Zoe Mthiyane is speaking out about a difficult chapter in her personal life, detailing the strain she says she faced while dating and becoming engaged to Lebo M, the composer best known for his work on The Lion King. In a new interview, she alleges a pattern of emotional pressure and instability during their on-and-off relationship—and says she’s now ready to address claims directly.
Key takeaways
- Zoe Mthiyane says she began dating Lebo M in 2014 and later moved back to South Africa amid family objections.
- She claims Lebo M repeatedly visited her—despite her instincts warning her not to—during his pursuit while she lived in Australia.
- Zoe alleges multiple personal hardships during their relationship, including near rehab, a pregnancy scare, and an anxiety attack that led to therapy.
- She says Lebo M’s marriage to Pretty Samuels ended up being a source of advice and disagreement, which she claims she offered to Samuels.
- She adds that she still maintains a relationship with Lebo M’s older children and her son, expressing gratitude for the family connection.
- A spokesperson says Lebo M will appear on the Engineer Your Life podcast soon to respond to the allegations.
“All a lie” claims and the toll of an on-off relationship
During a sit-down on the Engineer Your Life podcast, the actress revisited how she says Lebo M pursued her with frequent travel, even though she felt uncomfortable about the situation. She described ignoring her instincts, saying her gut had been telling her “no,” and that his repeated flights were part of how he kept coming back.
Zoe also suggested that appearances didn’t match reality, telling listeners that what “looked good on paper” turned out to be misleading. She said the relationship became unstable over time, describing it as an on-and-off situation that, in her telling, brought serious consequences.
Among the experiences she highlighted were claims that she was nearly admitted to rehab during their relationship. She also alleged that Lebo M kept her phone with him often, and she recalled fearing for her pregnancy when she was about five months along with their daughter, describing the moment as a near-miscarriage.
She further said that after suffering an anxiety attack, she was taken to therapy, framing it as another sign of the emotional strain she says she endured during that period.
Advice about Lebo M’s marriage and gratitude for the children
When discussing Lebo M’s other relationships and marriages, Zoe claimed that when he married Pretty Samuels, she urged Samuels not to trust him. She said she warned her that she would become “the new victim,” adding that she believed money was the motivation and that “there is no money.”
Despite her harsh assessment of how things unfolded, Zoe emphasized that she remains grateful for the family they built together. She said she’s happy to have had the experience and continues to have a relationship with Lebo M’s older daughters, noting that they are close to her age, as well as with her own daughter and Lebo M’s son.
She reiterated her appreciation for meeting them and having them in her life, explaining that the children have chosen to keep her involved as they grew older.
Using the relationship in acting—and a response from Lebo M
Zoe previously discussed the relationship in an episode of Unfollowed, where she connected their tumultuous dynamic to her work on Generations. She said she drew from her own experiences when shaping the character Zitha Langa, whom she described as abusive in the storyline.
In that earlier conversation, she claimed that her character was the one abusing Smanga, played by Moopi Mothibeli, and she said she even tapped into her personal experience—channeling Lebo M into the role.
Now, a statement shared with TshisaLIVE on Wednesday indicated that Lebo M is set to appear on the Engineer Your Life podcast soon to address Zoe’s allegations. Simphiwe Majola, PR specialist for Lebo M, said the appearance is intended to ensure that Lebo M’s perspective, factual position, and wider context are represented fairly within what was described as an increasingly sensational public conversation.
