South African actor, musician and podcaster Luthando “BU” Mthembu has opened up about a deeply traumatic part of his childhood, revealing that he was sexually abused by two different women when he was just seven and eight years old.
Mthembu, who rose to prominence as a contestant on Big Brother Mzansi before establishing himself as an actor and musician, made the revelation while speaking on All The Smoke, the Podcast and Chill Network show he co-hosts with rapper Tshego.
A childhood betrayal
According to Mthembu, both women were friends of his mother, making the experiences particularly difficult because they were people who were trusted by his family.
He said the first incident happened when he was seven years old, while the second occurred a year later when he was eight.
His decision to speak publicly about the experiences sheds light on an often-overlooked reality of sexual violence – that boys can also be victims and that their perpetrators can be women.
Mthembu’s account is particularly significant in a society where male survivors can face pressure to remain silent or are sometimes expected to interpret sexual experiences with women as something positive rather than abuse.
‘I was a child’
While discussing his experiences on All The Smoke, Mthembu spoke about the impact of being exposed to sexual experiences at such a young age and the difficulty of processing what had happened to him.
The actor’s disclosure also challenges misconceptions surrounding male victims of sexual abuse. A child’s age and inability to consent remain central to understanding abuse, regardless of the gender of the perpetrator.
Mthembu’s experiences involved women he knew through his mother, highlighting how abuse can take place within trusted social circles and can involve people who are familiar to a child’s family.
From Big Brother to acting and podcasting
Mthembu first became widely known after appearing on Big Brother Mzansi in 2022. Since then, he has built a career across television, acting, music and presenting.
He became particularly recognised for playing Vuyani in Showmax’s Adulting, while also appearing in productions including Ayeye: Stripped and Redemption. He performs music under the name Ludo BU.
In 2026, he joined Tshego as co-host of All The Smoke, a show built around candid conversations about entertainment, culture and the personal experiences behind public figures.
His latest disclosure adds another dimension to the public’s understanding of the man behind the entertainer, showing the painful experiences that can exist beneath a confident public persona.
A wider conversation about boys and sexual abuse
Mthembu’s story comes at a time when conversations around sexual violence increasingly recognise that men and boys can also be survivors.
Sexual abuse of children can have lasting emotional and psychological consequences, regardless of whether the perpetrator is male or female. Support organisations in South Africa specifically provide services to male survivors as well as women and children.
By speaking about what happened to him decades ago, Mthembu has opened space for a difficult conversation about childhood sexual abuse, the silence surrounding male victims and the importance of believing and supporting survivors.
His revelation is ultimately a reminder that a child cannot consent to sexual activity – and that abuse does not become less serious because the survivor is a boy or because the perpetrator is a woman.
