Zola's secret lover speaks out

FOR three years, kwaito star and TV presenter Zola was Nombuso Zondi’s secret lover and her “action ­hero”.

“I was being mugged near his house one day. Coincidentally, he saw it and ran after the man barefoot and recovered my cellphone. From that moment he was my action hero and the incident made me warm to him,” said 25-year-old Zondi, adding that they have been dating on and off for three years.

But this week Zondi and Zola, who was this week quoted in the press as saying he “seems to attract psychos”, were involved in a bust- up after she broke into his Joburg home in a fit of anger after he refused to take her calls.

The fight left her battered and bruised and she spent two hours in a police holding cell. Zola admitted to reporters this week that he gave Zondi “a few hot klaps”, but said it was in self-defence.

He even told reporters the police knew Zondi from “three other ­assault cases” she had tried to open against him.

Zondi admits that it has been a tumultuous three years as their fights became more frequent after she realised he had other girlfriends, and they would break up for months at a time.
“I even found a few SMSes from different women declaring their love for him, and other sexually ones. On two occasions I have had clashes with women who came to see him,” Zondi said.

“He is not always like this. He has a loving, compassionate and caring side to him. It’s just that he vents his insecurities physically at times, and obviously the good doesn’t happen without the bad. Even happy stories come to an end,” she said.

Last September they even talked about tying the knot, Zondi said, but Monday’s bust-up put an end to that.

Zondi alleges that Zola tried to strangle her last month after they argued about him not spending enough “quality time” with her. Since this fight they had not talked to each other until last week, when it seemed as if they were patching things up between them.

“I called him on Monday and then SMSed him, but he did not reply. So I went to his place and told him I was at the gate – but he still did not open for me.

“I was so desperate to get answers that I jumped over the wall.”

Once inside the yard she tried to get into his house through a window. “I could see the house keys from the window, so I broke the window with a brick to get the keys and open the door for myself. I tried getting in the first time, but he blocked me. Eventually I got in and that is when he dragged me by my hair to the floor.

“I then got up and the fight moved towards the lounge. I got hold of his Sama Award and a plastic trophy in both hands and said ‘Bonginkosi uyangishaya’ (Bonginkosi, you are hitting me).

“The Sama Award was too heavy to hit him with, so I put it down and used the lighter one. He was slapping and punching me. He took off his sweater and I ran to the bathroom, but he followed me and continued beating me.

“He dragged me back to the kitchen, saying ‘Ngifuna uphume the same way ongene ngayo’. (I want you to get out of my place the same way you came in.)

“I was on the floor and he kicked me with his heavy Timberland boots, slapping me on the head.

“Then he picked me up and tried to shove me out the same window, but the cops were already at the gate, so I started screaming for him to stop because there was no need for him to fight now.

“I had only my house keys and cellphone with me, so I did not pose any danger to him,” said Zondi.

Zondi was then arrested for trespassing and house-breaking and Zola was supposed to follow, but he never did.

She spent two hours in the Brixton police holding cells on Monday night. Zola did not lodge any complaint against her and the police ­advised her to do the same.

Zondi accepts that the relationship is now over and has decided to move on with her life.
Zola refused to comment on ­Zondi’s version of events.