Showmax has just wrapped the Showmax Original Mohale: On the Record, a tell-all interview between Mohale Motaung and Aldrin Sampear, host of Unfiltered on SABC 3 and the drive time show Beyond The Headline on SAFM. The special will premiere on 4 August 2022, first on Showmax.
Mohale and his husband Somizi Mhlongo became the poster couple for gay marriage in South Africa when their SAFTA-nominated 2020 wedding special, Somizi & Mohale: The Union, was labelled The Union of the Year and set a then record for the most first day views on Showmax. Their relationship was also a central focus on Living The Dream With Somizi S4, which won the 2020 SAFTA for Best Structured or Docu-Reality Show.
As Aldrin says, “As a queer person, their union has been a celebration of what many would love to achieve but, because of societal norms, have struggled to. Some of us even lived our fantasies through their love story and became invested in it.”
But Somhale wasn’t the fairytale union it seemed. This became clear when the audio of an off-the-record interview with Mohale was leaked in August 2021, including allegations of how Somizi physically abused him.
Much has been said about the impact of these allegations on Somizi, who took time off from Idols and Metro FM as a result, but is now back on the cover of True Love this month and sharing his side of the story in Living the Dream With Somizi S5 on Showmax.
But much less has been said about how the alleged abuse, the leak, and the pending divorce has impacted Mohale.
“This sit-down is an opportunity to hear Mohale’s version of their union, and now, its cracks,” says Aldrin.
“A lot has been said about me, both true and untrue,” says Mohale. “I initially had no intentions to publicly speak of the events that have occurred, due to an agreement I had with the other parties involved. But when the agreement was dishonoured by the other party, it became paramount that I tell my truth as I know it. With all the misinformation in the public domain, it is my responsibility to correct any propaganda as I represent not only myself, but those that may have experienced a story similar to mine. I would also like people to truly get to know me for who I am, as opposed to who they have assumed me to be.”
“Having told the story of the wedding, we wanted to explore everything that followed,” says Candice Fanguiero, head of content at Showmax. “Living The Dream With Somizi S5 is currently the most popular title on Showmax but it’s just one perspective, so we’re now adding Mohale’s voice so he can speak for himself in this special.”Mohale: On the Record is being produced by Teddy Geldart’s Dopezuluboi Productions (2021 SAFTA nominee Lebo M: Coming Home and S5 of Living The Dream With Somizi).
