Former Big Brother couple Thato Mokoena and Gashwan Mthombeni confirm split after three-year marriage
Former Big Brother Mzansi fan favourites Thato Emmaculate Mokoena and Gashwan Brandon Mthombeni have confirmed that their three-year marriage has come to an end, with Mokoena asking the public to respect her decision and resist turning the breakup into a “me vs him” spectacle.
Speculation about the pair’s relationship had intensified in recent days, before Mokoena issued a detailed statement over the weekend confirming that she and Mthombeni had separated after what she described as “irreconcilable incidents”.
“I would like to address something personal and important. After three years of marriage, Gashwan Brandon Mthombeni and I are no longer together. Following incidents that happened the past few days that are irreconcilable by my standards and values, I have made the decision to walk away.”
She stressed that the decision was final and had been communicated clearly in front of both families.
“Our families have met to discuss the matters, and as I have shared with them and in his presence, this is a decision I stand firm on. Out of respect for our families and for the sake of my son, I will not be going into further details.”
Official statement and out of respect for our families I will not be commenting further : pic.twitter.com/lPldkVUVWs
— Thato Immaculate M (@callherthato) April 11, 2026
The couple, who met and fell in love on Big Brother and later married in a widely celebrated union, had cultivated a strong fanbase that followed their relationship beyond the reality show. News of their separation has therefore sparked a wave of online commentary, much of it attempting to guess what lay behind Mokoena’s reference to “irreconcilable” issues.
In her statement, Mokoena made it clear that while the end of the marriage was deeply painful, she would not be drawn into public point-scoring or prolonged back-and-forths.
In her initial statement, Mokoena said she would not be sharing further details, stressing her focus is now on rebuilding her life and raising her child.
“I would have never wanted to raise my child alone; however, I have always maintained that there are certain non-negotiables I cannot compromise on,” she said. “This is my final statement on the matter. I will not be commenting further.”
She added that despite the emotional toll of the separation, she remains focused on her future and wellbeing.
“For me I am heartbroken, but I need to soldier on and continue working. Moving forward, it will just be me and my baby, and I am fully focused on building a healthy, happy future for us.”
Soon after her announcement, social media users began speculating that the split must be linked either to infidelity or gender-based violence (GBV) – especially after Mokoena appeared to rule out cheating in some of her responses. That speculation prompted her to clarify what she had meant about “non-negotiables”, and to push back firmly against the narrative that she considered serious abuse issues “insignificant”.
Mokoena also pushed back against online speculation suggesting the breakup was linked to infidelity or physical abuse, insisting that public assumptions were misplaced.
“It’s so interesting how ruling out infidelity means GBV according to X and X only,” she wrote in a follow-up post. "However, it is more interesting that people assume I would deem that ‘insignificant to others’ as my statement reads ‘non-negotiables that I will not compromise on no matter how insignificant to others.”
She further emphasised that there are no circumstances under which she would consider issues such as abuse or cheating as minor.
“There isn’t a world where GBV, infidelity and cheating would be insignificant,” she said. “I can’t control the assumptions, and I was hoping it won’t turn into a me vs him situation, but let’s be guided. Let me log off.”
Her comments reflect both a desire to shut down harmful speculation and an insistence on retaining some privacy, even as a public figure whose relationship unfolded in the spotlight. While she has acknowledged that certain boundaries were crossed for her, she has chosen not to spell out those incidents, citing the need to protect her child and respect the families involved.
For many fans who have followed “Thato and Gash” since their Big Brother days, the news comes as a shock. The couple’s love story was one of the show’s standout arcs, and their wedding and subsequent appearances often drew warm support online. In the wake of the split, some supporters have expressed disappointment or tried to assign blame, while others have urged people to accept that relationships end and to honour Mokoena’s request for sensitivity.
Meanwhile, Mthombeni has so far remained silent in the public domain.
Meanwhile, Mthombeni has remained largely silent on social media, with no public statement addressing the breakup at the time of publication.
His silence has added another layer to the speculation, but without comment from him, the only on-record account remains Mokoena’s carefully worded statement.
For now, she has signalled that she does not intend to revisit the subject. Instead, her focus is on co-parenting, work, and building a new life with her son at the centre of it.
“I would have never wanted to raise my child alone,” she said, “however, I have always maintained that there are certain non-negotiables I cannot compromise on.”
With both parties yet to offer any further detail, the precise reasons for the breakup remain private. What is clear is that Mokoena has drawn a firm line about her boundaries – and is asking the public that once celebrated her relationship to respect the fact that, this time, she will not be turning her heartbreak into a public storyline.
