Former Skeem Saam actress Pebetsi Nolo Matlaila has finally broken her silence about one of the most painful chapters of her life — her short-lived, abusive marriage. Pebetsi, best known for portraying the character Mokgadi in the popular SABC1 drama, opened up about the trauma she endured, revealing that what was meant to be a joyful season in her life quickly turned into a nightmare.
Speaking candidly, Pebetsi explained that the marriage to her then-boyfriend, who was also a director on Skeem Saam, was never something she truly wanted. She said fear of judgment and societal pressure after falling pregnant forced her to tie the knot. “I got married because I was pregnant, and it cost me everything,” she admitted.
The marriage lasted only nine months, but in that short time, Pebetsi experienced unimaginable emotional and physical abuse. She described her ex-husband as someone who wore a mask in public — soft-spoken and seemingly kind — but behind closed doors, he became someone entirely different.
“He was soft-spoken to others, but a monster behind closed doors,” Pebetsi recalled. In one particularly harrowing incident, she had to lock herself and her child inside a bedroom while her husband violently smashed the doors in an attempt to reach them.
Even during her pregnancy, the abuse did not stop. Pebetsi painfully recalled how he once pushed her down the stairs while she was expecting, traumatizing her older daughter in the process. “He was a father figure to my firstborn, someone she admired. To see him turn into a monster broke her heart,” she said.
The emotional abuse was just as cruel. Pebetsi shared that her ex-husband once mocked her by saying she would have to raise their child alone, using the lobola (bride price) money he had paid for her.
After the marriage ended, both Pebetsi and her ex-husband lost their jobs on Skeem Saam. She believes that being associated with him contributed to her own dismissal from the show. “I didn’t just lose a job. I lost myself. That marriage was the biggest mistake of my life,” she said, her voice filled with pain and regret.
Today, Pebetsi is focused on healing and rebuilding her life while raising her two daughters on her own. Her youngest daughter has no relationship with her biological father and, according to Pebetsi, doesn’t even know who he is.
Pebetsi now uses her experience to warn others, especially women, about the dangers of staying in toxic relationships. “Don’t stay in a toxic relationship hoping they will change. It will only destroy you,” she urged.
Her story is a heartbreaking reminder of the silent battles many women face behind closed doors. Pebetsi’s courage to speak up is inspiring many, especially survivors of abuse, to prioritize their safety and well-being.