Inside Dumi Mkokstad’s Marriage: Faith, Family and the Love That Grounds SA’s Gospel Star

Dumi Mkokstad, one of South Africa’s most celebrated gospel artists, has built a life that balances public ministry with a deeply private and intentional family journey. Away from the stage and bright lights, he shares his world with his wife, Dr Ziphozenkosi Nzimande, a respected medical doctor whose demanding career runs alongside his own packed schedule.

At the heart of their marriage, the couple says, is faith, friendship and a conscious decision to grow together. Before they officially became husband and wife, Dumi and Dr Zipho took part in pre-marital counselling, a step they believe laid a strong foundation for their union and prepared them for the realities of marriage.

Reflecting on how marriage reshaped his life, Dumi told Drum: “Ever since I got married, things changed. My wife is very spiritual, and we pray for one another. We are content with each other, we do a lot of things together, my wife is my friend.”

For Dr Zipho, marriage has been both a blessing and a spiritual mirror that continues to challenge her faith. “We’ve learnt a lot about God and who God is. Being married really tested our faith; it’s like putting your faith into practice. Are you patient? Are you really kind?. It’s shown us that we need God every day,” she shared.

With two busy careers that often pull them in different directions, finding time for each other does not always come easily. Dumi, who often travels and performs over weekends, jokingly admits that his wife is usually the one pushing for quality time together. “She works Monday to Friday; I work Friday to Sunday. We are intentional about spending time with each other,” he said.

Dr Zipho echoes this sentiment, acknowledging that balance, in the traditional sense, is not always realistic for them. “We are still working on balancing our careers with quality time as a couple. I believe that balance doesn’t exist. We live in the moment, and we are intentional. We carve out time to sit and talk and have dinner dates,” she explained.

Married for well over six years, the couple has built a blended family rooted in love and togetherness. They share two children of their own, a daughter named Likuwe and a son named Neyame. Dumi also has two children from previous relationships, whom the family embraces as part of their unit.

Parenthood, they say, has deepened their faith and reshaped their understanding of God’s love. “Parenthood has been the most incredible blessing in our lives; it’s made us more connected to God. When you have your own child in your arms, you understand God’s love. It’s made us softer and more graceful,” Dr Zipho said.

Family time is a priority, even with their packed schedules. “We spend a lot of time with our kids. Yami loves travelling, she loves the beach, boy loves being outside, we make time for the family,” Dumi shared.

The couple also speaks openly about what they admire in each other. Dr Zipho describes her husband as gentle and grounded, qualities that may surprise those who know him only from the stage. “I admire Dumi’s kindness and his caring heart. People think that his extroverted because his on stage and he dances, but he actually is very levelheaded and calm. I appreciate that because it becomes our stability, he grounds us,” she said.

Dumi, in turn, describes his wife as someone whose kindness sets her apart. “She’s a kind and fragile person, she’s the kindest person I know. She’s friendly, you can become friends with her easily,” he said.

Like any couple, they acknowledge that disagreements are part of marriage, but they place more value on reconciliation than on winning arguments. “We argue like all humans, but we we thrive to reconcile like Christians. We’ve learnt that shouting louder doesn’t help; we have to listen deeper. Humour has helped; we can’t stay mad at each other for too long. We make sure we don’t upset each other,” Dr Zipho explained.

When it comes to raising their children, faith, kindness and courage are central values they hope to instil from a young age. “We want to teach them faith, kindness and humility, but to never be afraid of anything in life. A lot of us have our dreams blocked by fear of failure. We are intentional about teaching them to be fearless,” Dumi said.

He added that he is especially mindful of the example he sets for his son. “I want to be an example to my kids. Especially my son, I want to teach my son how to be a man in society, with things like GBV, I want him to understand those aspects and how to view women and how important they are,” he said.

Despite their public profiles, Dumi and Dr Zipho are careful about how much of their personal life they share. They believe protecting their privacy helps preserve peace within their family. “When you share too much, people become entitled, and they feel like they can ask you anything. When you stop sharing, they start to wonder. When we had children, we realised that maybe we need to tone down posting.”

Through faith, intention and mutual respect, the couple continues to navigate marriage, parenthood and demanding careers, choosing every day to grow together while keeping what matters most close to home.