Babes Wodumo (born 26 July 1994 in Lamontville) whose real name is Bongekile Simelane, is a South African musician, actress, host and dancer.
She is known for her hit song, Wololo which pioneered the Gqom genre, in 2016.
Babes has made waves in the music world and had her song Redemption feature on Black Panther: The Album, the soundtrack for the feature film Black Panther.
She also had guest appearances on SABC1 soapie Uzalo and sitcom My Perfect Family.
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| Full Name | Bongekile Simelane |
| Date of Birth | 26 July 1994 (age 29 years old) |
| Gender | Female |
| Spouse | Mandla ‘Mampintsha’ Maphumulo |
| Occupation | Musician, Actress |
| Nationality | South African |
| Net Worth | $1 million |
Babes Wodumo Age
She was born on the 26th of July 1994 in Lamontville, Chatsworth, South Africa. She is 29 years old as of 2023 and celebrates her birthday on July 26th every year.
Babes Wodumo Early Life
She has always been good at dancing, athletics, acting, and soccer since her childhood. Her skills in these activities earned her the name ‘Wodumo.’
The first name ‘Babes’ was actually given to her by her father when she was born. Apparently, her father thought that her daughter’s eyes looked similar to those of one of the members of a group known as ‘The Babes.’
Babes Wodumo Family
Bongekile was born to Welcome and Thokozile Simelane. Her father is Bishop Welcome Simelane, who heads the Lamontville Mount Zion Faith Mission. She has a sister named Nonduh Simelane.
Her father and her mother were not in support of her way of life and wanted her to pursue a career in Social Work.
Career
Her first appearance on the music platform was on a song titled ‘Desha’ released by Sir Bubzin in 2014. She released her hit single “Wololo” in 2016 and has since been making waves in the music industry.
Babes has performed the song, featuring Mampintsha, on numerous television shows including Idols 12, The MTV Africa Awards, Rhythm City, The South African Music Awards and Come Duze.
She established the West Ink Dance Academy which has been nominated for several awards.
Songs
- Wololo
- Thobeka
- Mercedes
- Ching Chong
- Family
- Nkabinde
- Yesgebengu
- Kuth’angkhulume
- Buyisa uBabes Wodumo
- Umngan’wami
- Amatsegetsege
- Uyang’phazamisa
- Thula Wazi
- Ngangingekho
- Ka Dazz
- Tipcee – Umcimbi Wethu Ft. Babes Wodumo, DJ Tira & Mampintsha
- Amaketanga
Album
She released her debut album in 2016 titled “Gqom Queen, Vol. 1”.
TV Roles
- #YouGotGot – Season 3
- Come Duze – Season 13
- Idols – Season 12
- Lip Sync Battle Africa – Season 2
- My Perfect Family – Season 4
- Rhythm City – Season 1
- The MTV Africa Music Awards – Season 6
- The South African Music Awards – Season 23
- Tropika Smoooth Fan – Season 1
- Uzalo – Season 2
- Uzalo – Season 4
Babes Wodumo Husband
Bongekile was in a relationship with Mandla ‘Mampintsha’ Maphumulo, who was also her manager. Rumours arose that they had secretly married.
Mampintsha and Babes Wodumo’s relationship has had many ups and downs, including the abuse scandal that happened earlier in 2019.
Video footage had surfaced online where Mampintsha was seen assaulting Babes. Wodumo filed a criminal complaint against Mampintsha but the assault case was withdrawn after mediation between the two parties was successful.
The pair agreed to go for relationship counselling following the incident and subsequently rekindled their relationship.
Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $1 million to $5 million which she has earned throughout her successful career
https://twitter.com/BABESWODUMO___
