A young woman by the name Yolatha has broken her silence about her past relationship with media personality Uncle Vinny, real name Vincent Kabebo Ndlovu alleging that she endured emotional suffering during their time together while insisting she will not be silenced by criticism.
In a series of Instagram Stories shared on Tuesday, Yolatha reflected on the relationship, saying she had reached a point where she was no longer afraid to speak about her experience. She detailed how he cheated on her a month after they started dating. Then also move into her apartment. She shared how she took care of him and protected his reputation despite the physical and verbal abuse.
“I lost myself completely and i was not perfect throughout this relationship, there’s two sides to every story however that’s his story to tell. I’ve protected this man for far too long.”
She also addressed criticism directed at her since speaking out, saying victim-blaming would not deter her.
“The victim blaming will not shake me. i was suffering at the hands of a man that secretly hated me and it took months for me to get to the point that I’m at, nothing will shake me.”
Yolatha further claimed she was unaware of aspects of Uncle Vinny’s behaviour until after their relationship.
“The only time women approached me regarding vinny, was when i was being informed about the cheating.
“I never knew he was this kind of person and i cannot stress this enough.”
One of the posts she reshared, one of her friends accused Uncle Vinny of damaging her emotionally and publicly humiliating her.
“She took you in when you had nothing, protected you & your image, showed up for you in so many ways. She gave you so many chances to change & be the version she fell in love with. Was her mistake loving you? You went out of your way to ruin her birthday weekend??? Tarnish her reputation, embarrassed her. You took her spark away.”
Another said, “Watching your friend lose her spark right before your eyes is a different kind of pain. Seeing her question her beauty, live in constant fear every time you leave the house, cry herself to sleep, and carry the weight of heartbreak over and over again. The worst part isn’t even watching it happen, it’s knowing there’s nothing you can do to make the pain disappear. You remind her of her worth, you hold her while she cries, you tell her she’ll be okay, but until she believes it herself, all you can do is love her through the storm.”
Yolatha’s statements come after Uncle Vinny was previously accused of abuse by another woman. At the time, the allegations drew widespread attention on social media. Yolatha has now said she knew nothing about those allegations while she was in a relationship with him, maintaining that women only approached her afterwards to tell her about alleged cheating and other concerns.
The allegations made by Yolatha have not been tested in court, and Uncle Vinny has not publicly responded to her claims.
Attempts to obtain comment from Uncle Vinny were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Cece Smith 