All About Basetsana Kumalo’s Family With Husband Romeo Kumalo and Her Struggles to Have Children

Basetsana Kumalo has been married to Romeo Kumalo since 2000 and they are parents to three children, two sons named Nkosinathi Gabriel Kumalo and uShaka Kgositsile Emmanuel Kumalo, and a daughter named Bontle ba Morena Jasmine Kumalo. However, their journey to becoming parents was a tough one as they initially struggled with fertility issues. 

Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo are one of the prominent power couples in South Africa. They are both celebrated as much as they are successful business people. While the former is a beauty pageant titleholder and a television personality, her husband is the co-founder and CEO of LLH Capital, an investment firm known for its investments in the ICT sector. Before this, he served as the CEO of Vodacom, was a board member of Vodacom South Africa as Executive Commercial Director, and also a member of the Vodacom Group Executive Committee.

Like her husband, Basetsana has come a long way in her career. She sits on the board of multiple prominent establishments and serves as the President of the Business Women’s Association of South Africa. Among other attainments, she has a clothing line and has endorsed brands like Revlon and BriteSmile. Given all of these uncommon feats associated with the couple, it is not out of place that they inspire a lot of people who keep up with what they do while prying for details into their family life.

Basetsana and Romeo Began Dating in 1997

Every couple has their story, of how they met and fell in love. Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo’s case is not different, even though the details are sketchy. Basetsana was Miss Soweto and Miss Black South Africa before she was crowned Miss SA in 1994. Reports have it that she met Romeo when she was Miss Soweto and they started dating in 1997.

Before she started dating Romeo who was a SABC broadcaster, Basetsana’s boyfriend was the former super middleweight boxing champion, Dingaan Thobela. Based on what she revealed in her memoir titled Bassie: My Journey of Hope, she met Thobela just after she was crowned Miss SA and they began a relationship that was very abusive.

According to the businesswoman, Dingaan physically abused her several times. On one of the occasions, he left her bleeding and she ended up in a hospital. Because she was afraid people would judge her, she refused to disclose what happened and claimed she was mugged. When she eventually decided to leave Dingaan, the former boxer threatened her with a gun to her head, vowing to kill her if she ever tries to leave him. But then, the incident made Basetsana more determined to abandon the relationship.

Thobela has since denied Basetsana’s claims, asserting that he doesn’t remember beating her. He further said that what they had wasn’t perfect as they had disagreements which is normal for every relationship. He expressed his disappointment over Basetsana’s book as it did not talk about his contributions to who she has become.

Anyway, the Basetsana and Dingaan Thobela story is a tale for another day. What matters here is that the end of their relationship made it possible for the former beauty queen to pursue a relationship with Romeo Kumalo.

When did Basetsana Kumalo Get Married to Romeo Kumalo?

After they began dating in 1997, Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo didn’t waste much time before they started working towards spending the rest of their lives together. The power couple got married in 2000 and given their status in the society, it was a highly publicized wedding.

The event was witnessed by some of the most prominent figures in South Africa. The highest profiled person to attend the wedding was former SA president Nelson Mandela and his wife Grace Machel.

The Couple Had a Hard Time Starting a Family

Basetsana Kumalo and her husband Romeo had to wait for over three years before they welcomed their first child. The former beauty queen has in recent years opened up about her painful journey to motherhood. Even though the couple has conquered their fertility struggles, the memories of what they went through are still fresh on Basetsana’s mind and she detailed this in her memoir.

Stressing that it was painful to publicly go through her fertility journey, the businesswoman related that Romeo helped her overcome the ordeal as he reminded her that he primarily married her because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

After waiting for three years before they had their first child, Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo had to wait for almost another three years before they could celebrate an anticipated arrival of twins which never happened. The amniotic sac ruptured and the twins didn’t survive it. The miscarriage left Basetsana devastated and depressed for a long time. Thanks to the support of her husband and family, she found reasons to keep her hopes alive, and fate has rewarded her for this.

How Many Children Does Basetsana Kumalo Have?

The beautiful thing about the procreation struggles that Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo faced is that they didn’t let it spoil their relationship. Romeo encouraged his wife through the disappointments and now, they are parents to three kids; two sons and a daughter.

Given their harsh journey to parenthood, it is not hard to see why the couple are very caring and protective of their kids, just as they are passionate about promoting the welfare of children across South African and beyond. Basetsana and Romeo may have a thing for helping people in need, but children inspire them. Because of this, they created the Romeo and Basetsana Kumalo Family Foundation which cares for children orphaned by HIV/Aids and related diseases.

Nkosinathi Gabriel Kumalo

  • Date of Birth: April 18, 2005

Nkosinathi Gabriel Kumalo is the first child and son of Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo. Time would reveal what he would become. At the moment, he abides by his parents’ guidance.

uShaka Kgositsile Emmanuel Kumalo

  • Date of Birth: May 9, 2012

uShaka Kgositsile Emmanuel Kumalo is the second son of the couple and their second child. uShaka is yet to become a teenager, things like what he would do with his life can only be revealed in years to come.

Bontle ba Morena Jasmine Kumalo

  • Date of Birth: July 23, 2014

Bontle ba Morena Jasmine Kumalo is the last child and only daughter of Basetsana and Romeo Kumalo. Like her siblings, we can’t tell what the future holds for her but judging by what her mother has shared, she is a very bright lass.

Chacha O
Chacha O
Chacha is a writer with a wealth of experience who has contributed across several channels. Her specialty includes celebrity lifestyle including how top movie stars, musicians, and comedians live their lives.

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