‘I was talking about Donell’s father’: Sonia Mbele clears the air

Actress and TV producer Sonia Mbele has rubbished claims she was referring to her ex-husband Lesley Sedibe in her statement addressing reports about her son Donell Mbele physically abusing his ex-girlfriend Reokeditswe Makete.

The former Generations actress told Drum, she was referring to Donell’s father although not revealing his identity.

ALSO READ: ‘MaMkhize could never’: Tweeps on Sonia’s stance on ‘abusive’ son

‘I DID NOT MENTION ANY NAMES’: SONIA MBELE

On Wednesday 23 November, a day after Reokeditswe went public about the abuse, Sonia Mbele released a statement condemning her son’s actions.

ALSO READ: Sonia Mbele: Son Donell accused of ‘abuse and rape’

In her statement, she expressed that she refuses to “raise a man like his father”.

The mom-of-four revealed that she too, was a victim of “all kinds of abuse” at the hands of a man she had been involved with romantically from the age of 17 to 26.

This prompted tweeps to assume that she was referring to her ex-husband Lesley Sedibe.

ALSO READ: ‘His name’s Donell’: Fans defend Sonia Mbele amid GBV claims against son

“I was talking about Donell’s father but people just I assumed I was talking about Lesley.

“I did not mention names, I did not speak about my ex-husband. I would never do that to Lesley.

“I met Lesley when I was 28 years old. What I am not going to do though, is sit down with people and go through the maths,” she clarified.

The 45-year-old Real Housewives franchise producer married Sedibe in 2006. The pair divorced in 2014 and have three children together.

The actress, during Phat Joe’s Cheeky Palate show in 2020, said that her ex-husband’s jealousy forced her to leave Generations at the peak of her career.

DONELL MBELE IS IN REHAB

The actress further said that she will allow the law to take its course in this matter, also making mention of rehab

“With that said Donell will face his demons and take accountability for his actions and let the law take its course. I refuse to raise a man like his father. Rehab, therapy and internal healing will prevail,” Sonia Mbele wrote in part.

According to her interview with Drum, Donell is already in rehab.

Sonia revealed that the abuse took place on 4 November, which is contrary to Reokeditswe ‘s posts on Tuesday 22 November in which she said Donell had abused her again that day

“This did not happen on Tuesday, it happened on 4 November, and I immediately sent my son to rehab the following day. So, by the time this became public, he was already away.”

In a conversation shared by the 21-year-old, along with pictures of her bruised face, Donell admitted to “almost killing and raping” his ex.