The show spoke to 27-year-old “blessee” Amanda Cele, who was unemployed but lived in a flat in the suburbs, drove a Mercedes and wore a range of luxury brands – all thanks to her blesser, who she said “makes things happen”.
Cabonge, not a South African man, described himself as a blesser on the show and claimed to have spent R100 000 on one of the women he has “blessed”.
He claimed that 75% of the women in South Africa expected money out of a relationship.
Surprisingly, however, Kunene was highly critical of the blesser phenomenon, although he admitted he had once been a big part of it.
He said that it would be better to describe the trend as “pimps and prostitutes”, as what takes place is “the action of a prostitute”.
He explained that he had taken advantage of the fact that his young female targets came from poor backgrounds and were only too happy to be showered with gifts, taken on trips and booked into five-star hotels – in return for sex. Kunene famously told talk show host Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu that he was dating 15 women at the same time but told The Citizen that he was now in a steady relationship with a long-time girlfriend, with whom he was serious.
If South Africa accepted the trend of blessers and blessees, Kunene told Checkpoint, we would be saying that “it is OK to create a society of young prostitutes”.
Blessee Cele said that, to her, a man’s looks were not important and that it was all about what he could pay for.
Kunene offered an apology to the camera: “I want to apologise to the women I have turned into prostitutes myself. I have used them, given them money, the good life, for one intention only: for them to drop their panties.”