Renowned radio personality Melanie Bala has opened her heart about life after divorce and the challenges of co-parenting with her ex-husband, award-winning musician Zwai Bala.
Melanie and Zwai, once one of South Africa’s most admired celebrity couples, were married in 2008 and ended their union nearly a decade later. In 2017, the pair released a joint statement confirming their divorce. At the time, their two children—a son and a daughter—were just 10 and six years old.
Speaking recently on Relebogile Mabotja’s podcast, Melanie reflected on the emotional journey that led to the end of their marriage and how they have worked together to raise their children in a healthy environment.
“Divorce is not an overnight decision,” she shared. “In that process leading up to making the final decision to get a divorce, I think there is a part of you that starts to let go… A lot of grieving happens through that process.”
She added that starting a new life after the split was difficult. “And it’s the beginning of a different journey because, how do I navigate life without this person that I’ve been with for such a long time? You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to mess up, but you give yourself grace to figure it out.”
Melanie also spoke honestly about how difficult it was to break the news to their children. “To them, it very much came as a surprise… My son was upset, obviously, and then my daughter was upset after that. It’s not a nice conversation to have, but we did it together. We sat them down and told them.”
Despite the heartbreak, Melanie and Zwai have worked hard to maintain a strong and respectful co-parenting relationship—always putting their children first.
“These kids didn’t ask for this,” she said. “And so I choose not to make them have to pick sides, or talk badly about their father, or cut off their entire family that they’ve known their whole lives.”
She explained that successful co-parenting only works when both parents are truly done with their romantic relationship and are emotionally mature.
“I feel like co-parenting works if the two people no longer have feelings for each other, or if you don’t hate each other,” she said. “When all those feelings are resolved, you can truly co-parent. It really works when you are emotionally mature, and you have truly ended and completed that part of your relationship, so that you are only co-parents.”
