Mapaseka Koetle reveals lessons from divorce and childhood heartbreak
Actress Mapaseka “Pasi” Koetle, best known for her role as Dintle Nyathi on Scandal!, has laid bare some of the most painful chapters of her life.
In a heartfelt conversation on the Engineer Your Life podcast, the 36-year-old star spoke candidly about her divorce from businessman Nelson Nyokong, describing it as “painful” but free from scandal.
“It did not work out,” she admitted, explaining that there were no horror stories behind the split.
For her, the marriage remains something sacred.
“It’s a sacred story,” she said, adding that she would only feel comfortable telling it alongside her ex-husband, out of respect for both sides.
The pair, who share a daughter, Nema, quietly separated in 2019 before their divorce became public in 2023.
Despite the challenges, Koetle has embraced co-parenting as part of her healing journey.
“Some days it gets really hard… but I realise that Nema keeps me going,” she reflected.
Her understanding of forgiveness, however, stretches far beyond her marriage.
Koetle revealed that when her parents divorced during her childhood, her father’s absence left her battling anger and resentment for years.
Eventually, she chose to release the pain.
“It took a while. I decided that I don’t want to be this angry anymore. So I decided to forgive him. I forgave my father but did not tell him,” she shared. That silent act of forgiveness gave her peace and later shaped how she approached her own separation.
