MAFS Mzansi reunion: Matshediso wins viewers over again after standing up to Esethu

Spoiler alert: this article discusses Part 1 of the reunion and the Episode 13 outcomes.

If Part 1 of the Married at First Sight Mzansi Season 3 reunion left some viewers underwhelmed, Matshediso Maphutse was the exception. The woman who walked away on decision day has once again become the cast member social media is rallying behind.

Part 1 aired on Sunday, 4 October 2026, on Mzansi Magic (DStv channel 161), with Lerato Mvelase hosting and the experts in the room. Early reactions called the reunion jumpy and more of a catch-up than a tell-all. Then came the recap of the explosive secrets and lies game.

The moment

The secrets and lies game came earlier in the season after Hlulani Ngobeno compiled a list of things his wife, Nompumelelo Sobopha, had told him about the other contestants. Esethu Seku moved to confront Nompumelelo over it, after Mvelase asked about her being called Cruella De’Vil. Seku then accused Sobopha of having “diarrhoea of the mouth.”

That’s when Matshediso stepped in, confronting Seku over wanting to hold Sobopha accountable over things they had actually told her about their husbands, which she then shared, in confidence, with her own husband.

Why viewers are backing her (again)

This isn’t the first time Matshediso has had Mzansi on her side. Since Decision Day, viewers have praised her clarity and her refusal to settle. She turned down Lesiba Tleane’s offer to recommit, saying she couldn’t see their connection surviving once the cameras were gone, and she wished him well through tears.

At the reunion, that same reputation seems to have carried over, especially since she shut Seku down by calling her “third wife” and “Mseleku what what” in reference to the revelation that her husband Prince Masuku had paid lobola for two other women before coming to the show.

Part 2 airs on Sunday, 11 October, at 6pm on Mzansi Magic, and viewers will be watching for whether the tension carries over.