The war of words between Generations: The Legacy actor Zoe Mthiyane and Grammy-winning producer Lebo M (Lebohang Morake) has reached a fever pitch.
Following a tell-all interview on the Engineer Your Life podcast, South Africans are glued to their screens as two of the country’s biggest celebrities engage in a long-standing, brutal, public dismantling of their past relationship, involving allegations of narcissism, custody battles and financial disputes.
Love bombing and ‘control’
In an episode that aired on 2 June 2026, Zoe Mthiyane detailed the demise of their on-off relationship (roughly 2014-2016). Speaking to host Lungelo KM, she described a dynamic of initial intense pursuit followed by isolation.
“I went against my gut. My gut kept saying no. He looked good on paper. This makes sense,” Mthiyane recalled, describing how the Lion King producer allegedly flew from South Africa to Australia every two weeks to woo her.
Once the relationship was established, she claims the behaviour shifted dramatically.
“They will lovebomb you and you will think this is my knight in shining armour. That’s what I felt. I landed [in South Africa] and shortly after, what a narcissist does, they begin to chop you down,” she said.
The most harrowing claims related to her pregnancy with their daughter, Lulonke. Zoe alleged that her mobile phone was confiscated to isolate her from her support system, forcing her to post cryptic messages on Instagram to alert her family she was in distress.
She further alleged that at five months pregnant, stress from the relationship nearly caused a miscarriage.
“They can’t reach me because he takes the phone, he keeps it on him,” she told the podcast host.
Lebo M strikes back
Refusing to let the narrative stand unchallenged, Lebo M appeared on the same podcast just one day later, on 4 June. The 63-year-old composer dismissed the “narcissist” label as a baseless buzzword and accused his ex-fiancée of having a long-term substance abuse problem and “rage.”
“Zoe’s career now, post Generations, is ‘Lebo M this, Lebo M that’. But no one has ever asked her what he did specifically for him to be a narcissist,” Lebo M fired back.
The producer pivoted aggressively, alleging that Zoe’s issues predated their romance. He claimed she was “caught driving drunk and crashed a car with my child in it” while he was overseas. He further painted a picture of instability involving actress Rapulana Seiphemo, alleging that on one occasion both were too intoxicated to care for the children.
“I wasn’t married to Zoe; we were engaged,” he clarified, correcting a common misconception amplified by the first interview. The serial-husband further defended his use of prenuptial agreements as a necessary “plug and play” legal shield to protect his assets considering how often he gets engaged, married and divorced.
The ‘deadbeat dad’ triangle
The drama has expanded beyond just the two of them. In a twist that has dragged sports broadcasting icon Robert Marawa into the spotlight once again, Mthiyane’s history with her two famous exes has been dissected in detail.
Lebo M accused Zoe of trying to “pit one man against another,” specifically referring to Marawa, the father of Zoe’s son, Awande.
“As proven in court, that Robert Marawa was not looking after his son,” Lebo M alleged on the podcast, claiming that he (Lebo) raised the child financially for a period while his biological father was absent.
This allegation of being a “deadbeat dad” is not new coming from the controversial producer. Lebo M previously addressed this feud on Podcast and Chill, stating that it began only after Marawa published a biography in 2022 that made “defamatory” claims about Lebo M’s own maintenance court cases.
“If I drop dead, and I don’t address this, my daughter is going to be humiliated… thinking that I, Lebo M, tried to extort 30 grand,” Lebo M said of Marawa’s book.
In her interview, Zoe portrayed her seven-year friendship with Marawa as stable, contrasting it with the volatility she claims to have experienced with Lebo M.
Custody and the ‘prenup’ battle
Behind the public insults lies a messy legal reality regarding their 10-year-old daughter, Lulonke. Court documents and statements obtained by several media outlets reveal a co-parenting relationship in tatters.
Zoe has previously accused Lebo M of blocking access to their child and bypassing traditional customs (inhlawulo). Conversely, Lebo M’s publicist has argued that Zoe has shown “minimal interest” in exercising access and that a 2019 court order currently governs custody.
The couple’s engagement famously ended in 2016 over disputes regarding a prenuptial agreement. Lebo M was adamant that he follows a strict formula: “Once I’m serious about you, I instruct my lawyers to remove this name and put this name and ID, your prenup is there.”
The host under fire
Perhaps the most unique aspect of this scandal is the criticism levelled at the messenger. In a rare moment of meta-commentary, Lebo M scolded podcast host Lungelo KM for platforming Zoe’s allegations without adequate challenge or research, particularly regarding the welfare of the minor children involved.
“Your show is called Engineer Your Life,” Lebo M argued. “When you allow such narrative… you are adding and amplifying a negative towards my dignity.”
