The fairy tale marriage of legendary actor Sello Maake kaNcube to his beautiful wife Pearl Solo Mbewe has reached an epilogue.
Sunday World can exclusively reveal that Mbewe and Maake kaNcube, who got married in 2021, separated last year and are now heading for divorce.
It would be Maake kaNcube’s second failed union in at least 10 years. His first matrimony to businesswoman Palesa Mboweni ended acrimoniously in the Pretoria high court about three years ago.
News of Maake kaNcube’s collapsed nuptial was revealed by the couple’s next of kin, who did not want to be identified for fear of victimisation.
Speaking to Sunday World, the relative said Maake kaNcube has kicked Mbewe out of their marital home in Dube, Soweto, after a confrontation over the thespian’s cavalier association with women. Mbewe then lodged with her parents in Bramfischerville, Soweto, before moving into her Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni house, which she bought more than 13 years ago.
The relative said Mbewe (42) discovered that Maake kaNcube (62) was still flirting with his old flame, Cynthia Hlahla, also known as Lacoste.
This after the former Genera-tions actor, said the relative, sent a message to Hlahla, who is based in the US, saying that he missed her to bits and would always rent a space in his head.
The Skeem Saam actor also allegedly sent Hlahla a message, asking her if she was seeing somebody. Hlahla, who called him by his second name, Joel, spurned his advances, saying that she knew he no longer carried a torch for her.
“She said he was just pretending to love her, saying she knew he was in love with Pearl. She even asked him to be honest with her and tell her if he wants her to help him leave South Afri-ca for the US instead of lying about having the hots for her,” said the relative.
The source said when Mbewe discovered this, a huge fight broke out and Maake kaNcube showed her the door.
When she was bunkering at her parents’ home, Maake kaNcube sent a delegation of elderlies to pay the last portion of the dowry for her, saying that he still wanted her to be his wife.
But Mbewe did not agree because she wanted Maake kaNcube to change his ways, while he too wanted her to comport herself in a certain way. When they couldn’t find each other, said the relative, the actor approached Swanepoel van Zyl Attorneys on January 10 and asked them to help him file for divorce.
The firm’s employee, Anel de Lange, wrote an email to Maake kaNcube and asked him to pay them a R25 000 deposit in the law firm’s trust account before they could begin with the divorce process.
The letter, which we have seen, reads in parts: “We confirm that we are able to assist you in the above matter, confirming that should you wish to proceed, the divorce proceedings may be initiated.
“In order to proceed, however, we kindly require that a mandate and fee agreement be signed, a copy of which is attached hereto. You will also note that we require a R25 000 deposit in trust, as it is imperative that we brief counsel and instruct the sheriff of the court to attend to the necessary service of documents.”
De Lange asked Maake ka-Ncube to send them a copy of their antenuptial contract, proof of residence, and his identity document, among others.
Mbewe declined to comment.
Maake kaNcube confirmed that he had contacted the lawyers to help him file for divorce but said he had not signed any papers.
“I have not even paid them yet,” he said.
