A lengthy sexual assault case, losing houses, vehicles and money allegedly took a toll on comedian Tol Ass Mo and his estranged wife Mome Mahlangu.
The comedian, born Mongezi Mahlangu, lifted the lid on his divorce to Mome during a podcast interview with DJ Fresh on Friday.
The couple had been married for 11 years.
Speaking to Sunday World briefly, the comedian could not divulge details for his divorce, only stating: “I am okay. God will see me through.”
In an interview, Tol Ass Mo shocked viewers by declaring that he will never date a black woman again, alluding to the fact that he is no longer with Mome, following a marriage that survived a draining court case which was concluded late in 2022.
“Currently Mome and I are separated. We are in the process of filling for divorce,” he said.
“We grew apart and the most important thing about this separation is the respect between the two of us.
“We have reached a point where things are just not working between the two of us … It’s me that is walking away, I am traumatised by black women. I am traumatised to the point that I don’t want to be with a black woman and Mome is not part of my trauma.”
Even though he did not detail the reasons for the divorce, a close family friend who asked not to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media said cracks in the pair’s marriage started showing during the court battle.
“I was concerned about the family for a long time. I am not surprised by this. The case has taken its toll. It has been an incredibly tough period for them,” said a family friend.
“This is something that could break a marriage and it is seldom that a family holds it together after so many years of losing money, losing properties, and cars.
“I think because of that, the stress and all that took its toll.”
Tol Ass Mo was accused of sexually assaulting model Lerato Moloi in 2014.
Moloi laid the charges against the media personality in 2020 and following a two-year court battle, Toll Ass Mo was acquitted in the Paarl magistrate’s court in August 2022.
The comedian and Mome appeared as a unit throughout the sexual assault allegations, with Mome sticking by her husband’s side even when he was cancelled out, not booked for shows, losing his house, vehicles, and money.
A family friend said these are the reasons that led to the couple’s divorce.
“Eventually, if people can’t cope with what has happened and even the fact that you have been acquitted, it sometimes boils down to this,” said the friend.
The mole added that Toll Ass Mo and Mome have not lost all the hope, as they have become friends.
Mome has kept her silence, only taking to her social media to post photos with cryptic messages.
On Sunday, she posted: “Let’s eat … let the people talk. We’ll sleep so nicely then silence.”
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