Former ‘Real Housewives of Durban’ Star Annie Mthembu Opens Up About Why Her Marriage Ended
- Reality TV star and entrepreneur Annie Mthembu explained why she and Kgolo "Da Guru" Mthembu divorced
- Netizens expressed mixed reactions, with some criticising her for sharing her reasons for divorce publicly
- Her estranged husband, Kgolo "Da Guru" Mthembu, previously shared details about their marriage on a podcast
- Briefly News spoke to relationship expert Paula Quinsee, who shared the effects of staying in an unfulfilling relationship
Source: Instagram
Former Real Housewives of Durban (RHOD) star Annie Mthembu shared why her marriage to Kgolo “Da Guru” Mthembu ended.
The couple, once considered the epitome of luxury and socialite fame, were married in 2021 in a dazzling wedding ceremony at the luxurious La Paris Estate in the Cape Winelands. But behind the glitz and glamour, things were falling apart, and Annie Mthembu has shared why she and Kgolo “Da Guru” separated.
Annie Mthembu shares reasons behind her divorce
On Tuesday, 12 August 2025, the Engineer Your Life Podcast took to X and shared a teaser of the episode that aired on YouTube on the same day. The post was captioned:
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“[EXCLUSIVE] Annie Mthembu takes us into the circumstances that ended her marriage.”
Source: Instagram
In the snippet, Annie suggested that she and Kgolo Mthembu divorced because of infidelity. She said her estranged husband’s wondrous ways made her question her self-worth.
“No one likes to be cheated on. It makes you question yourself a lot. Are you enough, you know, is there something wrong with me? Why can't I not be enough for you? And in admitting that I was being cheated on, I felt like I was saying I was not good enough. Sure, I was highly embarrassed,” Annie said.
Annie suggested that despite her husband’s incessant cheating, she still wanted their marriage to continue, but she felt disrespected.
“You know I was not in a good place, and I just wanted to protect all of us from this, even though I was not being protected, obviously, because everybody knew things that I did not. I just wanted to protect myself, protect my children. Protect our family because at that point, even though I knew that, you know, he was doing his thing. I still wanted us to be a family. If someone cheats, it's on them, and it's their responsibility to decide how they're going to manage themselves moving forward. I don't believe that infidelity is the ultimate breaker, but it needs to be handled appropriately. You know, I feel like there's a certain level of respect that a man has for his wife when even when he's not faithful, the wife does not know,” Annie added.
Source: Instagram
She suggested that if she’d known beforehand that her husband was polyamorous, she would have known how to deal with it instead of being blindsided.
“Actually, can men just tell us what it is that you want from the relationship? I feel like this is really important. I feel like if I had the opportunity to know you. A polyamorous. Then I'm empowered with that knowledge. So now when it comes back. Oh, your husband is here? No, it's fine. I know, I know. Let him do his thing. He's having fun, or he's getting out whatever of his system that he needs to get out. But don't pretend that you are perfect and make believe in our oneness. Oneness where there's no one else. And then I get shocked along the way with information about what you're actually doing outside, you know? I mean, no one likes to be cheated on,” she said.
Watch the full interview below:
Briefly News spoke to relationship expert Paula Quinsee, who shared some of the emotional and psychological effects of staying in an unfulfilling relationship.
She shared that staying in an unfulfilling relationship can have psychological effects on the individual. Paula Quinsee shared that staying in an unfulfilling relationship can lead to self-destructive behaviour.
"Staying in an emotionally draining relationship can lead to chronic stress and depression, erosion of one’s self-esteem, self-worth, own identity, and emotional neglect, resulting in possible negative coping mechanisms such as alcohol, medication, and the like to try and fill the void in the relationship," she explained.
The effects of an unfilfilling relationship can have a lasting negative impact on children, as Paula Quinsee points out:
"This can also have a negative impact on children in the relationship as they will sense the disconnect, and what this does is teach them that unloving, disconnection and unhappiness is acceptable in relationships vs what a healthy relationship is."
Netizens react after Annie Mthembu opens up about her divorce
In the comments section on X, several netizens shared mixed reactions. While some questioned her decision to stay despite knowing her husband’s history, others sympathised with her. Some criticised her for publicly sharing her story, arguing that some matters should remain private.
Here are some of the reactions:
@MrsNoma said:
“I find this topic of podcasting a bit disturbing 🤞🏾 When a marriage ends, we all know something definitely went wrong. Should we now share our one-sided story on social media? To some extent, surely, we have a responsibility towards our exes & accept some things should forever remain private. Yes, get help for your healing journey, talk to the relevant people. I draw the line at telling it to the world 🤞🏾 That being said, each to their own 🌻”
@Nkulerrrh shared:
“But I somehow feel her pain. Sorry, Annie 😭”
@XolsTYQ argued:
“'I don't think infidelity is the ultimate breaker'. That's why these men cheat and have you looking crazy in the streets. Imagine being a pick-me only to be tossed aside because they chose their side chicks over wife and family.”
@Tootsblank said:
“But she knew this about him before they got married. Why was she embarrassed? Women must stop thinking they can change men.”
Source: Instagram
Kgolo “Da Guru” Mthembu shares details of his marriage with Annie
Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that Annie Mthembu's estranged husband, Kgolo “DaGuru” Mthembu, opened up about their marriage and financial troubles.
Appearing on Mo and Phindi's podcast, Kgolo opened up about his fall from grace as a businessman. He also shed light on a heartbreaking loss he and Annie faced in their marriage.
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Source: Briefly News
Tayananiswa Zvikaramba (Editor) Tayananiswa Zvikaramba is an entertainment writer at Briefly News. He previously worked as a profiler, sports, human interest, entertainment, and current affairs writer at Pindula (2016-2022) and iHarare (2022-2025). He holds a BA Honours in Archaeology from the University of Zimbabwe (2010-2013), YOAST SEO for Beginners (2023), YOAST Block Editor Training (2023), and YOAST Structured Data for Beginners (2023). Email: tayananiswa.zvikaramba@briefly.co.za
Paula Quinsee (Certified Relationship Therapy Educator and founder of Engaged Humans) Paula Quinsee is the founder of Engaged Humans, facilitating connection between individuals and organisations to create a more human-connected world. She is a certified Imago Relationship Therapy educator and facilitator, NLP practitioner, PDA analyst, coach and trainer. Paula is also the author of two self-help guides - Embracing Conflict and Embracing No - as well as an international speaker, advocate for mental health and activist for gender-based violence.
