Mapaseka Koetle reveals she forgave her dad following years of resenting him
Actress and content creator Mapaseka “Pasi” Koetle has shared a deeply personal story about her strained relationship with her late father, revealing how forgiveness became her path to healing.
Speaking on the Engineer Your Life podcast with Nkululeko KM on 26 August 2025, the Scandal! star recalled how her father walked out on their family when she was just eight years old to start a new life elsewhere.
She admitted that the abandonment left her angry and bitter for years.
Koetle remembered a heartbreaking moment that shaped her view of him forever.
“My matric dance was approaching, and my mom didn’t have money for a dress. She suggested that I go to my dad and ask for help. I went to his house, but he told me his wife’s daughter also had a matric dance coming up, and he had already given her money,” she recounted.
The actress explained that she carried the pain for a long time, but eventually realized she needed to let go.
“I remember being at AFDA, and we had to choose our monologues, and mine were full of anger. I realised that I was sad and angry because my dad had left us. It took a while, but I decided that I don’t want to be this angry anymore, so I chose to forgive him,” she said.
Before his passing, Koetle was able to spend time with her father, something she now treasures.
She shared that choosing forgiveness was not easy, but it freed her from the heaviness of resentment.