Following Big Nuz member Mandla “Mampintsha“ Maphumulo’s death all eyes have been on his young widow, Babes Wodumo (Bongekile Simelane).
And her performance at the Last Dance event held in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal received mixed reactions.
Wodumo performed a day after her husband was laid to rest . She sang Big Nuz’s latest hit “Ngeke”, which has gained more popularity since Mampintsha’s untimely death.
The founding member of Big Nuz died on Saturday, December 24, 2022, after suffering a stroke.
Some fans found it heartwarming to see the star putting in the work to revive her career.
@KBmanyobe wrote on Twitter: “Babes Wodumo was preforming live on stage tonight. Girl is definitely back at work and must be supported by all means. May God make way for her to continue this journey.
“May she be strong, bold & courageous as she heal the pain of losing her husband. Proud of you Queen 🤌🏽🥰🙌🏾”
Babes Wodumo was preforming live on stage tonight. Girl is definitely back at work and must be supported by all means. May God make way for her to continue this journey. May she be strong, bold & courageous as she heal the pain of losing her husband. Proud of you Queen 🤌🏽🥰🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/D3NbcicL2v
@Princes91463333 had a different view and wrote: “Although I commend Babes for her strength but it’s still too early, she needs to deal with the loss.
“Distracting herself from the pain will result in her crashing. She really doesn’t have to rush the process, grieving takes time😞”
Although I commend Babes for her strength but it’s still too early, she needs to deal with the loss. Distracting herself from the pain will result in her crashing. She really doesn’t have to rush the process, grieving takes time😞
At the height of her career, Wodumo was one of the biggest Gqom stars. However, over the years things have changed and she is no longer at the top.
Many of her fans online urged Wodumo to use the pain of losing her husband to motivate her career back to its peak.
@nthabeemosh said: “Love that Babes Wodumo was performing last night….if her family was against, she wouldn’t have done it so everyone else can keep their opinions.”
Love that Babes Wodumo was performing last night….if her family was against, she wouldn’t have done it so everyone else can keep their opinions
— nthabi (@nthabeemosh) January 1, 2023
@MaabuleM said: “It was so nice seeing Babes Wodumo performing last night/early hours of the morning. She was so amazing. I hope 2023 is kinder to her and we see her gig every weekend because she deserves it. What a remarkable woman ❤️.”
It was so nice seeing Babes Wodumo performing last night/early hours of the morning. She was so amazing. I hope 2023 is kinder to her and we see her gig every weekend because she deserves it. What a remarkable woman ❤️
During Mampintsha’s memorial service, musician and producer DJ Tira vowed to help Babes get back on top of her game.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. Our sister Babes Wodumo must go back to the top, where she belongs.
“When she entered the industry she charged R100K and by working hard, I know you (referring to Babes) can go back to the top. You need to work hard. You can’t get those things when you’re comfortable, you need to get out of your comfort zone and work.”
Seems Tira was not just talking for show as she is already being seen on event posters alongside the renowned DJ.
In the last season of Mampintsha and Wodumo’s Showmax reality show, the Gqom star shed light on the few things that were preventing her from returning to the stage, such as her hacked Instagram account.