By Katlego Sekhu
This morning singer/songwriter Berita Soul joined 959 Breakfast with Dineo Ranaka and Sol Phenduka ahead of her one-woman show taking place on Sunday, 26th February 2023.
Berita shares how she had to take a year-long break away from making music as she was having anxiety attacks.
“I decided to stop and I think that was the best decision I made.”
The Thandolwethu singer started making music again toward the end of 2022. “I have just written so many beautiful songs,” she adds.
She felt “displaced publicly” because of the abuse from Nota on social media.
Berita still has vivid memories of the day she left my marriage.
Following a lengthy conversation with her therapist, she realized that she was in a narcissistic relationship.
“The day I found out I was in an abusive relationship I quickly made plans. I remember I had bought continental pillows and I remember packing my stuff and I told him I was taking it back.
“That moment I booked myself into a hotel room and I left as if I was coming back. I still came back, told him I was going to the studio and I never came back.”
The last straw for Berita
The last straw for Berita was on 20 December 2021. She was driving home with her husband from a show and the police stopped them asking for a driver’s license.
“It went from being that to a full-blown-out argument where he was shouting at the police.”
She recalls having to get out of the car to physically restrain him.
“That’s when I knew that this was never going to be my life. I only started to see the signs after we got married.”
Her parents, who are based in Zim, were worried about her safety.
“He was harassing me and everyone else around me and I had to even leave the country for 6 months.
“My dad didn’t want me to come back to Johannesburg. I told my dad that I had never experienced that type of rage in my life.”
Looking back, she wishes she took more time to get to know him before deciding to get married.
“I really was naive when I got into the relationship. I didn’t take the time to get to know him. At one point, I thought we shared the same type of values.”



