When HHP passed away in 2018, the country was reeling with shock.
While his widow, Lerato Sengadi, grabbed headlines for the drama that unfolded between her and her in-laws.
She was kicked out of the home she shared with him. She sought help from the courts and eventually, she emerged victorious when the court ruled in her favour.
Read more | 20 years ago she gave us Magic, and she’s not about to stop
She was recently a part of the first season of Showmax's Widows Unveiled. The show became so popular that it made it to the platform's top 10 most watched shows.
This could be because the widows, including Lerato shared real and raw emotions, as well as life experiences.
In an exclusive interview with Drum, she rebuffs the sentiment that reality show content is contrived, saying her emotions and everything she shared was real.
"It wasn't planned, it was real. I usually go through my own things privately," she says.
"None of it was scripted or made up."
She recounts how when her Motswako rapper husband died as a result of suicide, she hit rock bottom. "I lost weight, I couldn't eat and I went into depression. Losing a loved one is not easy for anyone and to be treated like that by the people I expected support from made things worse. I hit rock bottom, but I thank God I didn't stay there," she shares.
"It was the darkest time of my life, but I'm glad that's all over now."
Read more | ‘702 asked, and I said yes,’ – Nothemba Madumo
Lerato says instead of support from other black women, she was a victim of their abuse.
"I was ridiculed by other black women that I expected some support from. I was shocked by this, because I wasn't the only one to go through this. I was already going through hell and they just exacerbated my pain," she recalls.
"They treated me with so much malice, I couldn't believe that the abuse was coming from my black sisters, who should know better about the pain I was going through".
While most women wouldn't want to take part in a reality show, to share their journey of losing a loved one, especially someone who was a celebrity, she gives as reasons for being a part t of the show, the fact that she wanted to tell "my truth".
"I did it because it's time for us to have real conversations about these kinds of things, because they happen and even though people grief differently, it must be spoken about, so that other women can get help."
Since doing the show, Lerato says she's received positive feedback from women of all ages.
"The response from women of all ages has been quite positive. They can all relate to the plight of the widows on the show. Although some people think I'm an ageist and I'm not really, because this a reality of what black women go through, even though some don't talk about their experiences. I'm glad the conversation has started and people are facing reality."
Although she's been through hell, she maintains that despite the obstacles, her relationship with God is spectacular.
"I wouldn't have overcome everything i went through without God, He speaks to me in the midst of moise and chaos and I listen to that small, still voice that guides me. I'm so grateful to have been able to hit rock bottom and not live there," she concludes.
