Blood couldn't make us any closer'

THE TITLE OF ‘DAD’ DOESN’T ONLY BELONG TO SOMEONE YOU SHARE DNA WITH. THESE MEN HAVE FILLED THE FATHER FIGURE ROLE AND RAISED THEIR CHILDREN AS THEIR OWN

- NOLWAZI DHLAMINI

Andile ‘Dj Andy X’ Xolo and his wife, Lebogang, have been married for 10 years. They have two kids together: Andy’s step-daughter Palesa, 15, and their son, Oluthando, 8.

‘Andy and I met in Swaziland at a New Year’s Eve Party. I went on a road trip with my best friend and her husband and we were coming from Joburg, while Andy travelled from Durban. We were in a long-distance relationship for some months before he decided he wanted to be close to me, so he moved to Joburg, and within a year he’d proposed. He asked my daughter Palesa if he could marry me. She held the ring while he proposed on bended knee,’ Lebogang explains.

This is Lebogang’s second marriage, and after a traumatic divorce, counts meeting Andy as a gift from God. ‘My previous marriage lasted only a year, but I’m grateful for the experience, because it left me with my most wonderful blessing, my daughter.’

For a long while after her divorce, Lebogang didn’t feel comfortable introducing anyone to Palesa until she was certain he’d be in for the long haul. ‘I knew when the time was right to introduce them. He came from Durban to meet her; the three of us went on a date and he flew back home. She was four years old at the time. How they interacted was extremely important to me because I trust my daughter’s judgement, and kids are generally very intuitive. If feel if they hadn’t clicked, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Luckily they hit it off and that gave me some peace of mind.’