Babes Wodumo Blames Booze for Behaviour at Her Friend’s Funeral: “Now I’m Scared of Booze”
- Babes Wodumo trended for the wrong reasons after a video of her performing at a friend's funeral service was shared online
- Babes Wodumo explained her conduct and made a promise after admitting the incident was embarrassing
- Babes Wodumo is expected back at the Durban Magistrates Court on 25 September for an assault trial
Source: Instagram
Renowned Gqom songstress Babes Wodumo found herself trending for the wrong reasons again after attending her best friend’s funeral. The singer has since come out and blamed alcohol for her eyebrow-raising behaviour during the event.
The singer, born Bongekile Simelane Maphumulo, is no stranger to controversy. Over the years, she has made headlines after being dragged to court for assault, accusations of skipping payments, and public spats.
Now, the reality TV star is back in the news for the wrong reasons after attending her friend Pearl Mkhize's burial at Esikhaleni, KZN North Coast, on Saturday, 13 September 2025.
Babes Wodumo explains embarrassing funeral incident
According to a report by Daily Sun, Babes Wodumo left mourners stunned after singing a gospel song out of tune.
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A video seen by the publication showed Babes singing the popular gospel tune Udumo Ngolwakho. Despite her well-known singing talent, the Gqom musician belted the song completely out of tune with tears rolling down her cheeks.
The widely circulated video of Babes Wodumo singing at her friend’s funeral left social media users questioning why she couldn’t sing the song.
The mother of one from Lamontville, south of Durban, apologised for her behaviour and blamed alcohol for her behaviour at her friend’s funeral. In an apology to her fans, Babes Wodumo pledged to stop drinking, claiming that she was now afraid of alcohol because of the viral incident at her friend’s funeral.
"I would like to apologise for what happened, it was because of booze, and now I'm scared of booze. I did many regrettable things during that time, and became a laughingstock because of booze. I'm feeling ashamed about what happened. I'm sorry," she said.
Source: Instagram
Babes Wodumo also shared that she hosted auditions on 13 and 14 September at Bat Centre in Durban to identify new talent to form two Gqom, Afro-pop and soul music groups.
The groups will release music under Wena Wodumo Entertainment and West Ink, whose members were present during the auditions. Babes Wodumo is expected to announce the successful winners soon.
Apart from her music, Babes is expected back in the Durban Magistrates Court for her assault trial on 25 September.
The assault charge stems from an incident on 12 March 2024 when she allegedly assaulted Durban designer Philile "Philly" Mhlongo of SK Designs.
Babes Wodumo explains why she drinks
Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that Babes Wodumo shared why she drinks alcohol in an episode of her reality TV series Wena Wodumo.
During the episode, Babes confessed to her church pastor that she drank alcohol and was unapologetic about it. Although she said she rarely drank outside her home, her revelation caused division on the internet.
Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
