The fans were curious about Letoya Makhene’s baby daddy, whom they’ve nicknamed Shaka Zulu due to his resemblance to Henry Cele, the actor who portrayed Shaka Zulu in the 1986 drama series.
The first episode of the much-awaited reality TV show The Makhenes aired on Sunday, 12 April.
LETOYA’S BABY DADDY SPARKS CURIOSITY AMONG VIEWERS
The show had two surprising revelations: Letoya is now a mother of five, with the youngest child being VusamaZulu, whom she shares with “Shaka Zulu”, whose real name is John Masondo.
Viewers caught a glimpse of him during a hospital scene where Letoya was preparing to give birth. His brief screen time left people eager to learn more about him.
Take a look at the viewers’ reactions on X (formerly Twitter) regarding Letoya’s baby daddy.
X user @TumiK46521661 expressed her confusion over this relationship as she believed Letoya identified as a lesbian.
The South African credits the content below to X user @zahMokoena, showing what “Shaka Zulu” looks like.
From being a lesbian to having a child with “Shaka Zulu”……#themakhenes pic.twitter.com/nOIxLHRyHV
— Zanele Mokoena 🇿🇦 (@zahMokoena) April 12, 2026
A NEW BABY FOR LETOYA
The rumours about Letoya’s pregnancy were confirmed on the show as the story was initially shared by X user @Zweli_Thixo on his page in March 2026.
Letoya, a former actress on House of Zwide said that her children are currently living with their fathers while she sorts out her financial situation.
MORE ON ‘THE MAKHENE’ REALITY TV SHOW
The show opened with Letoya’s father, Blondie Makhene, a musician in his own right, giving us a tour of the family’s vibrant musical history.
We were also introduced to other family members, such as Letoya’s older sister, Pauline Makhene; grandmother Lily Makhene; and uncle Gape.
In the upcoming episodes, more family members will appear on the show, including Letoya’s children and younger sister Gontse Makhene, who lives a troubled life.
In an interview with Sowetan, Blondie shared that the reality show serves as a healing outlet for his post-traumatic stress disorder, and he appreciated the time spent with his family.
“It feels good to debrief to be able to look back and meditate on my past. I guess this is my own way of dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder as a South African,” said Blondie.
“There were a lot of things that I enjoyed such as having more family gatherings than wed had in a long while and also watching the crew at work and seeing how it all comes together behind the scenes,” he added.