TV presenter and actress has finally set the record straight about her love life, revealing that her fairytale romance and engagement to advertising executive Veli Ngubane ended more than a year ago
TV presenter and actress Palesa Tembe has confirmed that she and her former fiancé, advertising executive Veli Ngubane, are no longer together.
Tembe revealed that she has been single for more than a year, putting an end to speculation about the status of her relationship with the man she was once preparing to marry.
“I am 100 percent single. I’ve been single for over a year now,” Tembe said in a new interview with True Love.
The revelation marks a dramatic turn in a relationship that was once celebrated publicly as a modern South African love story, complete with a romantic helicopter proposal, wedding plans and a magazine cover dedicated to their journey towards marriage.
From chance encounters to romance
Tembe and Ngubane’s story stretched back several years before they officially became a couple.
The pair first met at a dinner in Cape Town in 2019, when Tembe famously helped recover Ngubane’s lost phone. At the time, however, their encounter did not immediately lead to a romance.
They crossed paths again around 2022, when Ngubane recognised Tembe at a restaurant in Cape Town and remembered that she was the woman who had found his phone years earlier. Their relationship subsequently developed, with the couple later having to navigate periods of long-distance dating between different cities.
Ngubane would later describe his certainty about Tembe to his family, while Tembe became a prominent part of his life and his relationship with his son.
The proposal that captured South Africa’s attention
In May 2023, Ngubane proposed to Tembe in a lavish and carefully planned romantic gesture that attracted widespread attention.
The advertising executive enlisted the help of the production team behind Tembe’s television work to convince her that she was attending a shoot. Instead, she was taken to a surprise proposal in Stellenbosch, complete with a helicopter, flowers and a pianist.
Ngubane later revealed that he had personally planned the details of the proposal, while Tembe admitted that although she suspected something was happening, he had spent months playing fake-proposal jokes on her.
The engagement placed the couple firmly in the spotlight, with their families also discussing the next stages of their union, including traditional ceremonies, lobola and a white wedding.
The couple who graced a wedding magazine cover
By September 2024, Tembe and Ngubane appeared to be moving full steam ahead with their future together.
The engaged couple became the inaugural cover stars of Previdar Weddings, sharing their love story and discussing their plans to marry.
Tembe spoke about welcoming Ngubane into the Tembe family and their hopes of eventually hosting their white wedding, while the pair openly discussed the challenges they had already faced as a couple.
At the time, they were presented as one of South Africa’s high-profile engaged couples, with their story built around the idea that their romance was meant to be.
But behind the carefully documented journey towards marriage, the relationship would eventually come to an end.
Palesa says the relationship ended more than a year ago
Tembe has now made it clear that the relationship and engagement did not survive.
She said she has been single for more than a year, meaning the split happened long before the recent public controversy surrounding Ngubane.
The publication described Tembe as reflecting on a tumultuous period in her life, as she spoke about the lessons she has taken from the relationship and moved forward into a new chapter. Her confirmation also brings clarity to a relationship that had continued to attract public interest because of how publicly the couple had previously celebrated their engagement and plans to marry.
Ngubane’s sexual misconduct scandal and therapy
Tembe’s confirmation of the breakup comes after Ngubane found himself at the centre of a major scandal in July 2026.
Ngubane stepped down from his leadership role at advertising agency Avatar after a video circulated online showing his inappropriate conduct towards women during the Cannes Lions festival in France.
The women involved said they felt uncomfortable during the encounter, while Ngubane’s conduct sparked widespread criticism and renewed conversations about harassment and professional behaviour within the advertising industry.
Avatar confirmed that Ngubane had stepped down with immediate effect, saying the agency expected high standards of professional conduct from its people. Advertising industry bodies also publicly condemned behaviour that undermines the dignity, safety and professional standing of others.
Ngubane checked into rehabilitation following the controversy, with the former advertising executive seeking help in the aftermath of the scandal.
Tembe’s latest interview, however, makes clear that her separation from her former fiancé predates the public scandal.
A new chapter after a public engagement
For Tembe, the confirmation closes the chapter on a relationship that had once appeared headed for marriage.
From their chance meeting and rekindled connection, to an extravagant proposal and a glossy wedding magazine cover, Tembe and Ngubane’s romance played out publicly.
Now, more than a year after the relationship ended, Tembe says she is single and moving forward.
“I am 100 percent single. I’ve been single for over a year now,” she said.
