South African singers, Kelly and Zandile Khumalo, recently locked heads as they embarked on an acrimonious family feud involving Zandile’s husband, Mhlo Gumede. Since then, all hell has broken loose as the sisters have subsequently targeted jabs at each other. The sisters, especially Zandile, never held back in letting her sister’s secrets fly. Worst of all, most of their squabbles played out on social media. The bad blood between the siblings deteriorated to the point that they had to take legal steps to address their issues.
Pleas from the spectacular duo’s mother, Ntombi Khumalo, has seemed not enough in persuading the warring sisters to bury the hatchet. However, we recently started getting feelers that the South African artists have smoked the peace pipe and are in fact scheduled to make an appearance at an event together. Other tabloids have also hinted at an upcoming gig by the duo. However, fans are hopeful that these feelers are right as neither of them is yet to affirm or deny anything.
Here is what Caused the Feud Between Kelly and Zandile Khumalo
Family life can be quite enjoyable but when hostility rears its ugly head up, a family that was otherwise known to be closely knit can be torn apart with a gap as wide as a gully. For Kelly Khumalo and her Sister Zandile, it was fun while they were close, attending functions together and doing gigs as sisters. But then, an ugly incident occurred which has seemingly closed the chapter of sisterly closeness in their lives.
The singing sisters reportedly fell out over serious arguments involving payments, bookings, and of course Mhlo Gumede, Zandile’s spouse and Kelly’s brother in law who was accused of being involved in the scam. Though it was supposed to be a family issue, it later found its way into the court according to what Kelly told Afternoon Express in an interview session saying that the situation was that bad.
Zandile’s Husband, Mhlo Gumede, is One of the Major Reasons for Their Feud
It all began when Bhekani Ndlovu, an event organizer, leveled some serious accusations on Zandile’s husband, Mhlo Gumede, who also doubles as his wife’s manager. The allegations involved using Kelly Khumalo’s name to collect money when the Asine crooner was not put in the picture.
It was later revealed that Gumede actually made a phony booking with Kelly’s name which required the SA award-winning vocalist to perform with Vusi Nova on December 16, 2019. Meanwhile, Kelly’s team was completely in the dark regarding the arrangement.
When Kelly got the wind of what was happening, all hell broke loose as the artist took to her Instagram account to issue a public statement concerning the phony bookings. She wrote on the picture-sharing social media platform: “With all due respect, Mhlo Gumede is my sister’s husband And manager NOT my bookings manager nor part of my team, never was and never will be, so whatever dealings you may have with him Do NOT involve me.”
According to the singer, her brother-in-law is not part of her singing team and should not be contacted as her manager. Kelly warned the public not to get her involved in whatever dealings they may have had with Mhlo as he only manages Zandile’s affairs. She then went ahead to furnish fans with details of her bookings – the authentic one.
How Kelly and Zandile Khumalo Set the Tabloids Ablaze
With an issue of this magnitude involving Kelly Khumalo and her sister, Zandile, one won’t be so surprised that it escalated as soon as it hit the tabloids. Some South African publications had a field day with the story as they coined different screaming headlines to best capture the ugly situation.
For one, The Sun was unequivocal in its claim that Kelly’s brother-in-law, Gumede, was using the singer cum actresses’ name to swindle several promoters of some rands which ran into thousands. Other known SA publications also followed the trend, coming up with their own headlines for the story. In addition, Kelly’s statement where she distanced herself from the scam was well-publicized.
Zandile Released a Cryptic Statement Announced her Divorce From Kelly whom she Described as a Toxic Sister
The alleged scam turned into a raging family feud as Zandile hit her big sister back with her own statement where she proceeded to divorce Kelly. The statement hit fans as a shock as Kelly Khumalo and her sister, Zandile Khumalo, are known to be rather close. According to Zandile’s statement, she was publicly divorcing her sister with a heavy heart and great sadness. She said that it probably would have been a bit lighter and easier if she were to be divorcing her spouse, but her sister is someone she has known all through life, shared good and bad moments with. Zandile said they have shared pain, laughs, disappointments, and excitement together as siblings during their formative years, thus separating from Kelly is really a tough decision on her part.
The livid Zandile also accused Kelly of not wishing her well. She said she was questioned by the police, locked up in prison, and had to face a lie detector test for the first time in her life, all thanks to Kelly.
Zandile was really infuriated as she went on and on, recounting all the turbulent waters the sisters swarm together. Notable among her disclosures were about Kelly making her an accessory to a murder case, adding that, she was in possession of information about Kelly that may likely make jaws drop. Her shocking revelations notwithstanding, Zandile clarified that she was not moved by malice as Kelly is still very dear to her, however, the younger Khumalo sister urged her older sibling to recognize the fact that she needs help and make move to get it.
Zandile Made More Ugly Revelations About Her Sister
The feud between Kelly Khumalo and Zandile Khumalo showed no signs of stopping as the younger Khumalo made more unpalatable disclosures about her older sister. She revealed that Kelly always desired to emerge ahead of every other person right from time, and always putting her in the second-best position. Zandile equally revealed other evil treatments which she claims were meted out to her by Kelly through the years.
According to Zandile, Kelly is mad because she can no longer control her. On an episode of Life With Kelly Khumalo – Kelly’s show on Showmax – Zadie said when people find out that you are no longer under their control, they may take to spreading lies concerning you.
In response, Kelly Khumalo, in an episode of her show, spoke on issues affecting their life, revealing her suspicion about Zandile being “bewitched” and pointing accusing fingers at Gumede as the culprit.
However, Zandile insists that her big sister’s ill-treatment is not something new, stating that it has been going on long before Gumede came into the picture. She insists that her husband has done nothing but loved her, and also teaching her to be independent – something she is grateful for.
Zandile recounted how she has worked really hard to create a niche for herself in the industry which has, in turn, brought her out of Kelly’s shadows, adding that, it would be really bad to allow herself to be dragged back into darkness.
As for Life With Kelly Khumalo show, Zandie said she doesn’t take part in it, neither does she watch since according to her, the show would be stuffed with blatant lies. However, their mum, Ntombi Khumalo, has made an appearance on the popular show, urging her daughters to give peace a chance and reconcile. Ntombi expressed her desire to leave a united family behind when she joins her ancestors.
The Feud Made Fans Question the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Late SA Footballer Senzo Meyiwa
Zandie’s eyebrow-raising revelations about Kelly making her an accessory to murder was like a wake-up call to fans of the late Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa. Many fans of the deceased soccer star came to believe that the singing sister’s feud may likely expose leads into what really transpired on the 26th of October 2014 when Meyiwa met his death through a gunshot at Kelly Khumalo’s family home in Vosloorus (the duo dated for a long time and share a child).
Many were calling on Zandile to go ahead and spill those beans already as they were very ready to let their jaws drop.
Although police investigations never threw up Kelly and Zandile’s names as suspects in the crime, many SA citizens, especially fans of the late football player were completely averse to the story about robbery and shooting. According to the conspiracy theorists, there are several hidden depths to the gory tale and many believe that the singing sisters may likely be the key to cracking the case and exposing what really happened on that day.
However, both siblings have long denied having any form of involvement in the murder case, maintaining that an armed robbery incident that occurred that night gave rise to the shootings that claimed Senzo’s life.
Kelly’s Latest Project Made Zandile Set Aside Grievances, Paying Tribute to Her Big Sister
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHesmIBBPzf/
It may not be the end of Khumalo and her sister Zandie’s family issues but the younger Khumalo sister decided to put her feud aside, gushing over her superstar sibling’s latest project that just hit the music stand. Kelly dropped a new single titled Empini which became a hit on arrival, earning the admiration of fans in South Africa and the world over who took to social media to praise her effort.
Zandile who also considers herself a fan from the first day also leveraged Twitter to pay her own tribute to Kelly, despite the raging family feud. However, Mrs. Gumede made it very clear that she was not speaking as the singer’s sister but as a fan that has been with Kelly from the onset. Zandie praised her big sister’s job on the song, describing it as amazing. She posted this along with a shot of the single, stating that the Uthando crooner has continued to inspire as well as surprise her.
The younger Khumalo sibling said she will always be in awe of her big sister’s talent as well as her ever-evolving sound. She concluded by tagging her message as “an admiration from a fan to her superstar and idol” telling Kelly “well done” and saying “I love you.”
The spectacular duo may have finally buried the hatchet
It has been reported in some quarters that Kelly and her sister Zandile have decided to smoke the peace pipe and lay all family feuds to rest. According to the Daily Sun, they set their differences aside in the recent past and have started doing things together like siblings again. The singing duo is allegedly slated to appear at an oncoming event where they are expected to perform.
However, neither of the two has confirmed their purported reunion via an official statement which has made fans doubt the authenticity of their upcoming gig. Besides, the fact that the event was reported to be organized by Zandile’s husband, Mhlo Gumede, who was the crux of the entire feud, further served to heighten the doubts among fans. Gumede further complicated issues when he was contacted by Daily Sun. He responded by saying that he knew absolutely nothing about the scheduled event. He also went further to say that he didn’t know about any event and that none is happening.
Even Kelly refused point-blank to make any comments about the purported event, saying that she won’t comment on any question that doesn’t have anything to do with her most recent album. On her own part, Zandile said it was strictly family stuff and she cannot provide answers to their questions. However, fans are expectant as they keep their fingers crossed and hope the sisters have long buried the hatchet and will be able to appear on the same stage together to perform someday.