ANC parliamentarian Malusi Gigaba’s ex-wife, Norma Mngoma, has detailed the emotional toll of their marriage, accusing Gigaba of infidelity that began even before their relationship.
Mngoma said this on Showmax’s gripping episode of its original series Untied.
Hosted by Relebogile Mabotja, the episode, which aired on Tuesday, delved into Mngoma’s turbulent marriage, her allegations of Gigaba’s pornography addiction, serial infidelity, misuse of public funds, and the legal battle to prevent the episode’s broadcast.
The candid revelations, amplified by raw and emotional quotes, have sparked widespread discussion, highlighting themes of empowerment, privacy, and accountability.
Mngoma and Gigaba were married from 2014 to 2020 and were once celebrated as South Africa’s power couple, dubbed the “Gigabytes”.
Their R6.7-million wedding was a media spectacle, but their relationship unravelled amid personal and political scandals.
Mngoma detailed the emotional toll of their marriage, accusing Gigaba of infidelity that began even before their relationship.
“None of them brought photos in the form of an image, but they screenshot messages and sent them to me,” she revealed, describing numerous messages from women alleging affairs with Gigaba.
Enthusiasm with baby oils
She claimed that Gigaba courted her while still married to his first wife, Thabong Nxumalo, and dismissed her concerns as jealousy-fuelled attacks, saying, “when I would tell Malusi about what other women told her about him, he’d say, ‘these women have an agenda; it’s politics’.”
The most sensational claim was Mngoma’s assertion of Gigaba’s pornography addiction.
She recounted discovering explicit content on his iPad, including nude images of other women, and alleged he watched porn while handling ministerial duties.
“He’s like Diddy, with his enthusiasm with baby oils in the bedroom,” she stated, describing how his fixation influenced their intimate life with degrading language that distressed her.
The 2018 leaked video of Gigaba, which trended on adult websites, became a flashpoint. Gigaba claimed it was a private act for Mngoma, but she refuted this.
“I saw it the day it was leaked, but we were blackmailed [by the woman] for six months [prior to this]. They were demanding money; they wanted a million rand.
“He acted like it was our video, but we’ve never done a video together, so why [lie]? He knew very well that it was a video of himself alone. So, he lied until the day the video was trending on Pornhub, and I laughed.”
Caught in bed with another woman
The breaking point came when Mngoma caught Gigaba in bed with another woman.
“The lady was in bed. She was trying to cover herself … I took off his glasses; I tried to beat him up,” she recalled.
This incident, coupled with ongoing betrayals, led her to file for divorce in 2020.
In counselling, Gigaba deflected blame: “He would blame his father; because his father was a priest, he grew up looking up to his father, and his father cheated on his mother. He would say, ‘I am going to deal with it,’ and he doesn’t know why he’s doing it.”
Mngoma further alleged their extravagant lifestyle, including their lavish wedding, was funded by taxpayers’ money. “The extravagant lifestyle was rumoured to be paid for with taxpayers’ money.”
Gigaba denied this, citing Mngoma’s own testimony about financing their assets, which added a layer of contention to their public dispute.
Gigaba sought to block the episode’s airing, securing a temporary court interdict in June, arguing that Mngoma’s allegations covering infidelity, porn addiction, and misuse of funds would harm his reputation and their two children.
Gigaba’s interdict dismissed
His legal team named MultiChoice, Goat Originals, and Mngoma as respondents, claiming the interview violated his privacy and lacked public interest.
On July 9, Judge Julian Yende dismissed the interdict, citing a lack of urgency and ordering Gigaba to cover legal costs.
MultiChoice defended the episode, emphasising Mngoma’s right to share her story.
The episode fuelled debates about the ethics of public disclosures and their impact on the couple’s children, with some praising Mngoma’s courage.
“I am free, and I’m independent,” she declared, reflecting on her journey from a high-profile marriage to reclaiming her autonomy.
Untied, an eight-episode series that premiered on June 24, features prominent South African women sharing their divorce experiences
