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Johannesburg - They’re gorgeous, trendy, talented – and they’re head over heels in love.
Nkosinathi Maphumulo, better known as music whizz DJ Black Coffee, and actress Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa are nothing if not an It couple.
The power pair may guard their privacy fiercely but we know enough about them from looking at their Instagram profiles to get serious #coupleenvy. And the fairytale continued after they cemented their commitment at a glorious white wedding billed by many as the wedding of the year (YOU, 19 January).
Here are 10 reasons why we love this dynamic duo. #couplegoals!
1. They come from humble beginnings
Black Coffee (40) grew up in Umlazi township in Durban before moving to Mthatha in the Eastern Cape with his mom, Faith, after his parents’ divorce. He was a shy kid with not many friends but had high hopes of making it in the music industry.
The springboard to stardom came after he attended the Red Bull Music Academy in
Cape Town. Now Black Coffee is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning DJ who rubs shoulders with stars like Alicia Keys and Drake and is in demand the world over.
Enhle (29) was raised by her mom, Bongi, and grandmother in Soweto, Johannesburg. She was also shy but learnt from an early age that getting what you want means working hard for it.
An acting career was what she wanted and she landed her first role at the age of 17 on the SABC1 drama series Mtunzini, which paved the way for parts in 7de Laan, Rhythm City and Rockville.
2. He was smitten from the word go
They met in 2010 on the set of Tshisa, the SABC drama series Enhle was starring in at the time. He was visiting the set and asked her out for a drink. She declined but they kept in touch and later went on a date.
She then went to one of his gigs but kept her distance to keep gossip at bay. Three months later he proposed in Greece and she accepted – much to the delight of their family, friends, fans, and everyone who believes in romance.
3. They’re social minded
In 2010 the DJ launched the Black Coffee Foundation, which raises funds for the physically disabled and allows disabled students with talent the opportunity to study sound production.
It’s a cause close to Black Coffee’s heart – the musician was left disabled at the age of 13. He was in a crowd celebrating the release of Nelson Mandela when a speeding taxi careened into bystanders, striking the teenager and causing him to lose the use of his left arm.
Enhle did various charity drives when she was the ambassador for skincare range Dawn in 2014 and remains active in helping the underprivileged.
4.Their white wedding was awesome
Planned by Generations star and wedding planner extraordinaire Sophie Ndaba, it’s little wonder the nuptials were to die for.
Held at Sun City on 8 January, it was a star-studded affair with EFF leader Julius Malema, sports minister Fikile Mbalula and home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba all making the guest list.
The bride wore a stunning Gert-Johan Coetzee gown and the groom was dapper in a cream and navy suit.
5. They adore their kids.
Along with his and Enhle’s two sons, Black Coffee has two other children, Esona and Lilitha, from previous relationships. The Maphumulos are one big happy family who love to show everything from all-together vacays to stylish outfits on social media.
6. They support each other
Enhle is a lot more than an actress. She’s a mother of two sons, Anesu (6) and Asante (1), and has her own line of maternity wear, SE Preggoz, which she launched in New York in 2015 during her second pregnancy. She had struggled to find maternity wear she liked, so decided to design her own.
Her greatest fan is her husband, who gives her all the backing she needs. She’s also there for her partner 100 percent, travelling the globe where his gigs take him, usually with the kids in tow.
Not that he expects it. “At the end of the day I don’t want her to follow and wait for me – I want her to do everything she wanted to do before we met,” he said on DJ Tbo Touch’s show Touch Central last year.
7. The have drool-worthy holidays
They may travel the world for work, jetting from Amsterdam to New York, Ibiza and Los Angeles, but it’s not all nose-to-the-grindstone stuff. They had us sharing eye-heart emojis after their holiday in Bali last year.
8. They keep it real
Black Coffee often uses the hashtag #Godsveryown in his posts and regularly mentions that his faith is what keeps him going. “It’s what drove me to where I am today,” he says.
9. They’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders
Black Coffee refers to his wife as his “rock” and gushes about how much she means to him. “I’m grateful to God every second of every day for blessing me with a beautiful and supportive woman.”
As for Enhle, her week often begins with “Man Crush Monday” posts which she hashtags with #simplylove, showing how crazy she is about her man.
10. They can overcome controversy
Social media went into overdrive with outraged 7de Laan fans last year after Enhle took on a role on the SABC2 soap.
The character, Nandi, a fashionista and photographer, falls in love with Bernard (played by Afrikaans actor Werner Coetser) and after the two shared a steamy kiss an ugly racial backlash followed.
But that wasn’t the end of the drama for 2016.
It all ended under a bit of a cloud after a video went viral of Black Coffee smacking a member of rapper AKA’s crew. Now, while we don’t know the exact cause of the altercation, according to the Twitter rants AKA has become known for, this is what went down: during the DStv iRock festival in Limpopo last September, Black Coffee walked on stage during AKA’s band’s soundcheck, cut their music and plugged in his equipment.
This led to words being exchanged between AKA’s road manager and Black Coffee, and resulted in a firm slap across the face for the former – and it was all captured on camera.
