Berita opens up on abuse

Langalakhe Mabena
A year after breaking up with her so-called ”sweetheart,” multi-award-winning Afro Soul sensation Berita has finally opened up about her divorce to controversial South African socialite Nota Baloyi.

The Nketa-bred Berita, real name Gugulethu Khumalo, spilled the beans of her abusive tale between her and ex-husband Nota on Kaya FM 959 Breakfast show by Sol Phenduka and Dineo Ranaka.

Berita, a soft yet so firm character got so candid about her experiencing anxiety attacks in mid-2021, on many occasions where she felt abused by her husband and going to therapy.

She even saw abuse coming close to her when she noticed Nota frequently abusing people in her surroundings.

“It took a long time for him to shout at me, swear at me or talk bad about me. For the longest time, he was doing it to people around me. When we were dating and when we first got married, he was pampering. I only started really seeing the signs of what was going on later and that was when I realised that I was in too deep,” she said.

A single call to a psychologist saved Berita from all the mess.

“I have been abused publicly but to me it was not that serious. I have vivid memories of it when I left my marriage. When things got worse, I called a therapist on that day and that’s when I found out that I was in a narcissistic and abusive relationship and I did not stay one minute,” said Berita.

The Siyathandana hitmaker acknowledges that she moved on so fast to be married to Nota, from her previous break-up, not knowing that the love skeletons from her past would haunt her.

“Apart from Nota, the relationship I had before left a bit of trauma and I thought I took time to work on it but I wish I had gone to therapy in between (my past relationship and Nota). Now there is so much information on social media and I hope many people who are or experiencing the same situation as me, can learn from it,” said Berita.

Despite all the heart breaks she faced, her father and family back in Zimbabwe always had her back.

“When I told my father about what I have been going through, he encouraged me to go back home (in Zimbabwe), where I spent six months trying to heal. He even told me to forget about going back to South Africa and do music. He encouraged me to start farming instead,” said Berita.