Mapaseka “Pasi” Koetle Opens Up About Forgiving Her Father for Abandoning Their Family

• Mapaseka Koetle recently opened up about her father's decision to leave their family
• The actress and content creator says it took her years to finally forgive her dad for abandoning them, but it had to be done
• Social media users were moved to tears by her story, which many fans related to

Mapaseka Koetle recently shared insight into her once-strained relationship with her father and her decision to forgive him even after he left their family.

The Scandal! actress, famous for her role as Dintle Nyathi in the South African soapie, spoke on the Engineer Your Life Podcast on 26 August 2025, and shared her truth about her upbringing.

She told host Nkululeko KM that her father had abandoned their family when she was eight years old to start a new life. Koetle recalled a time when her dad let her down at a pivotal time in her young life:

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"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 my dad's house and asked for money for a dress.

"He was married to this other woman at the time, and he said that the woman's daughter's matric dance is also coming up, and he already gave money to her."

Despite this pain, the Adulting actress later decided to forgive her dad, saying it was a difficult decision to make.

"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. I decided that I don't want to be this angry anymore, so I decided to forgive him."

Pasi went on to speak about the time she spent with her dad before he passed, and how forgiveness helped her heal from the trauma of abandonment.

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Her message resonated with many viewers who admired her courage to share her story.

Here's how social media users reacted to Mapaseka Koetle's story

Fans were moved to tears and admired Pasi's strength:

refiloekhumopoetry said:

"Forgiveness isn't about condoning bad behaviour, it's about setting yourself free so that you can live your best life and not carry trash everywhere you go. It's about you and not the other person."

888Lee14 was moved to tears:

"Yoh, this episode healed me. Pasi's wisdom and emotional intelligence are on another level."

Kgalie22 wrote:

"Pasi is genuinely a healed soul. She might not see it, but how she articulates herself shows how much she worked on her healing journey to be where she is and who she is. I applaud her mom for being an anchor in her life. I absolutely love their relationship."

pamellangcemu2781 posted:

"Hearing Mapaseka’s story makes me love her even more. I was obsessed with her character as Dintle over the years and how passionately and well she played it. It’s lovely to see that even she, as a person, is a beautiful person."

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01bebes could relate:

"She said she never knew her parents as husband and wife but as her mother and father. It cuts deep 'cause that's what we are to my kids. They will never experience us being both present in their lives. May they make better decisions than mine in future."

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Despite their break-up, the dancer and influencer spoke highly of his ex and credited her for helping turn his life around.

Source: Briefly News