A JILTED groom has accused wedding planner Sophie Ndaba of wrecking his marriage.
But Ndaba, famous for her soapie role of Queen on the erstwhile Generations has dismissed the man as a deranged fan.
Zimbabwe-born businessman and musician, Otis Mahlatsi said the dealings with Ndaba, who organised his wedding in April last year, led to a relationship which in turn resulted in the breakdown of his marriage.
Mahlatsi said the affair started shortly after the wedding, and a few flirtatious moments between them. He then wined and dined Ndaba, and that he would send her money if she needed it. He claimed that he loved Ndaba and that he didn’t see his marriage working out because of this passion for her which is why he decided to divorce his wife.
Mahlatsi said that he was hoping that declaring his love publicly would lead to Ndaba being with him on a full-time basis. Mahlatsi made an about-turn yesterday when he called to sing a different tune. He said Ndaba didn’t wreck his second marriage but that his wife was jealous of Ndaba during the planning of their wedding.
He said his marriage, which lasted only eight months, fell apart because he bought his first wife a Porsche.
“Sophie did a great job organising my wedding; it’s a pity it had to fall apart the way it did. My now ex-wife could not get over the fact that I was in constant communication with my first wife, and that I eventually bought her a car. That’s how my marriage fell apart, not because of Sophie.”
An outraged Ndaba dismissed Mahlatsi as a “nightmare of a fan”. She said she was shocked to learn that Mahlatsi alleged they had a relationship, which led to the demise of his marriage. Ndaba said he was “psychotic”. “This man is not normal. You will not believe the nightmare he put me through throughout the planning of his wedding. He constantly wanted invoices for the vendors I had paid, and wanted lavish things on a stringent budget, including a helicopter and a Rolls Royce.
“We fought like cats and dogs, which is why I was shocked to hear about his ridiculous claim of anything with him. I have had people trying to gain fame using my name, and I guess he is just one of many,” she said.
Ndaba said she wanted this encounter to be a lesson to her fans not to abuse her name.
“If Mahlatsi and his wife had problems, he should have never dragged my name into it. It is not fair to everyone involved. I consider myself a professional businesswoman, and I would like for my clients to keep things strictly professional.”
We contacted Mahlatsi’s estranged wife. Asking not to be named, she said: “I’m in shock that he’s saying he had an affair with Sophie. I’m driving, and actually shaking as we speak. I suspected that he was having an affair with his ex-wife, not Sophie. I know Sophie and no such thing would happen.”
