in the same courtroom. I watched the other divorces first before mine, so I was in line,” he said.
Baloyi, who looked more downcast than usual, said he had not wanted to give up on his marriage but circumstances forced his hand.
“I guess for me, the one thing that I didn’t want to do was give up. So, I thought whatever went down, at least I didn’t give up. I went down fighting. This is about my character more than anything else. I still need to prove to myself that I am as principled as I want to be and that’s what motivated me to try to save my marriage. You also learn from hardship and every opportunity to go through a certain struggle is an opportunity to get stronger. So, I am glad I had an opportunity to get stronger and overcome. I believe that I have gained a stripe,” he said.
Although he said he still believed in marriage, Baloyi said there was no chance that he would be in another relationship soon, as he wanted to focus on the political issues affecting South Africa with the possible advent of a Government of National Unity.
“I am marrying the plight of my people. That’s my wife right now. That’s what keeps me focused, driven and motivated. That’s who I am bringing home flowers to…I have heard a lot of people say divorce is never easy, but I have also heard a lot of people speak cavalierly about it. When you are chilling with grootmans (older gentleman) they talk of their first and second marriages and so on.
“I still believe in marriage but you must bring up that topic with people who have been through divorce. My people need me more than any relationship could. I tell my brothers, the Oppenheimers have their foot on your necks and I am the only one that can save you, I am sorry,” he said.
Online Reporter