Up Close With Mmabo, The Psalmist.
Loading player...
Bahle Nhlapho welcomes Mmabo (Motaung) in the studio — a gifted recording artist and prophetic psalmist — to unpack the heart behind her latest single/EP, and the journey that shaped her sound and calling.
Mmabo has been a devoted listener of Radio Pulpit since her youth. She was born in Mamelodi and raised from the age of two by her grandparents in Temba, Hammanskraal. Growing up in a born-again home, she was known as a shy, quiet young girl — but her spiritual foundations were strong, largely influenced by her grandmother.
Her granny was an evangelist, and Mmabo often served as her chorus leader. In the early 1990s, her grandmother would read the Bible to her and nurture her love for worship. Before her granny would preach, she would ask Mmabo to sing hymns — and that moment became the early seed of what would later become a lifelong assignment in worship.
Despite facing seasons of pain — including body-shaming and ridicule — Mmabo pressed through, built resilience, and continued her education, eventually studying at university in Bloemfontein. Along the way, she experienced a difficult detour while still in varsity, falling pregnant with her first child. However, she never stayed away from the Lord for long — she returned quickly, and her walk with God regained momentum and clarity.
Today, Mmabo stands not only as an artist but also as a pastor and prophetic psalmist, with a catalogue of over 200 original songs — a clear indication of consistent grace, discipline, and spiritual throughput.
One of the most powerful parts of her story is her testimony surrounding her third child, a daughter diagnosed with a congenital heart condition — described as Tetralogy of Fallot, meaning there were four major defects in the heart. Through prayer with her grandmother and others, and after four major surgeries, her daughter’s life became a living testimony of faith, endurance, and divine intervention.
Mmabo’s latest album is titled “Seated on the Throne.” She also shares that “O Morena” was the very first song she wrote as a teenager — a prophetic marker of the worship journey that was planted in her early years and continues to bear fruit today.
Mmabo has been a devoted listener of Radio Pulpit since her youth. She was born in Mamelodi and raised from the age of two by her grandparents in Temba, Hammanskraal. Growing up in a born-again home, she was known as a shy, quiet young girl — but her spiritual foundations were strong, largely influenced by her grandmother.
Her granny was an evangelist, and Mmabo often served as her chorus leader. In the early 1990s, her grandmother would read the Bible to her and nurture her love for worship. Before her granny would preach, she would ask Mmabo to sing hymns — and that moment became the early seed of what would later become a lifelong assignment in worship.
Despite facing seasons of pain — including body-shaming and ridicule — Mmabo pressed through, built resilience, and continued her education, eventually studying at university in Bloemfontein. Along the way, she experienced a difficult detour while still in varsity, falling pregnant with her first child. However, she never stayed away from the Lord for long — she returned quickly, and her walk with God regained momentum and clarity.
Today, Mmabo stands not only as an artist but also as a pastor and prophetic psalmist, with a catalogue of over 200 original songs — a clear indication of consistent grace, discipline, and spiritual throughput.
One of the most powerful parts of her story is her testimony surrounding her third child, a daughter diagnosed with a congenital heart condition — described as Tetralogy of Fallot, meaning there were four major defects in the heart. Through prayer with her grandmother and others, and after four major surgeries, her daughter’s life became a living testimony of faith, endurance, and divine intervention.
Mmabo’s latest album is titled “Seated on the Throne.” She also shares that “O Morena” was the very first song she wrote as a teenager — a prophetic marker of the worship journey that was planted in her early years and continues to bear fruit today.
