Diamond and Zari: Rocky beginnings, rockier union

Diamond has, on several occasions, referred to Zari as his wife. However, it is understood that he is yet to meet his in-laws to formalise their union. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • Under Islam, to which they both subscribe, the two are fornicating as they were first required to undergo Nikahi (Islamic proposing ritual) before anything else when they met.
  • This could be another reason causing tensions between the two lovebirds, who have been cohabiting for the past four years, with pressure mounting on Diamond to make it official.

The blogosphere has been awash with rumours since Monday about cracks in the union of celebrity couple Diamond and Zari, who are seen, in some quarters, as the African version of Kim and Kanye West.

The latest split gossip started after the “Salome” hit-maker took to social media to bash his partner Zari for allegedly cheating on him after a photo of the mother of five with a man she later confirmed was her late ex-husband’s cousin went viral.

“Ndio maana wakati mwingine naonaga bora tu nile na kusepa maana hawathaminikagi wala kuaminika hawa” (That’s why sometimes, I prefer being a player because they can’t be trusted).

Minutes later Zari responded to set the record straight: “Photo credit was by his wife. He is my kid’s uncle and I happened to meet them at a spa. Someone will always find fault when it’s not there just to cover and turn around stories of all the dirty they do behind your back.”

PULLED DOWN POSTS
Later, the duo pulled down their posts, with Diamond uploading a new short video of himself spending quality time with Zari and their babies in South Africa.

ROCKY BEGINNINGS

Since the two started dating back in December 2014, their relationship has always been rocked by rumours that they want to split up due to various allegations, from cheating to family woes. 

But what could be the genesis of the split rumours that have dogged the couple ever since they met?

NOT OFFICIALLY MARRIED

Diamond has, on several occasions, referred to Zari as his wife. However, it is understood that he is yet to meet his in-laws to formalise their union. 

The two are yet to wed and early in 2017, Zari stated that she wants her wedding to be huge, glamorous and the most expensive in the region.

Speaking to Tanzania’s Mikasa newspaper in early 2017, she said she was expecting Diamond to travel to Uganda by March 2017 to meet his in-laws and officially ask for her hand in marriage. She also said that he would be heavily fined for getting her pregnant before officially marrying her.

Under Islam, to which they both subscribe, the two are fornicating as they were first required to undergo Nikahi (Islamic proposing ritual) before anything else when they met.

This could be another reason causing tensions between the two lovebirds, who have been cohabiting for the past four years, with pressure mounting on Diamond to make it official.

THE GHOSTS OF DIAMOND’S EXES
Despite moving on with the Ugandan Zari, Diamond has remained close to his ex-girlfriends, especially actress Wema Sepetu, whom he left for Zari.

Wema and Zari have not been seeing eye to eye in most matters and it’s worth remembering that in January 2016, they went viral after exchanging bitter words on social media. The argument between the two was sparked after an Instagram account, believed to be Wema’s, posted photos of Zari and a chain of rich men she had allegedly slept with, which left her fans trolling her. 

It is no secret that Diamond Platinumz left Wema Sepetu (left) for Zari Hassan, who bore him two children. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP

A fed-up Zari hit back, posting, “Fake cars, fake houses, fake men, and fake everything but they are here to judge. You all look like just had a fight with a tiger. We feel your pain, Dee is a loving man. I know what you missing but guess what I got it all by myself…”

The exchange wouldn’t stop, with Wema questioning the legality of baby Tiffahs’ dad, riding on the rumours circulating that she was Ivan’s (Zari’s late ex-husband) and not Diamond’s.

Despite this altercation and obvious bad blood between them, Diamond continues to enjoy a close friendship with Wema. 

Wema has been attending most of his functions and parties. Diamond recently acknowledged his ex as being super-supportive, especially since launching his Chibu Perfume project.

In a recent interview with bongos’ Cloud FM, Diamond said: “Mimi na Wema labda watu hawajui sisi tunaongea sana wakati mwingine tunakutana. Tushakuwa kila mtu ana mahusiano yake lakini tunashauriana sana. Perfume yangu kwa mfano lile neno ‘The scent you deserve’ alilitoa Wema” (What many people don’t know is that Wema and I do meet often and talk about life. We are cool, everyone moved on but we seek advice from one another. She has been very supportive of me and even came up with the tag line for my perfume: The scent you deserve.)

Apart from Wema, there have also been rumours in the Tanzanian showbiz scene of Diamond being close to his other exes, Hamisa Mobeto and Penny Mwingiliwa.  

LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP
Diamond and Zari have been in a long-distance relationship since they met.

Zari lives in South Africa, where she runs her multimillion-rand business empire that she co-owned with her late ex-husband, while Diamond is based in Dar es Salaam. The two make an effort to fly as regularly as possible to see each other. Diamond is currently in South Africa.

Even though this arrangement seems to be working, last year all hell broke loose with rumours that Diamond had cheated on Zari with his ex-girlfriend Hamisa Mobeto while Zari was nursing their second baby in South Africa.

Hamisa, who appears in the “Salome” video, recently had a child and it’s alleged that the baby could be Diamond’s.

MOTHER-IN-LAW WOES
Despite Diamond’s mother Sanura Sandra Kassim recently defending his son’s union to Zari, there have been reports that she does not like her daughter-in-law at all.

Many Tanzanian showbiz blogs have alleged that Sandra has been trying to sabotage her son’s relationship with Zari. It is said that her first choice for a daughter-in-law was Wema.

She is allegedly uncomfortable with the 10-year age gap between the two. Zari is 37 and Diamond 27.

In 2016, when Wema turned 28, Sandra sent her a heartfelt birthday message but the blogosphere noted that she had not done the same for Zari, who had turned 36 five days earlier.

RICH GANG HATES DIAMOND

Zari’s ex-husband Ivan was the leader of Rich Gang, a group of wealthy men who partied together and rolled in dough. Ivan and his gang openly disliked Diamond.

The Rich Gang will be remembered as having started the rumours regarding the paternity of Diamond’s children with Zari. They claimed the children were Ivan’s! King Lawrence, a Rich Gang member, offered to pay Diamond $40,000 (Sh4 million) to dump Zari. 

When Zari organised her All White Party in Kampala, Diamond was set to attend but did not show up when Ivan and his Rich Gang team turned up for the event though Diamond was in Kampala then. 

Diamond was also set to attend Ivan’s burial but again didn’t show up. Zari said she asked him not to go because of the complications it would bring up. She must have had in mind the obvious dislike the Rich Gang had for Diamond.